As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 16, 2019

Registration No. 333-219844

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 2

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

SPECTRUM BRANDS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

DELAWARE

3690

22-2423556

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

3001 Deming Way

Middleton, Wisconsin 53562

(608) 275-3340

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

*ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE A HERETO

Ehsan Zargar

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

3001 Deming Way

Middleton, Wisconsin 53562

(608) 275-3340

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

With a copy to:

Raphael M. Russo, Esq.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

1285 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10019-6064

(212) 373-3000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



Title of each class of securities to be registered	Amount to be registered	Proposed maximum offering price per unit	Proposed maximum aggregate offering price	Amount of registration fee
6.625% Senior Notes due 2022	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾
Guarantees of 6.625% Senior Notes due 2022	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A⁽²⁾
6.125% Senior Notes due 2024	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾
Guarantees of 6.125% Senior Notes due 2024	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A⁽²⁾
5.750% Senior Notes due 2025	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾	⁽¹⁾
Guarantees of 5.750% Senior Notes due 2025	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A⁽²⁾

⁽¹⁾	An indeterminate amount of securities are being registered hereby to be offered solely for market-making purposes by affiliates of the registrant. Pursuant to Rule 457(q) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, no filing fee is required.

⁽²⁾	No additional consideration is being received for the guarantees. Pursuant to Rule 457(n) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, no separate fee is required in respect of such guarantees.

The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This registration statement contains a combined prospectus pursuant to Rule 429 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating also to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-209020), previously filed. Accordingly, upon effectiveness, this registration statement shall act as a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-209020).

SCHEDULE A


Name*	State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization	Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number		I.R.S. Employer Identification Number
Applica Mexico Holdings, Inc.	Delaware		3690		74-3100872
Alaska Merger Acquisition Corp.	Delaware		3690		82-1316914
GloFish LLC	Delaware		3690		82-1484807
National Manufacturing Mexico A LLC	Delaware		3690		N/A	**
National Manufacturing Mexico B LLC	Delaware		3690		N/A	**
National Openings, LLC	Pennsylvania		3690		46-2516338
Spectrum Brands Pet LLC	New York		3690		26-1757404
ROV Holding, Inc.	Delaware		3690		22-2423555
ROV International Holdings LLC	Delaware		3690		N/A	**
Salix Animal Health, LLC	Delaware		3690		65-0965477
SB/RH Holdings, LLC	Delaware		3690		27-2812840
Schultz Company	Missouri		3690		43-0625762
Shaser, Inc.	Delaware		3690		20-2000219
Spectrum Brands Pet Group Inc.	Delaware		3690		82-2201953
United Industries Corporation	Delaware		3690		43-1025604

*	The address of each additional registrant’s principal executive office is c/o Spectrum Brands, Inc., 3001 Deming Way, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562, (608) 275-3340.

**	Single member LLC disregarded for U.S. tax purposes.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to completion, dated May 16, 2019

PROSPECTUS

LOGO

SPECTRUM BRANDS, INC.

6.625% Senior Notes due 2022 and Related Guarantees

6.125% Senior Notes due 2024 and Related Guarantees

5.750% Senior Notes due 2025 and Related Guarantees

This prospectus may be used by our affiliate, Jefferies LLC or any of its affiliates (which we collectively refer to as “Jefferies”) in connection with offers and sales by Jefferies of our notes (as defined below) in market-making transactions effected from time to time. Market-making transactions in the notes may occur in the open market or may be privately negotiated at prevailing market prices at a time of resale or at related or negotiated prices. In these transactions, Jefferies may act as principal or agent, including as agent for the counterparty in a transaction in which Jefferies acts as principal, or as agent for both counterparties in a transaction in which Jefferies does not act as a principal. Jefferies may receive compensation in the form of discounts and commissions, including from both counterparties in some cases. We will not receive any proceeds from these market-making transactions. Neither Jefferies, nor any of our affiliates, has any obligation to make a market in the notes, and Jefferies or any such other affiliate may discontinue market-making activities at any time without notice.

The Notes and the Guarantees

•

The 6.625% Senior Notes due 2022 and certain related guarantees (the “2022 notes”) are governed by the indenture dated as of November 16, 2012, as supplemented, which we refer to as the “2022 notes indenture.” As of March 31, 2019, we had $285.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2022 notes outstanding.

•

The 6.125% Senior Notes due 2024 and certain related guarantees (the “2024 notes”) are governed by the indenture dated as of December 4, 2014, as supplemented, which we refer to as the “2024 notes indenture.” As of March 31, 2019, we had $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2024 notes outstanding.

•

The 5.750% Senior Notes due 2025 and certain related guarantees (the “2025 notes”) are governed by the indenture dated as of May 20, 2015, as supplemented, which we refer to as the “2025 notes indenture” and, collectively with the 2022 notes indenture and the 2024 notes indenture, the “indentures.” As of March 31, 2019, we had $1,000.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2025 notes outstanding.

•

We refer to the 2022 notes, the 2024 notes and the 2025 notes, collectively or individually, as the context requires, as the “notes.”

•

The 2022 notes will mature on November 15, 2022. We will pay interest on the 2022 notes semi-annually on May 15 and November 15 of each year at a rate of 6.625% per annum, to holders of record on the May 1 or November 1 immediately preceding the interest payment date.

•

The 2024 notes will mature on December 15, 2024. We will pay interest on the 2024 notes semi-annually on June 15 and December 15 of each year at a rate of 6.125% per annum, to holders of record on the June 1 or December 1 immediately preceding the interest payment date.

•

The 2025 notes will mature on July 15, 2025. We will pay interest on the 2025 notes semi-annually on July 15 and January 15 of each year at a rate of 5.750% per annum, to holders of record on the July 1 or January 1 immediately preceding the interest payment date.

•

The notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by our direct parent, SB/RH Holdings, LLC, and each of our existing and future domestic subsidiaries, which we refer to collectively as the “guarantors.”

•

The notes and the related guarantees are the general unsecured obligations of us and the guarantors and will rank equally in right of payment with all of our and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness (but effectively subordinated to our secured debt, including our secured credit facilities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such secured debt), and senior in right of payment to all of our and the guarantors’ future indebtedness that expressly provides for its subordination to the notes and the related guarantees. See “Description of Other Indebtedness,” Description of 2022 Notes,” “Description of 2024 Notes” and “Description of 2025 Notes,” as applicable.

•

There is no established market for trading the notes. We have not applied, and do not intend to apply, for listing or quotation of the notes on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system.

An investment in the notes involves risks. Please refer to the section in this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” commencing on page 8.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is , 2019.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


TRADEMARKS			ii
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA			ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			1
RISK FACTORS			8
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			31
USE OF PROCEEDS			32
CAPITALIZATION			33
SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA			34
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS			36
BUSINESS			65
MANAGEMENT			79
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS			83
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT			130
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS			133
DESCRIPTION OF OTHER INDEBTEDNESS			137
DESCRIPTION OF 2022 NOTES			140
DESCRIPTION OF 2024 NOTES			186
DESCRIPTION OF 2025 NOTES			231
BOOK-ENTRY, DELIVERY AND FORM OF SECURITIES			279
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			282
LEGAL MATTERS			283
EXPERTS			283
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			283
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE			F-1

We have not authorized anyone to give you any information or to make any representations about us or the transactions we discuss in this prospectus other than those contained in this prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurances as to the reliability of, any information that others may give you. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities anywhere or to anyone where or to whom we are not permitted to offer or sell securities under applicable law. The delivery of this prospectus does not, under any circumstances, mean that there has not been a change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus. Subject to our obligation to amend or supplement this prospectus as required by law and the rules and regulations of the SEC, the information contained in this prospectus is correct only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of these securities.

TRADEMARKS

We have proprietary rights to or are exclusively licensed to use a number of registered and unregistered trademarks that we believe are important to our business, including, without limitation, Kwikset^®, Weiser^®, Baldwin^®, EZSET^®, Tell Manufacturing^®, Pfister^®, National Hardware^®, FANAL^®, Stanley^®, Black and Decker^®, Russell Hobbs^®, George Foreman^®, Toastmaster^®, Juiceman^®, Farberware^®, Breadman^®, Remington^®, LumaBella^®, 8IN1^® (8-in-1), Dingo^®, Nature’s Miracle^®, Wild Harvest^™, Littermaid^®, Jungle^®, Excel^®, FURminator^®, IAMS^® (Europe only), Eukanuba^® (Europe only), Healthy-Hide^®, DreamBone^®, SmartBones^®, GloFish^®, ProSense^®, Perfect Coat^®, eCOTRITION^®, Birdola^®, Digest-eeze^®, Tetra^®, Marineland^®, Whisper^®, Instant Ocean^®, Hot Shot^®, Black Flag^®, Real-Kill^®, Ultra Kill^®, The Ant Trap^® (TAT), Rid-A-Bug^®, Spectracide^®, Garden Safe^®, Liquid Fence^®, EcoLogic^®, Cutter^® and Repel^®. We attempt to obtain registration of our key trademarks whenever possible or practicable and pursue any infringement of those trademarks. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus may be without the “^®” and “TM” symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks and tradenames.

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

We obtained the industry, market and competitive position data and information used throughout this prospectus from our own internal company surveys and management estimates as well as from industry and general publications and research, surveys or studies conducted by third parties. Industry and general publications and research, studies and surveys generally state that they have obtained information from sources believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such data and information. While we believe that these publications and research, studies and surveys are reliable, neither we nor the initial purchasers have independently verified such data and information and neither we nor the initial purchasers make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy of such data and information.

There is only a limited amount of independent data available about our industry, market and competitive position, particularly outside of the United States. As a result, certain data and information are based on our good faith estimates, which are derived from our review of internal data and information, information that we obtain from customers, and other third-party sources. We believe these internal surveys and management estimates are reliable; however, no independent sources have verified such surveys and estimates.

The industry data that we present in this prospectus include estimates that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and those discussed under “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary highlights basic information about us and the notes. It may not contain all of the information that is important to you. For a more comprehensive understanding of our business and the offering, you should read this entire prospectus, including the section entitled “Risk Factors.” Certain statements in this summary are forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus or the context requires otherwise, “SBI” refers only to Spectrum Brands, Inc. and not to any of its subsidiaries; “SB/RH Holdings,” the “Company,” “we,” or “our” refers to the Spectrum Brands’ parent SB/RH Holdings, LLC and, where applicable, its consolidated subsidiaries, including SBI. “SBH” refers to SB/RH Holdings’ parent, Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly HRG Group, Inc.) and, where applicable, its consolidated subsidiaries, including SB/RH Holdings.

Our Company

We are a diversified global branded consumer products company. We manage the businesses in vertically integrated, product-focused segments: (i) Hardware & Home Improvement (“HHI”); (ii) Home and Personal Care (“HPC”); (iii) Global Pet Supplies (“PET”); and (iv) Home and Garden (“H&G”). The Company manufactures, markets and/or distributes its products globally in the North America (“NA”); Europe, Middle East & Africa (“EMEA”); Latin America (“LATAM”) and Asia-Pacific (“APAC”) regions through a variety of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and construction companies. We enjoy strong name recognition in our regions with our various brands and patented technologies across several product categories and types.

On July 13, 2018 (the “Merger Closing Date”), the Company’s parent, SBH, completed the planned merger (the “Merger”) with its subsidiary, Spectrum Brands Legacy, Inc. (formerly Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) (“Spectrum”). Prior to the Merger, SBH was a holding company, doing business as HRG Group, Inc. (“HRG”) and conducting its operations principally through its majority owned subsidiaries. Effective the date of the Merger, management of the organization was assumed by management of Spectrum, resulting in HRG changing its name to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. and changing the ticker of common stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange from the symbol “HRG” to “SPB”. SB/RH Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spectrum and ultimately, SBH.

Filings made by SB/RH Holdings pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are made available free of charge on or through our website at www.spectrumbrands.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to the SEC.

Additional Information

SBI is a Delaware corporation and the address of our principal executive office is 3001 Deming Way, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562. Our telephone number is (608) 275-3340. Our website address is www.spectrumbrands.com. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this prospectus.

Summary of Terms of the 2022 Notes

The following is a summary of the terms of the 2022 notes. For a more complete description of the 2022 notes as well as the definitions of certain capitalized terms used below, see “Description of 2022 Notes” in this prospectus.


Issuer		Spectrum Brands, Inc.

2022 Notes		6.625% Senior Notes due 2022.

Maturity Date		November 15, 2022.

Interest		The 2022 notes will bear interest at a rate of 6.625% per annum. Interest on the 2022 notes will be payable in cash on May 15 and November 15 of each year.

Optional Redemption		We may redeem some or all of the 2022 notes at any time at the redemption prices set forth in “Description of 2022 Notes—Optional Redemption.”

Change of Control		Upon a Change of Control (as defined under “Description of 2022 Notes”), we will be required to make an offer to purchase the 2022 notes. The purchase price will equal 101% of the principal amount of the 2022 notes on the date of purchase plus accrued and unpaid interest. We may not have sufficient funds available at the time of any Change of Control to make any required debt repayment (including repurchases of the 2022 notes). See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Notes—We may not be able to make the change of control offer required by the indentures.”

Guarantees		The 2022 notes will be unconditionally, jointly and severally guaranteed, on a senior unsecured basis, by SB/RH Holdings and all of our domestic subsidiaries.

Ranking		The 2022 notes and the related guarantees will be the senior unsecured obligations of us and the guarantors and will:

		• rank equally in right of payment with all of our and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness, including the other notes; and

		• rank senior in right of payment to all of our and the guarantors’ future indebtedness that expressly provide for its subordination to the 2022 notes and the related guarantees.

		However, the 2022 notes will be effectively subordinated to any of our secured indebtedness, including under our Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, the 2022 notes will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of Spectrum Brands’ subsidiaries that do not guarantee the 2022 notes.

Certain Covenants		The terms of the 2022 notes indenture restrict our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries (as described in “Description of 2022 Notes”) to:

		• incur additional indebtedness;

		• create liens;

		• engage in sale-leaseback transactions;

		• pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock;

		• purchase or redeem capital stock;

		• make investments or certain other restricted payments;

		• sell assets;

		• issue or sell stock of restricted subsidiaries;

		• enter into transactions with affiliates; or

		• effect a consolidation or merger.


		However, these limitations will be subject to a number of important qualifications and exceptions. In addition, if the 2022 notes are rated investment grade at any time by both Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, most of the restrictive covenants and corresponding events of default contained in the 2022 notes indenture will be suspended.

Absence of a Public Market		The 2022 notes are generally freely transferable, but there may not be an active trading market for the 2022 notes. We cannot assure you as to the future liquidity of any market.

Trustee		U.S. Bank National Association is serving as trustee under the 2022 notes indenture.

Use of Proceeds		This prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of the 2022 notes by Jefferies in market-making transactions effected from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from such transactions.

Risk Factors		You should consider all of the information contained in this prospectus before making an investment in the 2022 notes. In particular, you should consider the risks described under “Risk Factors.”

Summary of Terms of the 2024 Notes

The following is a summary of the terms of the 2024 notes. For a more complete description of the 2024 notes as well as the definitions of certain capitalized terms used below, see “Description of 2024 Notes” in this prospectus.


Issuer		Spectrum Brands, Inc.

2024 Notes		6.125% Senior Notes due 2024.

Maturity Date		December 15, 2024.

Interest		The 2024 notes will bear interest at a rate of 6.125% per annum. Interest on the 2024 notes will be payable in cash on June 15 and December 15 of each year.

Optional Redemption		On or after December 15, 2019, we may redeem some or all of the 2024 notes at any time at the redemption prices set forth in “Description of 2024 Notes—Optional Redemption.” In addition, prior to December 15, 2019, we may redeem the 2024 notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus a “make-whole” premium.

Change of Control		Upon a Change of Control (as defined under “Description of 2024 Notes”) we will be required to make an offer to purchase the 2024 notes. The purchase price will equal 101% of the principal amount of the 2024 notes on the date of purchase plus accrued and unpaid interest. We may not have sufficient funds available at the time of any Change of Control to make any required debt repayment (including repurchases of the 2024 notes). See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Notes—We may not be able to make the change of control offer required by the indentures.”

Guarantees		The 2024 notes will be unconditionally, jointly and severally guaranteed, on a senior unsecured basis, by SB/RH Holdings and all of our domestic subsidiaries.

Ranking		The 2024 notes and the related guarantees will be the senior unsecured obligations of us and the guarantors and will:

		• rank equally in right of payment with all of our and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness, including the other notes; and

		• rank senior in right of payment to all of our and the guarantors’ future indebtedness that expressly provide for its subordination to the 2024 notes and the related guarantees.

		However, the 2024 notes will be effectively subordinated to any of our secured indebtedness, including under our Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, the 2024 notes will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of Spectrum Brands’ subsidiaries that do not guarantee the 2024 notes.

Certain Covenants		The terms of the 2024 notes indenture restrict our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries (as described in “Description of 2024 Notes”) to:

		• incur additional indebtedness;

		• create liens;

		• engage in sale-leaseback transactions;

		• pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock;

		• purchase or redeem capital stock;

		• make investments or certain other restricted payments;

		• sell assets;

		• issue or sell stock of restricted subsidiaries;


		• enter into transactions with affiliates; or

		• effect a consolidation or merger.

		However, these limitations will be subject to a number of important qualifications and exceptions. In addition, if the 2024 notes are rated investment grade at any time by both Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, most of the restrictive covenants and corresponding events of default contained in the 2024 notes indenture will be suspended.

Absence of a Public Market		The 2024 notes are generally freely transferable, but there may not be an active trading market for the 2024 notes. We cannot assure you as to the future liquidity of any market.

Trustee		U.S. Bank National Association is serving as trustee under the 2024 notes indenture.

Use of Proceeds		This prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of the 2024 notes by Jefferies in market-making transactions effected from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from such transactions.

Risk Factors		You should consider all of the information contained in this prospectus before making an investment in the 2024 notes. In particular, you should consider the risks described under “Risk Factors.”

Summary of Terms of the 2025 Notes

The following is a summary of the terms of the 2025 notes. For a more complete description of the 2025 notes as well as the definitions of certain capitalized terms used below, see “Description of 2025 Notes” in this prospectus.


Issuer		Spectrum Brands, Inc.

2025 Notes		5.750% Senior Notes due 2025.

Maturity Date		July 15, 2025.

Interest		The 2025 notes will bear interest at a rate of 5.750% per annum. Interest on the 2025 notes will be payable in cash on July 15 and January 15 of each year.

Optional Redemption		On or after July 15, 2020, we may redeem some or all of the 2025 notes at any time at the redemption prices set forth in “Description of 2025 Notes—Optional Redemption.” In addition, prior to July 15, 2020, we may redeem the 2025 notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus a “make-whole” premium.

Change of Control		Upon a Change of Control (as defined under “Description of 2025 Notes”) we will be required to make an offer to purchase the 2025 notes. The purchase price will equal 101% of the principal amount of the 2025 notes on the date of purchase plus accrued and unpaid interest. We may not have sufficient funds available at the time of any Change of Control to make any required debt repayment (including repurchases of the 2025 notes). See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Notes—We may not be able to make the change of control offer required by the indentures.”

Guarantees		The 2025 notes will be unconditionally, jointly and severally guaranteed, on a senior unsecured basis, by SB/RH Holdings and all of our domestic subsidiaries.

Ranking		The 2025 notes and the related guarantees will be the senior unsecured obligations of us and the guarantors and will:

		• rank equally in right of payment with all of our and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness, including the other notes; and

		• rank senior in right of payment to all of our and the guarantors’ future indebtedness that expressly provide for its subordination to the 2025 notes and the related guarantees.

		However, the 2025 notes will be effectively subordinated to any of our secured indebtedness, including under our Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, the 2025 notes will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of Spectrum Brands’ subsidiaries that do not guarantee the 2025 notes.

Certain Covenants		The terms of the 2025 notes indenture restrict our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries (as described in “Description of 2025 Notes”) to:

		• incur additional indebtedness;

		• create liens;

		• engage in sale-leaseback transactions;

		• pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock;

		• purchase or redeem capital stock;

		• make investments or certain other restricted payments;

		• sell assets;

		• issue or sell stock of restricted subsidiaries;

		• enter into transactions with affiliates; or



		• effect a consolidation or merger.

		However, these limitations will be subject to a number of important qualifications and exceptions. In addition, if the 2025 notes are rated investment grade at any time by both Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, most of the restrictive covenants and corresponding events of default contained in the 2025 notes indenture will be suspended.

Absence of a Public Market		The 2025 notes are generally freely transferable, but there may not be an active trading market for the 2025 notes. We cannot assure you as to the future liquidity of any market.

Trustee		U.S. Bank National Association is serving as trustee under the 2025 notes indenture.

Use of Proceeds		This prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of the 2025 notes by Jefferies in market-making transactions effected from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from such transactions.

Risk Factors		You should consider all of the information contained in this prospectus before making an investment in the 2025 notes. In particular, you should consider the risks described under “Risk Factors.”

RISK FACTORS

An investment in the notes involves risks. Before deciding whether to invest in the notes, in addition to the other information included in this prospectus, you should consider the matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and the risks discussed below. While we believe that these risks are the most important for you to consider, you should read this prospectus carefully, including our financial statements, the notes to our financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of our Financial Condition and Results of Operations, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. These risk factors are not the only risks that we or our subsidiaries may face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not currently believed to be important also may adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to the Notes

The notes will be Spectrum Brands’ senior unsecured obligations and the guarantees will be unsecured obligations of the guarantors. As such, the notes and the guarantees will be effectively subordinated to any of Spectrum Brands’ or the guarantors’ secured debt, including our existing and any future debt under our secured credit facilities.

Spectrum Brands’ obligations under the notes and the guarantors’ obligations under the guarantees will not be secured. The notes will be effectively subordinated to Spectrum Brands’ and the guarantors’ existing and any future secured indebtedness, including our secured credit facilities under our Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness, which assets include substantially all of our assets and the assets of our domestic restricted subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2018, Spectrum Brands and the guarantors had $1,264.5 million of secured indebtedness outstanding. If we are involved in any dissolution, liquidation or reorganization, or if we default under in the indentures governing the notes offered hereby (such indentures, collectively, the “indentures”), holders of our secured debt would be paid before holders of the notes receive any amounts due under the notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness. In that event, holders of the notes may not be able to recover any or all of the principal or interest due under the notes.

The notes will be effectively subordinated to all liabilities of, and claims of creditors of, all of our foreign subsidiaries.

The notes will not be guaranteed by any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries. Any right that we or the guarantors have to receive any assets of any of the foreign subsidiaries upon the liquidation or reorganization of those subsidiaries, and the consequent rights of holders of notes to realize proceeds from the sale of any of those subsidiaries’ assets, will be effectively subordinated to the claims of those subsidiaries’ creditors, including trade creditors, and holders of preferred equity interests of those subsidiaries. The indentures permit these subsidiaries to incur additional debt, subject to certain limits, and will not limit their ability to incur liabilities other than debt. As of September 30, 2018, these non-guarantor subsidiaries had 15% of our total liabilities and generated 27% of our revenue in the twelve months ended September 30, 2018.

If we are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in the agreements governing the notes and our other debt, there could be a default under the terms of these agreements, which could result in an acceleration of payment of funds that we have borrowed and would impact our ability to make principal and interest payments on the notes.

If we are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in the indentures, our secured credit facilities or in current or future debt financing agreements, there could be a default under the terms of these agreements. Our ability to comply with these restrictions and covenants, including meeting any applicable financial ratios and tests, may be affected by events beyond our control. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with these restrictions and covenants or meet these tests. Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under the aforementioned debt instruments, that is not waived by the required lenders, and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness, could prevent us from paying principal, premium, if any, and interest on the notes and substantially decrease the market value of the notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants in the instruments governing our indebtedness (including covenants in the aforementioned debt instruments), we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of such default:

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the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest;

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the lenders under the Credit Agreement could elect to terminate their commitments thereunder, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets; and

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we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Moreover, the Credit Agreement and the indentures each contain cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions that would be triggered by the occurrence of a default or acceleration under other instruments governing our indebtedness. If the payment of our indebtedness is accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full that indebtedness and our other indebtedness that would become due as a result of any acceleration.

If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to obtain waivers from the required lenders under our Credit Agreement to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under our Credit Agreement and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs, we would be in default under our Credit Agreement, the lenders could exercise their rights, as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Despite our current levels of debt, we may still incur substantially more debt ranking equal or effectively senior to the notes and increase the risks associated with our proposed leverage.

Subject to certain restriction and limitation, we or our subsidiaries could incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. The provisions contained in the indentures and in our other debt agreements limit but do not prohibit our ability to incur additional indebtedness on an equal and ratable basis with the notes. In addition, any of our debt could be secured and therefore would be effectively senior to the notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that debt. This may have the effect of reducing the amount of proceeds available for the notes in the event of any bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or similar proceeding. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face as a result of our indebtedness could intensify.

Fraudulent transfer statutes may limit your rights as a holder of the notes.

Federal and state fraudulent transfer laws as previously interpreted by various courts permit a court, if it makes certain findings, to:

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avoid all or a portion of our obligations to holders of the notes;

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subordinate our obligations to holders of the notes to our other existing and future creditors, entitling such creditors to be paid in full before any payment is made on the notes; and

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take other action detrimental to holders of the notes, including invalidating the notes.

In that event, we cannot assure you that you would ever be repaid. There is also no assurance that amounts previously paid to you pursuant to the notes or guarantees would not be subject to return.

Under federal and state fraudulent transfer laws, in order to take any of those actions, courts will typically need to find that we or the guarantors received less than fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for incurring the indebtedness represented by the notes, and at the time the notes were issued:

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were insolvent or were rendered insolvent by reason of the issuance of the notes;

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were engaged, or were about to engage, in a business or transaction for which our capital was unreasonably small;

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intended to incur, or believed or should have believed we would incur, indebtedness beyond our ability to pay as such indebtedness matures; or

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were a defendant in an action for money damages, or had a judgment for money damages docketed against us or such guarantor if, in either case, after final judgment, the judgment was unsatisfied.

A court may also void an issuance of notes, a guarantee or grant of security, without regard to the above factors, if the court found that we issued the notes or the guarantors entered into their respective guaranty with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud current or future creditors.

Many of the foregoing terms are defined in or interpreted under those fraudulent transfer statutes and as judicially interpreted. A court could find that we did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for the incurrence of the indebtedness represented by the notes. The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing considerations will vary depending on the law of the jurisdiction that is being applied in any such proceeding. Generally, a company would be considered insolvent if, at the time it incurred the indebtedness:

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the sum of its indebtedness (including contingent liabilities) is greater than its assets, at fair valuation;

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the present fair saleable value of its assets is less than the amount required to pay the probable liability on its total existing indebtedness and liabilities (including contingent liabilities) as they become absolute and matured; or

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it could not pay its debts as they became due.

We cannot assure you what standard a court would apply in determining our solvency and whether it would conclude that we were solvent when we incurred our obligations under the notes.

In addition, the guarantees of the notes may also be subject to review under various laws for the protection of creditors. A court would likely find that we or a guarantor did not receive reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for the notes or the guarantees, respectively, if we or a guarantor did not substantially benefit directly from the issuance of the notes. If a court were to void an issuance of the notes or the guarantees, you would no longer have a claim against us or the guarantors. Sufficient funds to repay the notes (or the related exchange notes) may not be available from other sources, including the remaining guarantors, if any. In addition, the court might direct you to repay any amounts that you already received from us or the guarantors. In addition, any payment by us pursuant to the notes made at a time we were found to be insolvent could be voided and required to be returned to us or to a fund for the benefit of our creditors if such payment is made to an insider within a one-year period prior to a bankruptcy filing or within 90 days for any outside party and such payment would give the creditors more than such creditors would have received in a distribution under the bankruptcy code.

We may not be able to make the change of control offer required by the indentures.

Upon a change of control, subject to certain conditions, we are required to offer to repurchase all outstanding notes in cash equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of repurchase. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient funds at the time of any change of control to make required repurchases of notes tendered. In addition, our other indebtedness agreements provide that certain change of control events will constitute an event of default thereunder. If the holders of the notes exercise their right to require us to repurchase all of the notes upon a change of control, the financial effect of this repurchase could cause a default under our other indebtedness, even if the change of control itself would not cause a default. Accordingly, it is possible that we will not have sufficient funds at the time of any such change of control to make the required repurchase of our other indebtedness and the notes or that restrictions in the indentures will not allow such repurchases. In addition, holders may not be entitled to require us to repurchase their notes upon a change of control in certain circumstances involving a significant change in the composition of our board of directors, including in connection with a proxy contest where our board of directors does not endorse a dissident slate of directors but approves them for purposes of the “Continuing Directors” definition. Lastly, certain other corporate events, such as leveraged recapitalizations that would increase the level of our indebtedness, would not constitute a “Change of Control” under the indentures. See “Description of 2022 Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control,” “Description of 2024 Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control” and “Description of 2025 Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control,” as applicable, for additional information.

The market price of the notes may decline if we enter into a transaction that is not a change of control under the indentures.

We may enter into a highly leveraged transaction, reorganization, merger or similar transaction that is not a change of control under the indentures. Nevertheless, such transactions could result in a downgrade of our credit ratings, thereby negatively affecting the value of the notes.

Changes in credit ratings issued by nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations could adversely affect our cost of financing and the market price of our securities, including the notes.

Credit rating agencies rate our debt securities on factors that include our operating results, actions that we take, their view of the general outlook for our industry and their view of the general outlook for the economy. Actions taken by the rating agencies can include maintaining, upgrading, or downgrading the current rating or placing us on a watch list for possible future downgrading. Downgrading the credit rating of our debt securities or placing us on a watch list for possible future downgrading would likely increase our cost of financing, limit our access to the capital markets and have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities, including the notes offered hereby.

If the notes are rated investment grade at any time by both Moody’s Investor Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, most of the restrictive covenants and corresponding events of default contained in the indentures governing the notes will be suspended, resulting in a reduction of credit protection.

If, at any time, the credit rating on the applicable series of notes, as determined by both Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, equals or exceeds Baa3 and BBB-, respectively, or any equivalent replacement ratings, we will no longer be subject to most of the restrictive covenants and corresponding events of default contained in the applicable indenture. Any restrictive covenants or corresponding events of default that cease to apply to us as a result of achieving these ratings will be restored if one or both of the credit ratings on the notes later falls below these thresholds. However, during any period in which these restrictive covenants are suspended, we may incur other indebtedness, make restricted payments and take other actions that would have been prohibited if these covenants had been in effect. If the restrictive covenants are later restored, the actions taken while the covenants were suspended will not result in an event of default under the applicable indenture even if they would constitute an event of default at the time the covenants are restored. Accordingly, if these covenants and corresponding events of default are suspended, you will have less credit protection. See “Description of 2022 Notes—Suspension of Certain Covenants,” “Description of 2024 Notes—Suspension of Certain Covenants” and “Description of 2025 Notes—Suspension of Certain Covenants,” as applicable.

There is no assurance of an active trading market for the notes.

We cannot assure you that a liquid market for the notes will develop or, if developed, that it will continue or that you will be able to sell your notes at a particular time or at favorable prices. We have not applied, and do not intend to apply for listing or quotation of the notes on any securities exchange or automated quotation system.

The liquidity of any market for the notes is subject to a number of factors, including:

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our operating performance and financial condition;

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the market for similar securities;

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the interest of securities dealers in making a market in the notes; and

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prevailing interest rates.

One or more of the initial purchasers with respect to the notes initially issued may, from time to time, make a market in the notes. However, they are not obligated to do so, and any market-making activity with respect to the notes may be discontinued at any time without notice. In addition, any market-making activity will be subject to the limits imposed by applicable securities laws.

Risks Related To Our Business

We are subject to significant international business risks that could hurt our business and cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

A significant portion of our net sales are to customers outside of the U.S. See Note 19 – Segment Information, for sales by geographic region. Our pursuit of international growth opportunities may require significant investments for an extended period before returns on these investments, if any, are realized. Our international operations are subject to risks including, among others:

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currency fluctuations, including, without limitation, fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate of the Euro, British Pound, Brazilian Real, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar, Japanese Yen and the Mexican Peso;

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changes in the economic conditions or consumer preferences or demand for our products in these markets;

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the risk that because our brand names may not be locally recognized, we must spend significant amounts of time and money to build brand recognition without certainty that we will be successful;

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labor unrest;

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political and economic instability, as a result of war, terrorist attacks, pandemics, natural disasters or otherwise;

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lack of developed infrastructure;

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longer payment cycles and greater difficulty in collecting accounts;

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restrictions on transfers of funds;

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import and export duties and quotas, as well as general transportation costs;

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changes in domestic and international customs and tariffs;

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changes in foreign labor laws and regulations affecting our ability to hire and retain employees;

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inadequate protection of intellectual property in foreign countries;

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unexpected changes in regulatory environments;

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difficulty in complying with foreign law; and

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adverse tax consequences.

The foregoing factors may have a material adverse effect on our ability to increase or maintain our supply of products, financial condition or results of operations.

As a result of our international operations, we face a number of risks related to exchange rates and foreign currencies.

Our international sales and certain of our expenses are transacted in foreign currencies. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, approximately 27% of our net sales and operating expenses were denominated in foreign currencies. We expect that the amount of our revenues and expenses transacted in foreign currencies will increase as our Latin American, European and Asian operations grow and as a result of acquisitions in these markets and, as a result, our exposure to risks associated with foreign currencies could increase accordingly. Significant changes in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to foreign currencies will affect our cost of goods sold and our operating margins and could result in exchange losses or otherwise have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in currency exchange rates may also affect our sales to, purchases from, and loans to, our subsidiaries, as well as sales to, purchases from, and bank lines of credit with, our customers, suppliers and creditors that are denominated in foreign currencies.

We source many products from China and other Asian countries. To the extent the Chinese Renminbi (“RMB”) or other currencies depreciate or appreciate with respect to the U.S. dollar, we may experience fluctuations in our results of operations. Since 2005, the RMB has no longer been pegged to the U.S. dollar at a constant exchange rate and instead fluctuates versus a basket of currencies. Although the People’s Bank of China has historically intervened in the foreign exchange market to prevent significant short-term fluctuations in the exchange rate, the RMB may appreciate or depreciate within a flexible peg range against the U.S. dollar in the medium to long term. Moreover, it is possible that in the future Chinese authorities may lift restrictions on fluctuations in the RMB exchange rate and lessen intervention in the foreign exchange market.

While we may enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these transactions may be limited, and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exposure to currency fluctuations. Further, we may not be successful in implementing customer pricing or other actions in an effort to mitigate the impact of currency fluctuations and, thus, our results of operations may be adversely impacted.

We face risks related to the impact on foreign trade agreements and relations from the current administration.

Recent changes in the United States federal government have caused uncertainty about the future of trade partnerships and treaties, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) and the World Trade Organization. The current administration has formally withdrawn the United States from the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (“TPPA”), which may affect the Company’s ability to leverage lower cost facilities in territories outside of the U.S. President Trump has also threatened to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization, which, if it occurred, could affect tariff rates and other trade terms between the U.S. and its trading partners as well as possibly have material consequences for the global trading system. The current administration has also initiated negotiations with Canada and Mexico aimed at re-negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). The U.S., Mexico, and Canada have reached a preliminary U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) which would replace NAFTA. The USMCA maintains duty-free access for most products and leaves most key provisions of the NAFTA agreement largely intact. The USMCA still requires approval by the U.S. Congress, by Mexico’s National Assembly, and by Canada’s Parliament before it enters into force. In addition, the USMCA is still undergoing a legal review and, if past U.S. free trade agreements are any indication, this could result in follow-up negotiations which could lead to modifications of certain provisions. It is uncertain what the outcome of the Congressional approval process, legal review, and any follow-up negotiations will be, but it is possible that revisions to NATFA or failure to secure Congressional approval could adversely affect the Company’s existing production operations in Mexico and the current and future levels of sales and earnings of the Company in all three countries. Furthermore, the current administration has threatened tougher trade terms with China and other countries, leading to the imposition of substantially higher U.S. tariffs on $250 billion of imports from China and to higher Chinese tariffs on a large amount of U.S. exports to China. All of this, could lead to increased costs and diminished sales opportunities in the U.S. and Chinese markets. Media and political reactions in the affected countries could potentially exacerbate the impact on the Company’s operations in those countries. The U.S. Administration’s assertive trade policies could result in further conflicts with U.S. trading partners, affecting the Company’s supply chains, sourcing, and markets. Foreign countries may impose additional burdens on U.S. companies through the use of local regulations, tariffs or other requirements which could increase our operating costs in those foreign jurisdictions. It remains unclear what additional actions, if any, the current administration will take. If the United States were to materially modify NAFTA or other international trade agreements to which it is a party, or if tariffs were raised on the foreign-sourced goods that we sell, such goods may no longer be available at a commercially attractive price, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks relating to the United Kingdom’s 2016 referendum, which called for its exit from the European Union.

The United Kingdom’s (“UK”) referendum on withdrawal from the European Union (“EU”) on June 23, 2016 (referred to as “Brexit”), and subsequent notification of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU given on March 29, 2017, have adversely impacted global markets and foreign currencies. In particular, the value of the Pound Sterling has sharply declined as compared to the U.S. Dollar and other currencies. This volatility in foreign currencies is expected to continue as the UK negotiates and executes its exit from the EU, but there is uncertainty over what time period this will occur. A significantly weaker Pound Sterling compared to the U.S. Dollar could have a significant negative effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The decrease in value to the Pound Sterling and impacts across global markets and foreign currencies may influence trends in consumer confidence and discretionary spending habits, but given the lack of precedent and uncertainty, it is unclear how the implications will affect us.

The intention to withdraw began a two-year negotiating period to establish the withdrawal terms. Even if no agreement is reached, the UK’s separation still becomes effective unless all EU members unanimously agree on an extension. Negotiations have commenced to determine the future terms of the UK relationship with the EU, including, among other things, the terms of trade between the UK and the EU. If no agreement is reached by March 19, 2019, the

UK’s membership in the EU could terminate under a so-called “hard Brexit”. The effects of Brexit will depend on many factors, including any agreements that the UK makes to retain access to EU markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. In a “hard Brexit” scenario, there could be increased costs from re-imposition of tariffs on trade between the UK and EU, shipping delays because of the need for customs inspections and procedures, and temporary shortages of certain goods. In addition, trade and investment between the UK, the EU, the United States and other countries will be impacted by the fact that the UK currently operates under the EU’s tax treaties. The UK will need to negotiate its own tax and trade treaties with countries all over the world, which could take years to complete. While we cannot anticipate the outcome of these future negotiations, effects could include uncertainty regarding tax exemptions and reliefs within the EU, as well as expected changes in tariffs and tax laws or regulations which could materially and adversely affect our business, business opportunities, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows.

We participate in very competitive markets and we may not be able to compete successfully, causing us to lose market share and sales.

We compete for consumer acceptance and limited shelf space based upon brand name recognition, perceived product quality, price, performance, product features and enhancements, product packaging and design innovation, as well as creative marketing, promotion and distribution strategies, and new product introductions. Additional discussion over the segments, product categories and markets in which we compete are included under Part I, Item 1 of this prospectus (“Business”). Our ability to compete in these consumer product markets may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

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We compete against many well-established companies that may have substantially greater financial and other resources, including personnel and research and development, and greater overall market share than us.

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In some key product lines, our competitors may have lower production costs and higher profit margins than us, which may enable them to compete more aggressively in offering retail discounts, rebates and other promotional incentives.

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Technological advancements, product improvements or effective advertising campaigns by competitors may weaken consumer demand for our products.

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Consumer purchasing behavior may shift to distribution channels, including to online retailers, where we and our customers do not have a strong presence.

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Consumer preferences may change to lower margin products or products other than those we market.

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We may not be successful in the introduction, marketing and manufacture of any new products or product innovations or be able to develop and introduce, in a timely manner, innovations to our existing products that satisfy customer needs or achieve market acceptance.

In addition, in a number of our product lines, we compete with our retail customers, who use their own private label brands, and with distributors and foreign manufacturers of unbranded products. Significant new competitors or increased competition from existing competitors, including specifically private label brands, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of our operations.

Some competitors may be willing to reduce prices and accept lower profit margins to compete with us. As a result of this competition, we could lose market share and sales, or be forced to reduce our prices to meet competition. If our product offerings are unable to compete successfully, our sales, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, we may be unable to implement changes to our products or otherwise adapt to changing consumer trends. If we are unable to respond to changing consumer trends, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Changes in consumer shopping trends and changes in distribution channels could significantly harm our business

We sell our products through a variety of trade channels with a significant portion dependent upon retail partnerships, through both traditional brick-and-mortar retail channels and e-commerce channels. We are seeing the emergence of strong e-commerce channels generating more online competition and declining in-store traffic in brick-and-mortar

retailers. Consumer shopping preferences have shifted, and may continue to shift in the future to distribution channels other than traditional retail that may have more limited experience, presence and developed, such as e-commerce channels. If we are not successful in developing and utilizing e-commerce channels that future consumers may prefer, we may experience lower than expected revenues.

We are also seeing more traditional brick-and-mortar retailers closing physical stores, and filing for bankruptcy, which could negatively impact our distribution strategies and/or sales if such retailers decide to significantly reduce their inventory levels for our products or to designate more floor space to our competitors. Further consolidation, store closures and bankruptcies could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, as well as the trading price of our securities.

Consolidation of retailers and our dependence on a small number of key customers for a significant percentage of our sales may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a result of consolidation of retailers that has occurred during the past several years, particularly in the United States and the EU, and consumer trends toward national mass merchandisers, a significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a limited group of customers. Additional discussion over customers and customer concentration is included Part I, Item 1 of this prospectus (“Business”). As these mass merchandisers and retailers grow larger and become more sophisticated, they may demand lower pricing, special packaging or impose other requirements on product suppliers. These business demands may relate to inventory practices, logistics or other aspects of the customer-supplier relationship. Because of the importance of these key customers, demands for price reductions or promotions, reductions in their purchases, changes in their financial condition or loss of their accounts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our success is dependent on our ability to manage our retailer relationships, including offering trade terms on mutually acceptable terms.

Although we have long-established relationships with many of our customers, we generally do not have long-term agreements with them and purchases are normally made through the use of individual purchase orders. Any significant reduction in purchases, failure to obtain anticipated orders or delays or cancellations of orders by any of these major customers, or significant pressure to reduce prices from any of these major customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, a significant deterioration in the financial condition of the retail industry in general, the bankruptcy of any of our customers or any of our customers ceasing operations could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

As a result of retailers maintaining tighter inventory control, we face risks related to meeting demand and storing inventory.

As a result of the desire of retailers to more closely manage inventory levels, there is a growing trend among them to purchase products on a “just-in-time” basis. Due to a number of factors, including (i) manufacturing lead-times, (ii) seasonal purchasing patterns and (iii) the potential for material price increases, we may be required to shorten our lead-time for production and more closely anticipate our retailers’ and customers’ demands, which could in the future require us to carry additional inventories and increase our working capital and related financing requirements. This may increase the cost of warehousing inventory or result in excess inventory becoming difficult to manage, unusable or obsolete. In addition, if our retailers significantly change their inventory management strategies, we may encounter difficulties in filling customer orders or in liquidating excess inventories or may find that customers are cancelling orders or returning products, which may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Furthermore, we primarily sell branded products and a move by one or more of our large customers to sell significant quantities of private label products, which we do not produce on their behalf and which directly compete with our products, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Sales of certain of our products are seasonal and may cause our operating results and working capital requirements to fluctuate.

On a consolidated basis our financial results are approximately equally weighted across our quarters, however, sales of certain product categories tend to be seasonal. Further discussion over the seasonality of sales is included in Part I,

Item 1 of this prospectus (“Business”). As a result of this seasonality, our inventory and working capital needs fluctuate significantly throughout the year. In addition, orders from retailers are often made late in the period preceding the applicable peak season, making forecasting of production schedules and inventory purchases difficult. If we are unable to accurately forecast and prepare for customer orders or our working capital needs, or there is a general downturn in business or economic conditions during these periods, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Adverse weather conditions during our peak selling seasons for our home and garden control products could have a material adverse effect on our home and garden business.

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the timing and volume of sales of certain of our lawn and garden and household insecticide and repellent products. For example, periods of dry, hot weather can decrease insecticide sales, while periods of cold and wet weather can slow sales of herbicides. Adverse weather conditions during the first six months of the calendar year (the Company’s second and third fiscal quarters), when demand for home and garden control products typically peaks, could have a material adverse effect on our home and garden business and our financial results during such period.

Our products utilize certain key raw materials; any significant increase in the price of, or change in supply and demand for, these raw materials could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and profits.

The principal raw materials used to produce our products—including brass, petroleum-based plastic materials, steel, aluminum, copper and corrugated materials (for packaging)—are sourced either on a global or regional basis by us or our suppliers, and the prices of those raw materials are susceptible to price fluctuations due to supply and demand trends, energy costs, transportation costs, government regulations, duties and tariffs, changes in currency exchange rates, price controls, general economic conditions and other unforeseen circumstances. Although we may seek to increase the prices of certain of our goods to our customers, we may not be able to pass all of these cost increases on to our customers. As a result, our margins may be adversely impacted by such cost increases. We cannot provide any assurance that our sources of supply will not be interrupted due to changes in worldwide supply of or demand for raw materials or other events that interrupt material flow, which may have an adverse effect on our profitability and results of operations.

We regularly engage in forward purchase and hedging derivative transactions in an attempt to effectively manage and stabilize some of the raw material costs we expect to incur over the next 12 to 24 months. However, our hedging positions may not be effective, or may not anticipate beneficial trends, in a particular raw material market or may, as a result of changes in our business, no longer be useful for us. See Note 13 – Derivatives in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further discussion over our effective hedging strategies over certain commodity costs. In addition, for certain of the principal raw materials we use to produce our products, such as electrolytic manganese dioxide powder, there are no available effective hedging markets. If these efforts are not effective or expose us to above average costs for an extended period of time, and we are unable to pass our raw materials costs on to our customers, our future profitability may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, with respect to transportation costs, certain modes of delivery are subject to fuel surcharges which are determined based upon the current cost of diesel fuel in relation to pre-established agreed upon costs. We may be unable to pass these fuel surcharges on to our customers, which may have an adverse effect on our profitability and results of operations.

In addition, we have exclusivity arrangements and minimum purchase requirements with certain of our suppliers for the home and garden business, which increase our dependence upon and exposure to those suppliers. Some of those agreements include caps on the price we pay for our supplies and in certain instances these caps have allowed us to purchase materials at below market prices. When we attempt to renew those contracts, the other parties to the contracts may not be willing to include or may limit the effect of those caps and could even attempt to impose above market prices in an effort to make up for any below market prices paid by us prior to the renewal of the agreement. Any failure to timely obtain suitable supplies at competitive prices could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our dependence on a few suppliers for certain of our products makes us vulnerable to a disruption in the supply of our products.

Although we have long-standing relationships with many of our suppliers, we generally do not have long-term contracts with them. An adverse change in any of the following could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations:

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our ability to identify and develop relationships with qualified suppliers;

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the terms and conditions upon which we purchase products from our suppliers, including applicable exchange rates, transport and other costs, our suppliers’ willingness to extend credit to us to finance our inventory purchases and other factors beyond our control;

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the financial condition of our suppliers;

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political and economic instability in the countries in which our suppliers are located, as a result of war, terrorist attacks, pandemics, natural disasters or otherwise;

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our ability to import outsourced products;

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our suppliers’ noncompliance with applicable laws, trade restrictions and tariffs; or

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our suppliers’ ability to manufacture and deliver outsourced products according to our standards of quality on a timely and efficient basis.

If our relationship with one of our key suppliers is adversely affected, we may not be able to quickly or effectively replace such supplier and may not be able to retrieve tooling, molds or other specialized production equipment or processes used by such supplier in the manufacture of our products. The loss of one or more of our suppliers, a material reduction in their supply of products or provision of services to us or extended disruptions or interruptions in their operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our facilities are subject to various hazards associated with the manufacturing, handling, storage, and transportation of chemical materials and products, including human error, leaks and ruptures, explosions, floods, fires, inclement weather and natural disasters, power loss or other infrastructure failures, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtime, regulatory requirements, the loss of certifications, technical difficulties, labor disputes, inability to obtain material, equipment or transportation, environmental hazards such as remediation, chemical spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, and other risks. Many of these hazards could cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to, or destruction of, property and equipment and environmental contamination. In addition, the occurrence of material operation problems at our facilities due to any of these hazards could cause a disruption in the production of products. We may also encounter difficulties or interruption as a result of the application of enhanced manufacturing technologies or changes to production lines to improve throughput or to upgrade or repair its production lines. The Company’s insurance policies have coverage in case of significant damage to its manufacturing facility but may not fully compensate for the cost of replacement for any such damage and any loss from business interruption. As a result, we may not be adequately insured to cover losses resulting from significant damage to its manufacturing facility. Any damage to its facility or interruption in manufacturing could result in production delays and delays in meeting contractual obligations which could have a material adverse effect on relationships with customers and on its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in any given period.

We face risks related to our sales of products obtained from third-party suppliers.

We sell a significant number of products that are manufactured by third party suppliers over which we have no direct control. While we have implemented processes and procedures to try to ensure that the suppliers we use are complying with all applicable regulations, there can be no assurances that such suppliers in all instances will comply with such processes and procedures or otherwise with applicable regulations. Noncompliance could result in our marketing and distribution of contaminated, defective or dangerous products which could subject us to liabilities and could result in the imposition by governmental authorities of procedures or penalties that could restrict or eliminate our ability to purchase products. Any or all of these effects could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, the impact of economic conditions of our suppliers cannot be predicted and our suppliers may be unable to access financing or become insolvent and thus become unable to supply us with products. Development in tax policy, such as the disallowance of tax deductions for imported goods, or the imposition of tariffs on imported goods, could further have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act includes provisions regarding certain minerals and metals, known as conflict minerals, mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. These provisions require companies to undertake due diligence procedures and report on the use of conflict minerals in its products, including products manufactured by third parties. Compliance with these provisions will cause us to incur costs to certify that our supply chain is conflict free and we may face difficulties if our suppliers are unwilling or unable to verify the source of their materials. Our ability to source these minerals and metals may also be adversely impacted. In addition, our customers may require that we provide them with a certification and our inability to do so may disqualify us as a supplier.

We are subject to risks associated with importing goods and materials from foreign countries.

A portion of goods and materials may be sourced by vendors and by us outside of the United States. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations relating to doing business in foreign markets and importing merchandise from abroad, there can be no assurance that suppliers and other third parties with whom we do business will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies, which could subject us to liability and could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are subject to the various risks of importing merchandise from abroad and purchasing product made in foreign countries, such as:

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potential disruptions in manufacturing, logistics and supply;

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changes in duties, tariffs, quotas and voluntary export restrictions on imported goods;

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strikes and other events affecting delivery;

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product compliance with laws and regulations of the destination country;

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product liability claims from customers or penalties from government agencies relating to products that are recalled, defective or otherwise noncompliance or alleged to be harmful;

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concerns about human rights, working conditions and other labor rights and conditions and environmental impact in foreign countries where goods are produced and materials or components are sourced, and changing labor, environmental and other laws in these countries;

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local business practice and political issues that may result in adverse publicity or threatened or actual adverse consumer actions, including boycotts;

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compliance with laws and regulations concerning ethical business practices, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and

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economic, political or other problems in countries from or through which goods are imported.

Political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, labor conditions, congestion and labor issues at major ports, transport capacity and costs, systems issues, problems in third party distribution and warehousing and other interruptions of the supply chain, compliance with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations and other factors relating to international trade and imported merchandise beyond our control could affect the availability and the price of our inventory. These risks and other factors relating to foreign trade could subject us to liability or hinder our ability to access suitable merchandise on acceptable terms, which could adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, developments in tax policy, such as the disallowance of tax deductions for imported merchandise, or the imposition of tariffs on imported goods, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity

We may not be able to adequately establish and protect our intellectual property rights, and the infringement or loss of our intellectual property rights could harm our business.

To establish and protect our intellectual property rights, we rely upon a combination of national, foreign and multi-national patent, trademark and trade secret laws, together with licenses, confidentiality agreements and other contractual arrangements. The measures that we take to protect our intellectual property rights may prove inadequate to prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our intellectual property. We may need to resort to

litigation to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights. If a competitor or collaborator files a patent application claiming technology also claimed by us, or a trademark application claiming a trademark, service mark or trade dress also used by us, in order to protect our rights, we may have to participate in expensive and time consuming opposition or interference proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or a similar foreign agency. Similarly, our intellectual property rights may be challenged by third parties or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. The costs associated with protecting intellectual property rights, including litigation costs, may be material. Furthermore, even if our intellectual property rights are not directly challenged, disputes among third parties could lead to the weakening or invalidation of our intellectual property rights, or our competitors may independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our technology. Obtaining, protecting and defending intellectual property rights can be time consuming and expensive, and may require us to incur substantial costs, including the diversion of the time and resources of management and technical personnel.

Moreover, the laws of certain foreign countries in which we operate or may operate in the future do not protect, and the governments of certain foreign countries do not enforce, intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws and government of the U.S., which may negate our competitive or technological advantages in such markets. Also, some of the technology underlying our products is the subject of nonexclusive licenses from third parties. As a result, this technology could be made available to our competitors at any time. If we are unable to establish and then adequately protect our intellectual property rights, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We license various trademarks, trade names and patents from third parties for certain of our products. Further discussion and detail on licensed trademarks, trade names and patents are included under Item 1 above. These licenses generally place marketing obligations on us and require us to pay fees and royalties based on net sales or profits. Typically, these licenses may be terminated if we fail to satisfy certain minimum sales obligations or if we breach the terms of the license. The termination of these licensing arrangements, failure to renew or enter into a new agreement on acceptable terms could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. When our right to use these trademarks, brand names and logos expires, we may not be able to maintain or enjoy comparable name recognition or status under our new brand. If we are unable to successfully manage the transition of our business to new brands, our reputation among our customers could be adversely affected, and our revenue and profitability could decline.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information and know-how, the value of our technology, products and services could be harmed significantly.

We rely on trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary information in operating our business. If this information is not adequately protected, then it may be disclosed or used in an unauthorized manner. To the extent that consultants, key employees or other third parties apply technological information independently developed by them or by others to our proposed products, disputes may arise as to the proprietary rights to such information, which may not be resolved in our favor. The risk that other parties may breach confidentiality agreements or that our trade secrets become known or independently discovered by competitors, could harm us by enabling our competitors, who may have greater experience and financial resources, to copy or use our trade secrets and other proprietary information in the advancement of their products, methods or technologies. The disclosure of our trade secrets would impair our competitive position, thereby weakening demand for our products or services and harming our ability to maintain or increase our customer base.

Claims by third parties that we are infringing their intellectual property and other litigation could adversely affect our business.

From time to time in the past we have been subject to claims that we are infringing the intellectual property of others. We currently are the subject of such claims and it is possible that third parties will assert infringement claims against us in the future. An adverse finding against us in these or similar trademark or other intellectual property litigations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time consuming and expensive, and may require us to incur substantial costs, including the diversion of the resources of management and technical personnel, cause product delays or require us to enter into licensing or other agreements in order to secure continued access to necessary or desirable intellectual property. If we

are deemed to be infringing a third party’s intellectual property and are unable to continue using that intellectual property as we had been, our business and results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to successfully develop non-infringing alternative intellectual property on a timely basis or license non-infringing alternatives or substitutes, if any exist, on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, an unfavorable ruling in intellectual property litigation could subject us to significant liability, as well as require us to cease developing, manufacturing or selling the affected products or using the affected processes or trademarks. Any significant restriction on our proprietary or licensed intellectual property that impedes our ability to develop and commercialize our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Class action and derivative action lawsuits and other investigations, regardless of their merits, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We and certain of our officers and directors have been named in the past, and, may be named in the future, as defendants of class action and derivative action lawsuits. In the past, we have also received requests for information from government authorities. Regardless of their subject matter or merits, class action lawsuits and other government investigations may result in significant cost to us, which may not be covered by insurance, may divert the attention of management or may otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company may be subject to product liability claims and product recalls, which could negatively impact its profitability

In the ordinary course of our business, the Company may be named as a defendant in lawsuits involving product liability claims. In any such proceedings, plaintiffs may seek to recover large and sometimes unspecified amounts of damages, and the matters may remain unresolved for several years. Any such matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows if we are unable to successfully defend against or settle these matters or if our insurance coverage is insufficient to satisfy any judgments against us or settlement related to these matters. The Company sells perishable treats for animal consumption, which involves risks such as product contamination or spoilage, product tampering, and other adulteration of food products. The Company may be subject to liability if the consumption of any of its products causes injury, illness, or death. In addition, the Company will voluntarily recall products in the event of contamination or damage. For example, on June 10, 2017, the Company initiated a voluntary safety recall of various rawhide chew products for dogs sold by the Company’s PET segment due to possible chemical contamination. The costs of the recall negatively impacted Net Sales, Gross Margin, and Adjusted EBITDA in the PET in fiscal 2017 and this impact continued in fiscal 2018. A significant product liability judgment or a widespread product recall may negatively impact the Company’s sales and profitability for a period of time depending on product availability, competitive reaction, and consumer attitudes. Even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, the negative publicity surrounding any assertion that Company products caused illness or injury could adversely affect the Company’s reputation with existing and potential customers and its corporate and brand image. Although we have product liability insurance coverage and an excess umbrella policy, our insurance policies may not provide coverage for certain, or any, claims against us or may not be sufficient to cover all possible liabilities. We may not be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. See Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere for further discussion on product liability and product recalls.

Agreements, transactions and litigation involving or resulting from the activities of our predecessor and its former subsidiaries may subject us to future claims or litigation that could materially adversely impact our capital resources.

The Company was formerly known as HRG Group, Inc. (“HRG”), which is the successor to Zapata Corporation, which was a holding company engaged, through its subsidiaries, in a number of business activities and over the course of HRG’s existence, has acquired and disposed of a number of businesses. The activities of such entities may subject us to future claims or litigation regardless of the merit of such claims or litigation and the defenses available to us. The time and expense that we may be required to dedicate to such matters may be material to us and our subsidiaries and may adversely impact our capital resources. In certain instances, we may have continuing obligations pursuant to certain of these transactions, including obligations to indemnify other parties to agreements, and may be subject to risks resulting from these transactions.

We may incur material capital and other costs due to environmental liabilities.

We are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local, foreign and multi-national laws and regulations relating to the environment. These include laws and regulations that govern:

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discharges to the air, water and land;

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the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes; and

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remediation of contamination associated with release of hazardous substances at our facilities and at off-site disposal locations.

Risk of environmental liability is inherent in our business. As a result, material environmental costs may arise in the future. Our international operations may expose us to risks related to compliance with the laws and regulations of foreign countries. Moreover, there are adopted and proposed international accords and treaties, as well as federal, state and local laws and regulations, that would attempt to control or limit the causes of climate change, including the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. In the event that the U.S. government or foreign governments enact new climate change laws or regulations or make changes to existing laws or regulations, compliance with applicable laws or regulations may result in increased manufacturing costs for our products, such as by requiring investment in new pollution control equipment or changing the ways in which certain of our products are made. We may incur some of these costs directly and others may be passed on to us from our third-party suppliers. Although we believe that we are substantially in compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations at our facilities, we may not always be in compliance with such laws and regulations or any new laws and regulations in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time, we have been required to address the effect of historic activities on the environmental condition of our properties or former properties. We have not conducted invasive testing at all of our facilities to identify all potential environmental liability risks. Given the age of our facilities and the nature of our operations, material liabilities may arise in the future in connection with our current or former facilities. If previously unknown contamination of property underlying or in the vicinity of our manufacturing facilities is discovered, we could be required to incur material unforeseen expenses. If this occurs, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are currently engaged in investigative or remedial projects at a few of our facilities and any liabilities arising from such investigative or remedial projects at such facilities may have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, in connection with certain business acquisitions, we have assumed, and in connection with future acquisitions may assume, certain potential environmental liabilities. To the extent we have not identified such environmental liabilities or to the extent the indemnifications obtained from our counterparties are insufficient to cover such environmental liabilities, these environmental liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are also subject to proceedings related to our disposal of industrial and hazardous material at off-site disposal locations or similar disposals made by other parties for which we are responsible as a result of our relationship with such other parties. These proceedings are under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) or similar state or foreign jurisdiction laws that hold persons who “arranged for” the disposal or treatment of such substances strictly liable for costs incurred in responding to the release or threatened release of hazardous substances from such sites, regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the original disposal. Liability under CERCLA is typically joint and several, meaning that a liable party may be responsible for all of the costs incurred in investigating and remediating contamination at a site. We occasionally are identified by federal or state governmental agencies as being a potentially responsible party for response actions contemplated at an off-site facility. At the existing sites where we have been notified of our status as a potentially responsible party, it is either premature to determine if our potential liability, if any, will be material or we do not believe that our liability, if any, will be material. We may be named as a potentially responsible party under CERCLA or similar state or foreign jurisdiction laws in the future for other sites not currently known to us, and the costs and liabilities associated with these sites may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

It is difficult to quantify with certainty the potential financial impact of actions regarding expenditures for environmental matters, particularly remediation, and future capital expenditures for environmental control equipment. See Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus for further discussion on estimated liabilities arising from such environmental matters. Nevertheless, based upon the information currently available, we believe that our ultimate liability arising from such environmental matters should not be material to our business or financial condition.

Compliance with various public health, consumer protection and other regulations applicable to our products and facilities could increase our cost of doing business and expose us to additional requirements with which we may be unable to comply.

Certain of our products sold through, and facilities operated under, each of our business segments are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the United States Department of Agriculture or other federal or state consumer protection and product safety agencies and are subject to the regulations such agencies enforce, as well as by similar state, foreign and multinational agencies and regulations. For example, in the U.S., all products containing pesticides must be registered with the EPA and, in many cases, similar state and foreign agencies before they can be manufactured or sold. Our inability to obtain, or the cancellation of, any registration could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The severity of the effect would depend on which products were involved, whether another product could be substituted and whether our competitors were similarly affected. We attempt to anticipate regulatory developments and maintain registrations of, and access to, substitute chemicals and other ingredients, but we may not always be able to avoid or minimize these risks.

As a distributor of consumer products in the U.S., certain of our products are also subject to the Consumer Product Safety Act, which empowers the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (the “Consumer Commission”) to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous. Under certain circumstances, the Consumer Commission could require us to repair, replace or refund the purchase price of one or more of our products, or we may voluntarily do so. Any additional repurchases or recalls of our products could be costly to us and could damage the reputation or the value of our brands. If we are required to remove, or we voluntarily remove our products from the market, our reputation or brands could be tarnished and we may have large quantities of finished products that could not be sold. Furthermore, failure to timely notify the Consumer Commission of a potential safety hazard can result in significant fines being assessed against us. Additionally, laws regulating certain consumer products exist in some states, as well as in other countries in which we sell our products, and more restrictive laws and regulations may be adopted in the future.

The Food Quality Protection Act (“FQPA”) established a standard for food-use pesticides, which is that a reasonable certainty of no harm will result from the cumulative effect of pesticide exposures. Under the FQPA, the EPA is evaluating the cumulative effects from dietary and non-dietary exposures to pesticides. The pesticides in certain of our products that are sold through the Home and Garden Business continue to be evaluated by the EPA as part of this program. It is possible that the EPA or a third party active ingredient registrant may decide that a pesticide we use in our products will be limited or made unavailable to us. We cannot predict the outcome or the severity of the effect of the EPA’s continuing evaluations of active ingredients used in our products.

In addition, the use of certain pesticide products that are sold through our Home and Garden Business may, among other things, be regulated by various local, state, federal and foreign environmental and public health agencies. These regulations may require that only certified or professional users apply the product, that users post notices on properties where products have been or will be applied or that certain ingredients may not be used. Compliance with such public health regulations could increase our cost of doing business and expose us to additional requirements with which we may be unable to comply.

Any failure to comply with these laws or regulations, or the terms of applicable environmental permits, could result in us incurring substantial costs, including fines, penalties and other civil and criminal sanctions or the prohibition of sales of our pest control products. Environmental law requirements and the enforcement thereof, change frequently, have tended to become more stringent over time and could require us to incur significant expenses.

Most federal, state and local authorities require certification by Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. (“UL”), an independent, not-for-profit corporation engaged in the testing of products for compliance with certain public safety standards, or other safety regulation certification prior to marketing electrical appliances. Foreign jurisdictions also have regulatory authorities overseeing the safety of consumer products. Our products may not meet the specifications required by these authorities. A determination that any of our products are not in compliance with these rules and regulations could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants.

Public perceptions that some of the products we produce and market are not safe could adversely affect us.

On occasion, customers have alleged that some products failed to perform up to expectations or have caused damage or injury to individuals or property. Public perception that any of our products are not safe, whether justified or not, could impair our reputation, damage our brand names and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we rely on certain third party trademarks, brand names and logos of which we do not have exclusive use of. Public perception that any such third party trademarks, brand names and logos used by us are not safe, whether justified or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A cybersecurity breach or failure of one or more key information technology systems could have a material adverse impact on our business or reputation.

We rely extensively on information technology (IT) systems, networks and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing facilities and tools and other hardware, software and technical applications and platforms, some of which are managed, hosted, provided and/or used by third-parties or their vendors, to assist in conducting our business.

Our IT systems have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access attempts, phishing and other cyber-attacks. We continue to assess potential threats and make investments seeking to address these threats, including monitoring of networks and systems and upgrading skills, employee training and security policies for the Company and its third-party providers. However, because the techniques used in these attacks change frequently and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures. To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks; however, we cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent breaches or breakdowns to our or our third-party providers’ databases or systems. If the IT systems, networks or service providers we rely upon fail to function properly, or if we or one of our third-party providers suffer a loss, significant unavailability of or disclosure of our business or stakeholder information, and our business continuity plans do not effectively address these failures on a timely basis, we may be exposed to reputational, competitive and business harm as well as litigation and regulatory action. The costs and operational consequences of responding to breaches and implementing remediation measures could be significant.

Disruption or failures of our information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our information technology systems are susceptible to security breaches, operational data loss, general disruptions in functionality, and may not be compatible with new technology. We depend on our information technology systems for the effectiveness of our operations and to interface with our customers, as well as to maintain financial records and accuracy. Disruption or failures of our information technology systems could impair our ability to effectively and timely provide our services and products and maintain our financial records, which could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our actual or perceived failure to adequately protect personal data could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A variety of state, national, foreign, and international laws and regulations apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer, and other processing of personal data. These privacy and data protection-related laws and regulations are evolving, with new or modified laws and regulations proposed and implemented frequently and existing laws and regulations subject to new or different interpretations. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be costly and can delay or impede the development of new products.

We historically have relied upon adherence to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Safe Harbor Privacy Principles and compliance with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework under Directive 95/46/EC (commonly referred to as the “Data Protection Directive”) agreed to by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the EU. However, the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, which established means for legitimizing the transfer of personal data by U.S. companies from the European Economic Area, or EEA, to the U.S., was invalidated by a decision of the European Court of Justice (or the “ECJ”) in the fall of 2015. On July 12, 2016, the European Commission adopted the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which provides a framework for the transfer of personal data of EU data subjects, and on May 4, 2016, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which will replace Directive 95/46/EC, was formally published. The GDPR will go into effect on May 25, 2018 and as a regulation as opposed to a directive will be directly applicable in EU member states. Among other things, the GDPR applies to data controllers and processors outside of the EU whose processing activities relate to the offering of goods or services to, or monitoring the behavior within the EU of, EU data subjects.

In light of these developments, we have reviewed and are continuing to review our business practices and have implemented changes to our personal data handling with the goal of ensuring that our transfer and receipt of EEA residents’ personal data will be compliant under applicable European law. The regulation of data privacy in the EU continues to evolve, and it is not possible to predict the ultimate content, and therefore the effect, of data protection regulation over time.

Our actual or alleged failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or to protect personal data, could result in enforcement actions and significant penalties against us, which could result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, subject us to claims or other remedies and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we are unable to negotiate satisfactory terms to continue existing or enter into additional collective bargaining agreements, we may experience an increased risk of labor disruptions and our results of operations and financial condition may suffer.

See the discussion over the Company’s labor force subject to collective bargaining agreements under the caption Employees in Item 1 above. While we currently expect to negotiate continuations to the terms of these agreements, there can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain terms that are satisfactory to us or otherwise to reach agreement at all with the applicable parties. In addition, in the course of our business, we may also become subject to additional collective bargaining agreements. These agreements may be on terms that are less favorable than those under our current collective bargaining agreements. Increased exposure to collective bargaining agreements, whether on terms more or less favorable than our existing collective bargaining agreements, could adversely affect the operation of our business, including through increased labor expenses. While we intend to comply with all collective bargaining agreements to which we are subject, there can be no assurances that we will be able to do so and any noncompliance could subject us to disruptions in our operations and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Significant changes in actual investment return on pension assets, discount rates and other factors could affect our results of operations, equity and pension contributions in future periods.

Our results of operations may be positively or negatively affected by the amount of income or expense we record for our defined benefit pension plans. Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires that we calculate income or expense for the plans using actuarial valuations. These valuations reflect assumptions about financial markets and other economic conditions, which may change based on changes in key economic indicators. The most significant assumptions we use to estimate pension income or expense are the discount rate and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. In addition, we are required to make an annual measurement of plan assets and liabilities, which may result in a significant change to equity. Although pension expense and pension funding contributions are not directly related, key economic factors that affect pension expense would also likely affect the amount of cash we would contribute to pension plans as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

We depend on key personnel and may not be able to retain those employees or recruit additional qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the continuing efforts of our senior management team and other key personnel. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if we lose any of these persons and are unable to attract and retain qualified replacements.

Our business may be materially affected by changes to fiscal and tax policies that could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows

We operate globally and changes in tax laws could adversely affect our results. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”) was signed into law. The legislation significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a dividends received deduction for dividends from foreign subsidiaries, imposing a repatriation tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries, a minimum tax on foreign earnings, limitations on deduction of business interest expense and limits on deducting compensation to certain executive officers. Additional tax regulations and interpretations of the Tax Reform Act are expected to be issued. It is also unclear which of the Tax Reform Act provisions will be adopted by U.S. states. New or revised interpretations of the Tax Reform Act and state conformity with its provisions could have a material impact on the valuation allowance recorded on U.S. federal and state net operating losses. Certain of these changes could have a negative or adverse impact on the operating results and cash flows of the Company. See Note 15 – Income Taxes in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further discussion on the impact from the Tax Reform Act.

We may not be able to fully utilize our U.S. tax attributes.

The Company has accumulated a substantial amount of U.S. federal and state net operating loss (“NOLs”) carryforwards, capital loss carryforwards, and federal and state tax credits that will expire if unused. We have concluded that it is more likely than not that the majority of the federal and state deferred tax assets will create tax benefits in the future. As a consequence of earlier business combinations and issuances of common stock, the Company and its subsidiaries have had various changes of ownership that continue to subject a significant amount of the Company’s U.S. NOLs and other tax attributes to certain limitations; and therefore a valuation allowance is still recognized on certain federal and state tax asset carryforwards that are expected to expire due to the ownership change limitations or because we do not believe we will earn enough taxable income to utilize. Further, as a result of the Tax Reform Act being signed into law, it is unclear which provisions of the Tax Reform Act will be adopted by U.S. states. State conformity to the provisions of the Tax Reform Act could have a material impact on the valuation allowance recorded on U.S. state net operating losses. If we are unable to fully utilize our NOLs to offset taxable income generated in the future, our future cash taxes could be materially and negatively impacted. For further detail over the Company’s federal and state NOLs, credits, and applicable valuation allowance as of September 30, 2018, see Note 15 – Income Taxes in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Our acquisition and expansion strategy may not be successful.

Our growth strategy is based in part on growth through acquisitions, which poses a number of risks. We may not be successful in identifying appropriate acquisition candidates, consummating acquisitions on satisfactory terms or integrating any newly acquired or expanded business with our current operations. We may issue additional equity, incur long-term or short-term indebtedness, spend cash or use a combination of these for all or part of the consideration paid in future acquisitions or expansion of our operations. The execution of our acquisition and expansion strategy could entail repositioning or similar actions that in turn require us to record impairments, restructuring and other charges. Any such charges would reduce our earnings. We cannot guarantee that any future business acquisitions will be pursued or that any acquisitions that are pursued will be consummated.

Significant costs have been incurred and are expected to be incurred in connection with the consummation of recent and future business acquisitions and the integration of such acquired businesses with Spectrum into a combined company, including legal, accounting, financial advisory and other costs.

We expect to incur one-time costs in connection with integrating our operations, products and personnel and those of businesses we acquire into a combined company, in addition to costs related directly to completing such acquisitions. We would expect similar costs to be incurred with any future acquisition. These costs may include expenditures for:

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employee redeployment, relocation or severance;

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integration of operations and information systems;

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combination of research and development teams and processes; and

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reorganization or closures of facilities.

In addition, we expect to incur a number of non-recurring costs associated with combining our operations with those of acquired businesses. Additional unanticipated costs may yet be incurred as we integrate our business with acquired businesses. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of our operations with those of acquired businesses, may offset incremental transaction and transaction-related costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term. Additionally, while we expect to benefit from leveraging distribution channels and brand names among the Company and the businesses we acquire, we cannot assure you that we will achieve such benefits.

We may not realize the anticipated benefits of, and synergies from, our business acquisitions and may become responsible for certain liabilities and integration costs as a result.

Business acquisitions involve the integration of new businesses that have previously operated independently from us. The integration of our operations with those of acquired businesses is frequently expected to result in financial and operational benefits, including increased top line growth, margins, revenues and cost savings and be accretive to earnings per share, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and free cash flow before synergies. There can be no assurance, however, regarding when or the extent to which we will be able to realize these increased top line growth, margins, revenues, cost savings or accretions to earnings per share, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or free cash flow or other benefits. Integration may also be difficult, unpredictable, and subject to delay because of possible company culture conflicts and different opinions on technical decisions and product roadmaps. We will often be required to integrate or, in some cases, replace, numerous systems, including those involving management information, purchasing, accounting and finance, sales, billing, employee benefits, payroll and regulatory compliance, many of which may be dissimilar. In some instances, we and certain acquired businesses have served the same customers, and some customers may decide that it is desirable to have additional or different suppliers. Difficulties associated with the integration of acquired businesses could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may also acquire partial or full ownership in businesses or may acquire rights to market and distribute particular products or lines of products. The acquisition of a business or the rights to market specific products or use specific product names may involve a financial commitment by us, either in the form of cash or equity consideration. In the case of a new license, such commitments are usually in the form of prepaid royalties and future minimum royalty payments. There is no guarantee that we will acquire businesses or product distribution rights that will contribute positively to our earnings. Anticipated synergies may not materialize, cost savings may be less than expected, sales of products may not meet expectations and acquired businesses may carry unexpected liabilities.

In addition, in connection with business acquisitions, we have assumed, and may assume in connection with future acquisitions, certain potential liabilities. To the extent such liabilities are not identified by us or to the extent the indemnifications obtained from third parties are insufficient to cover such liabilities, these liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Integrating our business with acquired businesses may divert our management’s attention away from operations.

Successful integration of acquired businesses’ operations, products and personnel with us may place a significant burden on our management and other internal resources. The diversion of management’s attention, and any difficulties encountered in the transition and integration process, could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

As a result of business acquisitions, we may not be able to retain key personnel or recruit additional qualified personnel, which could materially affect our business and require us to incur substantial additional costs to recruit replacement personnel.

We are highly dependent on the continuing efforts of our senior management team and other key personnel. As a result of business acquisitions, our current and prospective employees could experience uncertainty about their future roles. This uncertainty may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key management, sales, marketing and technical personnel. Any failure to attract and retain key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, we currently do not maintain “key person” insurance covering any member of our management team.

If any of our key personnel or those of our acquired businesses were to join a competitor or form a competing company, existing and potential customers or suppliers could choose to form business relationships with that competitor instead of us. There can be no assurance that confidentiality, non-solicitation, non-competition or similar agreements signed by former directors, officers, employees or stockholders of us, our acquired businesses or our transactional counterparties will be effective in preventing a loss of business.

General customer uncertainty related to our business acquisitions could harm us.

Our customers may, in response to the announcement or consummation of a business acquisition, delay or defer purchasing decisions. If our customers delay or defer purchasing decisions, our revenues could materially decline or any anticipated increases in revenue could be lower than expected.

If our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or other long-term assets become impaired, we will be required to record additional impairment charges, which may be significant.

A significant portion of our long-term assets consist of goodwill, other indefinite-lived intangible assets and finite-lived intangible assets recorded as a result of past acquisitions as well as through fresh start reporting. We do not amortize goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, but rather review them for impairment on a periodic basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. We consider whether circumstances or conditions exist which suggest that the carrying value of our goodwill and other long-lived intangible assets might be impaired. If such circumstances or conditions exist, further steps are required in order to determine whether the carrying value of each of the individual assets exceeds its fair value. If analysis indicates that an individual asset’s carrying value does exceed its fair value, the next step is to record a loss equal to the excess of the individual asset’s carrying value over its fair value.

The steps required by GAAP entail significant amounts of judgment and subjectivity. Events and changes in circumstances that may indicate that there may be an impairment and which may indicate that interim impairment testing is necessary include, but are not limited to: strategic decisions to exit a business or dispose of an asset made in response to changes in economic, political and competitive conditions; the impact of the economic environment on the customer base and on broad market conditions that drive valuation considerations by market participants; our internal expectations with regard to future revenue growth and the assumptions we make when performing impairment reviews; a significant decrease in the market price of our assets; a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which our assets are used; a significant adverse change in legal factors or the business climate that could affect our assets; an accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition of an asset; and significant changes in the cash flows associated with an asset. As a result of such circumstances, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings in our financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or other long-term assets is determined. Any such impairment charges could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

The successful execution of our operational efficiency and multi-year restructuring initiatives are important to the long-term growth of our business.

We continue to engage in targeted restructuring initiatives, such as the HHI Distribution Center Consolidation and PET Rightsizing Initiative, to align our business operations in response to current and anticipated future market conditions and investment strategy. We will evaluate opportunities for additional initiatives to restructure or reorganize the business across our operating segments and functions with a focus on areas of strategic growth and optimizing operational efficiency. Significant risks associated with these actions may impair our ability to achieve the anticipated cost reduction or may disrupt our business including delays in shipping, implementation of workforce, redundant costs, and failure to meet operational targets. In addition, our ability to achieve the anticipated cost savings and other benefits from these actions within the expected timeframe is subject to many estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions are subject to significant economic, competitive and other uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. If these estimates and assumptions are incorrect, experience delays, or if other unforeseen events occur, our business and results of operation could be adversely affected. Refer to Note 5 - Restructuring and Related Charges in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional detail over restructuring related activity.

Certain of SBH’s stockholders hold a significant portion of SBH outstanding common stock, have registration rights with respect to their shares of SBH common stock, and have certain nomination rights with respect to the SBH board of directors; decisions by such stockholders could adversely affect our financial results and liquidity.

Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Leucadia National Corporation) (“Jefferies Financial”) and CF Turul LLC (“Fortress”, an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group, LLC) beneficially own a significant portion of our outstanding common stock. In connection with the Merger, Jefferies Financial designated an independent director to the SBH board of directors who satisfied certain independence requirements set forth in the Merger Agreement and who joined the board of directors at the effective time of the Merger. Also in connection with the Merger, and pursuant to a stockholder agreement entered into between Jefferies Financial and SBH, Jefferies Financial has a continuing right, subject to certain conditions, to designate one nominee to the SBH board of directors. Because of the foregoing, Jefferies Financial and Fortress may exercise significant influence over our business and affairs, including over matters submitted to a vote of SBH stockholders, such as the election of SBH directors, the removal of directors, and approval of significant corporate transactions. This influence may have the effect of discouraging offers to acquire the Company. Pursuant to SBH’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Jefferies Financial and Fortress are, and pursuant to the stockholder agreement entered into in connection with the Merger, Jefferies Financial is, subject to certain restrictions on the transfer of SBH common stock. However, if, in compliance with such restrictions or after their expiration, Jefferies Financial or Fortress were to sell or otherwise transfer all or a large percentage of their holdings, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and the value of our securities.

Matters not directly related to us can nevertheless affect Jefferies Financial’s or Fortress’ respective decisions to maintain, decrease or increase their investments in SBH. Subject to compliance with the restrictions contained in SBH’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and, in the case of Jefferies Financial, the stockholder agreement entered into in connection with the Merger, the sale or other disposition of a certain portion of SBH common stock could negatively impact our tax attributes. See also “The issuance of the shares of SBH common stock in connection with the Merger has materially increased the risk that the Company could experience an “ownership change” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could materially affect the Company’s ability to utilize its NOLs and capital loss carryforwards and adversely impact the Company’s results of operations.”

The issuance of the shares of SBH common stock in connection with the Merger has materially increased the risk that the Company could experience an “ownership change” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could materially affect the Company’s ability to utilize its NOLs and capital loss carryforwards and adversely impact the Company’s results of operations.

The Company has substantial deferred tax assets related to NOLs and capital loss carryforwards (together with the NOLs, the “Tax Attributes”) for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes, which the Company currently expects to be available to offset future taxable income. The Company’s ability to utilize or realize the current carrying value of such NOLs and capital loss carryforwards may be impacted by certain events, including annual limits imposed under Section 382 of the Code, or applicable provisions of state law, as a result of an “ownership change.” The issuance of shares of SBH common stock in connection with the Merger materially increased the risk that the Company could experience an “ownership change” in the future as a result of future issuances of shares or certain direct or indirect changes in the ownership of such shares or other securities (e.g., as a result of a disposition of shares currently owned by existing “5% stockholders”). In addition, although Jefferies Financial’s and Fortress’s ability to dispose of shares of SBH common stock owned by them is subject to certain transfer restrictions in the SBH amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and with respect to Jefferies Financial, the stockholder agreement entered into between Jefferies Financial and SBH in connection with the Merger, that are designed to prevent an “ownership change” from occurring, such restrictions will expire on the second anniversary of the closing of the Merger or earlier in certain specified circumstances. As a result, the Company could experience an “ownership change” in the future as a result of transfers by Jefferies Financial and Fortress following the expiration of such transfer restrictions.

An “ownership change” is generally defined as a cumulative increase of 50 percentage points or more (by value) in the ownership positions of certain “5% stockholders” of a corporation during a rolling three year period. Upon an “ownership change,” a corporation generally is subject to an annual limit on the ability to utilize pre-change NOLs and capital loss carryforwards to offset future taxable income and gain in an amount equal to the value of the corporation’s market capitalization immediately before the “ownership change” multiplied by the adjusted long-term tax-exempt rate set by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). Since NOLs generally may be carried forward for up to 20 years, any such annual limitation may result in the inability to utilize certain pre-change NOLs and other tax attributes.

In the event an “ownership change” were to occur, the Company could lose the ability to use a significant portion of its NOLs and capital loss carryforwards. Any permanent loss could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We have made or implied certain forward-looking statements in this prospectus. All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this prospectus, including statements regarding our business strategy, future operations, financial condition, estimated revenues, projected costs, projected synergies, prospects, plans and objectives of management, as well as information concerning expected actions of third parties, are forward-looking statements. When used in this prospectus, the words “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “believe,” “expect,” “project,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “may” and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Since these forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations of future events and projections and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and some of which may change rapidly, actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied herein, and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein include, without limitation:

•

the impact of our indebtedness on our business, financial condition and results of operations;

•

the impact of restrictions in our debt instruments on our ability to operate our business, finance our capital needs or pursue or expand business strategies;

•

any failure to comply with financial covenants and other provisions and restrictions of our debt instruments;

•

the impact of actions taken by significant stockholders;

•

the impact of fluctuations in commodity prices, costs or availability of raw materials or terms and conditions available from suppliers, including suppliers’ willingness to advance credit;

•

interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations;

•

the loss of, significant reduction in, or dependence upon, sales to any significant retail customer(s);

•

competitive promotional activity or spending by competitors, or price reductions by competitors;

•

the introduction of new product features or technological developments by competitors and/or the development of new competitors or competitive brands;

•

the effects of general economic conditions, including inflation, recession or fears of a recession, depression or fears of a depression, labor costs and stock market volatility or changes in trade, monetary or fiscal policies in the countries where we do business;

•

changes in consumer spending preferences and demand for our products;

•

our ability to develop and successfully introduce new products, protect our intellectual property and avoid infringing the intellectual property of third parties;

•

our ability to successfully implement, achieve and sustain manufacturing and distribution cost efficiencies and improvements, and fully realize anticipated cost savings;

•

the seasonal nature of sales of certain of our products;

•

the effects of climate change and unusual weather activity;

•

the cost and effect of unanticipated legal, tax or regulatory proceedings or new laws or regulations (including environmental, public health and consumer protection regulations);

•

public perception regarding the safety of products, that we manufacture or sell, including the potential for environmental liabilities, product liability claims, litigation and other claims related to products manufactured by us and third parties;

•

the impact of pending or threatened litigation;

•

the impact of cybersecurity breaches or our actual or perceived failure to protect company and personal data;

•

changes in accounting policies applicable to our business;

•

our ability to utilize our net operating loss carry-forwards to offset tax liabilities from future taxable income;

•

government regulations;

•

the impact of expenses resulting from the implementation of new business strategies, divestitures or current and proposed restructuring activities;

•

our inability to successfully integrate and operate new acquisitions at the level of financial performance anticipated;

•

the unanticipated loss of key members of senior management;

•

the effects of political or economic conditions, terrorist attacks, acts of war or other unrest in international markets; and

•

the transition to a new chief executive officer and such officer’s ability to determine and implement changes at the Company to improve the Company’s business and financial performance.

USE OF PROCEEDS

This prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of notes by Jefferies in market-making transactions effected from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from such transactions.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table presents the cash and cash equivalents and consolidated capitalization of SB/RH Holdings.


	As of March 31, 2019⁽¹⁾
	(in millions)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	176.2

Debt:
Term Credit Facilities⁽²⁾		0
Revolving Credit Facility⁽²⁾		126.0
4.000% Senior Notes due 2026⁽²⁾		477.0
6.625% Senior Notes due 2022		285.0
6.125% Senior Notes due 2024		250.0
5.750% Senior Notes due 2025		1,000.0
Capital leases		169.4
Other notes and obligations		7.8

Total debt	$	2,315.2
Total shareholder’s equity		1,919.1

Total capitalization	$	4,058.1

⁽¹⁾	Balances are reflected at par.

⁽²⁾	See “Description of Other Indebtedness.”

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected historical financial data is derived from SB/RH’s audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the five fiscal years ended September 30, 2018. The summary has been derived in part from, and should be read in conjunction with, the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company included elsewhere in this prospectus. As discussed in Note 1-Description of Business, subsequent to the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company sold its Global Batteries and lighting (“GBL”) business and Global Auto Care (“GAC”) business to Energizer Holdings, Inc. (“Energizer”) on January 2, 2019 and January 28, 2019, respectively. As a result, the Company’s assets and liabilities associated with GBL and GAC have been classified as held for sale in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Financial Position for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016 and the respective operations have been have been classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income and Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 included within the selected financial data below, the Company has not adjusted to reflect changes due to the recognition of the GBL and GAC results as discontinued operations and therefore certain financial information within the summarized financial information below may not be comparable for such period.


	Year ended September 30,
(in millions, except per share data)	2018⁽¹⁾			2017⁽²⁾			2016⁽³⁾			2015⁽⁴⁾		2014⁽⁵⁾
Statement of Operations Data
Revenues	$	3,808.7		$	3,705.4		$	3,745.3		$	4,690.4	$	4,429.1
Gross profit		1,334.3			1,335.3			1,364.1			1,670.3		1,568.9
Operating income		302.3			341.2			410.2			474.1		484.5
Interest expense		167.0			161.8			184.4			271.9		202.1
Income from operations before income taxes		130.1			173.6			219.6			193.3		276.1
Income tax (benefit) expense		(76.8	)		(8.6	)		(33.4	)		43.9		59.0
Net income from continuing operations		206.9			182.2			253.0
(Loss) income from discontinued operations		(24.0	)		119.0			99.3
Net income		182.9			301.2			352.3			149.4		217.1
Net income attributable to controlling interest		181.5			299.9			351.9			148.9		216.8

Amounts attributable to controlling interest
Net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest	$	205.5		$	180.9		$	252.6
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to controlling interest		(24.0	)		119.0			99.3

Net income attributable to controlling interest	$	181.5		$	299.9		$	351.9		$	148.9	$	216.8

Statement of Financial Position Data
Cash and cash equivalents	$	505.4		$	168.2		$	270.8		$	247.9	$	192.9
Total assets		7,637.4			7,417.5			7,053.5			7,193.7		5,511.3
Total debt		4,233.3			3,759.1			3,620.2			3,940.6		3,006.7
Total equity		1,611.7			1,835.4			1,829.4			1,572.8		1,070.2

⁽¹⁾

For the year ended September 30, 2018, the operating results include an impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets of $20.3 million. Income tax expense includes a non-cash benefit of $181.7 million for restatement of deferred tax assets and liabilities and a provisional $73.1 million of income tax expenses for a one-time deemed mandatory repatriation attributable to the Tax Reform Act.

⁽²⁾

For the year ended September 30, 2017, the operating results include the PetMatrix operations since the acquisition date of June 1, 2017 and GloFish operations since the acquisition date of May 12, 2017. Operating income includes an impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets of $16.3 million. Interest expense includes $4.6 million of tender premium and a non-cash expense of $1.9 million as a result of the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs in connection with the redemption of the 6.375% Notes.

⁽³⁾

For the year ended September 30, 2016, operating income includes an impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets of $4.7 million. Interest expense includes $15.6 million of tender premium and a non-cash expense of $5.8 million as a result of the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs in connection with the redemption of the 6.375% Notes. Income tax expense includes a non-cash benefit of $111.1 million from a decrease in the valuation allowance against net deferred tax asset.

⁽⁴⁾

For the year ended September 30, 2015, the operating results include the Armored AutoGroup operations since the acquisition date of May 21, 2015; Salix operations since the acquisition date of January 16, 2015; European IAMS and Eukanuba operations since the acquisition date of December 31, 2014; and Tell operations since the acquisition date of October 1, 2014. Interest expense of $58.8 million was incurred related to the financing of the acquisition of AAG and the refinancing of the then-existing senior credit facility and asset based revolving loan facility. Income tax expense includes a non-cash benefit of $20.2 million from a decrease in the valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets, and a $22.8 million benefit due to the reversal of valuation allowance in conjunction with the acquisition of the AAG business.

⁽⁵⁾

For the year ended September 30, 2014, the operating results include the Liquid Fence operations since the acquisition date of January 2, 2014. Interest expense includes a non-cash charge of $9.2 million as a result of the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs and unamortized discounts in connection with the amendment of the Company’s then existing term loans. Income tax expense includes a non-cash benefit of approximately $115.6 million from a decrease in the valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is management’s discussion of the financial results, liquidity and other key items related to our performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Business Overview

Refer to Item 1 – Business and Note 1 – Description of Business – in Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for an overview of our business.

Divestitures

•

Global Batteries & Lights – On January 2, 2019, the Company completed the sale of its GBL business pursuant to the GBL acquisition agreement with Energizer for cash proceeds of $1,956.2 million, resulting in a recognition of a pre-tax gain on sale of $996.3 million, including the estimated settlement over customary purchase price adjustments for working capital and assumed indebtedness, recognition of tax and legal indemnifications under the acquisition agreement and an estimated contingent purchase price adjustment for the settlement with the planned divestiture of the Varta consumer batteries business by Energizer of $200.0 million in accordance with the GBL acquisition agreement. The results of operations and gain on sale for disposal of the GBL business are recognized as a component of discontinued operations.

•

Global Auto Care – On January 28, 2019, the Company completed the sale of its GAC business pursuant to the GAC acquisition agreement with Energizer for $938.7 million in cash proceeds and $242.1 million in stock consideration in common stock of Energizer, resulting in the write-down of net assets held for sale of $110.8 million, including the estimated settlement over customary purchase price adjustments for working capital and assumed indebtedness, recognition of tax and legal indemnifications in accordance with the GAC acquisition agreement. The results of operations and write-down of net assets held for sale for the disposal of the GAC business are recognized as a component of discontinued operations.

•

Home & Personal Care – During the three month period ended December 30, 2018, the Company changed its plans to sell its HPC business and classified the net assets of HPC as held for use and the HPC operations have been classified as continuing operations for all periods presented. During the period in which the HPC business was held for sale, the Company incurred divestiture related expenses to market and sell the business that were previously recognized as a component of discontinued operations and ceased the recognition of depreciation and amortization on long-lived assets of the HPC disposal group, impact the comparability of financial results when classified as continuing operations, resulting in the recognition of $29.0 million in incremental depreciation & amortization charges during the six month period ended March 31, 2018.

See Note 3 – Divestitures and Note 22 – Subsequent Events to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus, for more information on the assets and liabilities classified as held for sale and discontinued operations.

Acquisitions

The following acquisition activity has a significant impact on the comparability of the financial results on the consolidated financial statements.

•

PetMatrix – On June 1, 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of PetMatrix LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of rawhide-free dog chews consisting primarily of the DreamBone® and SmartBones® brands. The results of PetMatrix’s operations since June 1, 2017 are included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income and reported within the PET reporting segment for the years ended September 30, 2017 and 2018.

•

GloFish – On May 12, 2017, the Company entered into an asset purchase agreement with Yorktown Technologies LP, for the acquisition of assets consisting of the GloFish operations, including transfer of the GloFish® brand, related intellectual property and operating agreements. The GloFish operations consist of the development and licensing of fluorescent fish for sale through retail and online channels. The results of GloFish’s operations since May 12, 2017 are included in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Income and reported within the PET reporting segment for the years ended September 30, 2017 and 2018.

See Note 4 - Acquisitions in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail regarding acquisition activity.

Restructuring Activity

We continually seek to improve our operational efficiency, match our manufacturing capacity and product costs to market demand and better utilize our manufacturing resources. We have undertaken various initiatives to reduce manufacturing and operating costs. The most significant of these initiatives are:

•

Global Productivity Improvement Plan, formerly Project Ignite, which began during the year ended September 30, 2018;

•

PET Rightsizing Initiative, which began during the second quarter of the year ended September 30, 2017 and is closed as of September 30, 2018;

•

HHI Distribution Center Consolidation, which began during the second quarter of the year ended September 30, 2017 and is anticipated to be closed by December 31, 2018.

See Note 5 - Restructuring and Related Charges in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail regarding restructuring and related activity.

Refinancing Activity

The following recent financing activity has a significant impact on the comparability of financial results on the consolidated financial statements.

•

During the year ended September 30, 2017, Spectrum refinanced a portion of its debt to extend maturities and reduce borrowing costs including entering into various amendments to the Credit Agreement under its Term Loans resulting in an increase to the USD Term Loan, repayment of the Euro Term Loan, increase in the capacity of the Revolver Facility and changes to the applicable variable interest rates.

•

During the year ended September 30, 2016, Spectrum refinanced a portion of its debt to extend maturities and reduce borrowing costs including the issuance of Euro denominated notes and repurchase of the 6.375% Notes.

•

On October 31, 2018, the Company repaid its CAD Term Loan in full for $32.6 million of outstanding principal and interest.

•

On January 4, 2019, the Company repaid its USD Term Loan in full using proceeds received from the divestiture of GBL, recognizing a loss on extinguishment of the debt of $9.0 million attributable to a non-cash charge from the write-off of deferred financing costs and original issue discount associated with the debt.

•

On March 21, 2019, the Company repaid $285.0 million of its 6.625% Senior Unsecured Notes with an outstanding principal of $570.0 million using proceeds received from the GBL and GAC divestitures, recognizing a loss on extinguishment of the debt of $9.6 million attributable to $6.3 million premium on repayment of debt and non-cash charge of $3.3 million attributable to the write-off of deferred financing costs associated with the debt.

See Note 11 - Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail regarding debt.

Adoption of New Revenue Recognition Accounting Standard

On October 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” and all the related amendments using the modified retrospective transition method, resulting in a cumulative effect adjustment of $0.7 million, net of tax, to the opening balance of retained earnings at the beginning of the fiscal year 2019. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. The Company does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on the comparability of it period revenue or operating results on an ongoing basis. See Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies and Procedures and Note 6 – Revenue Recognition in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus, for more information.

Safety Recall

On June 10, 2017, the Company initiated a voluntary safety recall of various rawhide chew products for dogs sold by the Company’s PET segment due to possible chemical contamination. The Company recognized a loss of $35.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2017 associated with the recall, which comprised of inventory write-offs of $15.0 million, customer losses of $7.1 million and $13.7 million of incremental costs to dispose of product and operational expenses due to a temporary shutdown of production facilities. The Company suspended production at facilities impacted by the product safety recall, completed a comprehensive manufacturing review and recommenced production during the fourth quarter ended September 30, 2017. Incremental costs were incurred during the year ended September 30, 2018 to address regulatory compliance needs for production and perform incremental remediation activities prior to review from regulatory authorities over production improvements. See Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for additional detail.

Tax Reform

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”) was signed into law. The legislation significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a dividends received deduction for dividends from foreign subsidiaries and imposing a tax on deemed repatriated accumulated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Reform Act reduced the U.S. corporate income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018. Under the Tax Reform Act, the U.S. statutory tax rate for Fiscal 2018 is approximately 24.5%. The Company has recognized the tax impacts related to deemed repatriated earnings and the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and included these amounts in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2018. See Note 15 – Income Taxes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for additional detail.

Non-GAAP Measurements

Our consolidated and segment results contain non-GAAP metrics such as organic net sales, and Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization). While we believe organic net sales and Adjusted EBITDA are useful supplemental information, such adjusted results are not intended to replace our financial results in accordance with Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and should be read in conjunction with those GAAP results.

Organic Net Sales

We define organic net sales as net sales excluding the effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and/or impact from acquisitions (where applicable). We believe this non-GAAP measure provides useful information to investors because it reflects regional and operating segment performance from our activities without the effect of changes in currency exchange rate and/or acquisitions. We use organic net sales as one measure to monitor and evaluate our regional and segment performance. Organic growth is calculated by comparing organic net sales to net sales in the prior year. The effect of changes in currency exchange rates is determined by translating the period’s net sales using the currency exchange rates that were in effect during the prior comparative period. Net sales are attributed to the geographic regions based on the country of destination. We exclude net sales from acquired businesses in the current year for which there are no comparable sales in the prior period.

The following is a reconciliation of reported net sales to organic net sales for the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019 compared to net sales for the three and six month periods ended April 1, 2018:


	March 31, 2019
Three Month Periods ended (in millions, except %)	Net Sales		Effect of Changes in Currency		Organic Net Sales		Net Sales April 1, 2018		Variance
HHI	$	331.1	$	2.3	$	333.4	$	318.5	$	14.9		4.7	%
HPC		221.7		11.8		233.5		231.1		2.4		1.0	%
PET		214.9		5.2		220.1		211.2		8.9		4.2	%
H&G		139.0		—		139.0		121.8		17.2		14.1	%

Total	$	906.7	$	19.3	$	926.0	$	882.6		43.4		4.9	%


	March 31, 2019
Six Month Periods ended (in millions, except %)	Net Sales		Effect of Changes in Currency		Organic Net Sales		Net Sales April 1, 2018		Variance
HHI	$	636.2	$	3.9	$	640.1	$	644.4	$	(4.3	)	(0.7	%)
HPC		538.9		22.0		560.9		573.1		(12.2	)	(2.1	%)
PET		419.6		7.0		426.6		413.6		13.0		3.1	%
H&G		192.3		—		192.3		173.8		18.5		10.6	%

Total	$	1,787.0	$	32.9	$	1,819.9	$	1,804.9		15.0		0.8	%

The following is a reconciliation of net sales to organic net sales for the year ended September 30, 2018 compared to net sales for the year ended September 30, 2017, and the net sales to organic net sales for the year ended September 30, 2017 compared to the year ended September 30, 2016 respectively:


	September 30, 2018
Year ended (in millions, except %)	Net Sales		Effect of Changes in Currency			Net Sales Excluding Effect of Changes in Currency		Effect of Acquisitions			Organic Net Sales		Net Sales September 30, 2017		Variance
HHI	$	1,377.7	$	(4.3	)	$	1,373.4	$	—		$	1,373.4	$	1,276.1	$	97.3		7.6	%
HPC		1,110.4		(22.8	)		1,087.6		—			1,087.6		1,132.3		(44.7	)	(3.9	%)
PET		820.5		(15.4	)		805.1		(64.5	)		740.6		793.2		(52.6	)	(6.6	%)
H&G		500.1		—			500.1		—			500.1		503.8		(3.7	)	(0.7	%)

Total	$	3,808.7	$	(42.5	)	$	3,766.2	$	(64.5	)	$	3,701.7	$	3,705.4		(3.7	)	(0.1	%)


	September 30, 2017
Year ended (in millions, except %)	Net Sales		Effect of Changes in Currency			Net Sales Excluding Effect of Changes in Currency		Effect of Acquisitions			Organic Net Sales		Net Sales September 30, 2016		Variance
HHI	$	1,276.1	$	(2.7	)	$	1,273.4	$	—		$	1,273.4	$	1,241.0	$	32.4		2.6	%
HPC		1,132.3		19.5			1,151.8		—			1,151.8		1,169.6		(17.8	)	(1.5	%)
PET		793.2		6.7			799.9		(28.1	)		771.8		825.7		(53.9	)	(6.5	%)
H&G		503.8		—			503.8		—			503.8		509.0		(5.2	)	(1.0	%)

Total	$	3,705.4	$	23.5		$	3,728.9	$	(28.1	)	$	3,700.8	$	3,745.3		(44.5	)	(1.2	%)

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP metric used by management that we believe provides useful information to investors because it reflects the ongoing operating performance and trends of our segments, excluding certain non-cash based expenses and/or non-recurring items during each of the comparable periods. It also facilitates comparisons between peer companies since interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization can differ greatly between organizations as a result of differing capital structures and tax strategies. Adjusted EBITDA is also used for determining compliance with the Company’s debt covenants. See Note 11 - Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail.

EBITDA is calculated by excluding the Company’s income tax expense, interest expense, depreciation expense and amortization expense (from intangible assets) from net income. Adjusted EBITDA further excludes:

•

Stock based and other incentive compensation costs that consist of costs associated with long-term compensation arrangements and other equity based compensation based upon achievement of long-term performance metrics; and generally consist of non-cash, stock-based compensation. During the period ended March 31, 2019, the Company issued certain incentive bridge awards due to changes in the Company’s long-term compensation plans that allow for cash based payment upon employee election which have been included in the adjustment but would not qualify for shared-based compensation. See Note 15 - Share Based Compensation in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for further discussion;

•

Transaction related charges consist of (1) transaction costs from qualifying acquisition transactions during the period, or subsequent integration related project costs directly associated with an acquired business; (2) post-divestiture separation costs consisting of incremental costs incurred by the continuing operations of the Company after completion of the GBL and GAC divestitures to facilitate separation of shared operations, development of shared service operations, platforms and personnel transferred as part of the divestitures and exiting of TSAs and reverse TSAs with Energizer; (3) divestiture related transaction costs that are recognized in continuing operations due to the change in plan to cease marketing and selling of the HPC business. See Note 2 – Basis of Presentation & Significant Accounting Policies for additional details;

•

Restructuring and related charges, which consist of project costs associated with restructuring initiatives across the segments. See Note 5 - Restructuring and Related Charges in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for further details;

•

Unrealized gains and losses attributable to the Company’s investment in Energizer common stock, acquired as part of consideration received from the Company’s sale and divestiture of GAC to Energizer. See Note 3 – Divestitures in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for further discussion;

•

Foreign currency gains and losses attributable to multicurrency loans that were entered into with foreign subsidiaries in exchange for the receipt of divestiture proceeds by the parent company through the distribution of the respective foreign subsidiaries’ net assets as part of the GBA and GAC divestitures. The Company has also entered into various hedging arrangements to mitigate the volatility of foreign exchange risk associated with such loans.

•

Non-cash purchase accounting inventory adjustments recognized in earnings subsequent to an acquisition (when applicable);

•

Non-cash asset impairments or write-offs realized on goodwill, intangible assets, and property plant and equipment (when applicable);

•

Incremental costs associated with a safety recall in PET. See Note 18 – Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere within this prospectus for further details; and

•

For the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016, other adjustments consist of (1) incremental costs for separation of key senior executives during the year ended September 30, 2018 and 2016; (2) costs attributable to flood damage at the

Company’s facilities in Middleton, Wisconsin during the year ended September 30, 2018; (3) devaluation of cash and cash equivalents denominated in Venezuelan currency during the year ended September 30, 2017; and (4) the operating margin on H&G sales to GAC discontinued operations during the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.

•

For the three and ix month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018, other adjustments primarily consisting of costs attributable to (1) operating margin on H&G sales to GAC discontinued operations for the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018; (2) expenses and cost recovery for flood damage at Company facilities in Middleton, Wisconsin during the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019; and (3) certain fines and penalties for delayed shipments following the completion of a PET distribution center consolidation in EMEA during the six month period ended March 31, 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA margin is calculated as Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of reported net sales for the respective period and segment.

The following is a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the three month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018:


(in millions)	HHI		HPC			PET		H&G			Corporate			Consolidated
Three Month Period Ended March 31, 2019
Net income (loss) from continuing operations	$	43.6	$	(6.6	)	$	19.6	$	24.7		$	(93.7	)	$	(12.4	)
Income tax benefit		—		—			—		—			(17.3	)		(17.3	)
Interest expense		—		—			—		—			48.3			48.3
Depreciation and amortization		8.3		9.2			10.6		4.8			3.7			36.6

EBITDA		51.9		2.6			30.2		29.5			(59.0	)		55.2
Share and incentive based compensation		—		—			—		—			16.9			16.9
Transaction related charges		0.4		0.9			0.3		—			3.7			5.3
Restructuring and related charges		0.4		1.3			2.3		0.3			8.3			12.6
Unrealized loss on Energizer investment		—		—			—		—			5.0			5.0
Foreign currency loss on multicurrency divestiture loans		—		—			—		—			21.8			21.8
Other		—		(0.3	)		—		(0.2	)		—			(0.5	)

Adjusted EBITDA	$	52.7	$	4.5		$	32.8	$	29.6		$	(3.3	)	$	116.3

Three Month Period Ended April 1, 2018
Net income from continuing operations	$	18.5	$	14.6		$	15.2	$	20.5		$	(53.9	)	$	14.9
Income tax benefit		—		—			—		—			(0.8	)		(0.8	)
Interest expense		—		—			—		—			42.0			42.0
Depreciation and amortization		11.5		—			10.7		4.7			3.2			30.1

EBITDA		30.0		14.6			25.9		25.2			(9.5	)		86.2
Share based compensation		—		—			—		—			(3.8	)		(3.8	)
Transaction related charges		1.9		5.3			2.1		—			0.3			9.6
Restructuring and related charges		13.6		0.2			3.8		0.2			2.5			20.3
Pet safety recall		—		—			3.9		—			—			3.9
Other		—		—			—		(0.1	)		—			(0.1	)

Adjusted EBITDA	$	45.5	$	20.1		$	35.7	$	25.3		$	(10.5	)	$	116.1


The following is a reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA for the six months periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018:

(in millions)	HHI		HPC			PET		H&G			Corporate			Consolidated
Six Month Period Ended March 31, 2019
Net income (loss) from continuing operations	$	87.3	$	(14.8	)	$	31.4	$	22.8		$	(158.0	)	$	(31.3	)
Income tax benefit		—		—			—		—			(15.8	)		(15.8	)
Interest expense		—		—			—		—			91.5			91.5
Depreciation and amortization		16.8		47.3			21.3		9.6			7.6			102.6

EBITDA		104.1		32.5			52.7		32.4			(74.7	)		147.0
Share and incentive based compensation		—		—			—		—			22.5			22.5
Transaction related charges		0.9		5.6			0.9		—			4.2			11.6
Restructuring and related charges		3.2		1.5			4.9		1.0			10.9			21.5
Pet safety recall		—		—			0.6		—			—			0.6
Unrealized gain on investments		—		—			—		—			5.0			5.0
Foreign currency loss on intercompany divestiture loans		—		—			—		—			21.8			21.8
Other		—		(0.1	)		2.8		(0.7	)		0.4			2.4

Adjusted EBITDA	$	108.2	$	39.5		$	61.9	$	32.7		$	(9.9	)	$	232.4

Six Month Period Ended April 1, 2018
Net income from continuing operations	$	49.7	$	47.2		$	28.1	$	21.4		$	16.4		$	162.8
Income tax benefit		—		—			—		—			(126.5	)		(126.5	)
Interest expense		—		—			—		—			80.5			80.5
Depreciation and amortization		22.4		8.8			21.1		9.4			6.9			68.6

EBITDA		72.1		56.0			49.2		30.8			(22.7	)		185.4
Share based compensation		—		—			—		—			(0.3	)		(0.3	)
Transaction related charges		4.6		5.6			4.2		—			0.5			14.9
Restructuring and related charges		28.8		0.2			4.4		0.2			3.9			37.5
Inventory acquisition step-up		—		—			0.8		—			—			0.8
Pet safety recall		—		—			11.1		—			—			11.1
Other		—		—			—		(0.3	)		—			(0.3	)

Adjusted EBITDA	$	105.5	$	61.8		$	69.7	$	30.7		$	(18.6	)	$	249.1

The following is a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016:


(in millions)	HHI		HPC		PET		H&G			Corporate			Consolidated
Year Ended September 30, 2018
Net income from continuing operations	$	155.9	$	94.3	$	35.0	$	88.0		$	(166.3	)	$	206.9
Income tax benefit		—		—		—		—			(76.8	)		(76.8	)
Interest expense		—		—		—		—			167.0			167.0
Depreciation and amortization		40.0		8.8		42.3		18.8			14.7			124.6

EBITDA		195.9		103.1		77.3		106.8			(61.4	)		421.7
Share based compensation		—		—		—		—			8.8			8.8
Acquisition and integration related charges		6.0		0.3		6.2		—			2.8			15.3
Restructuring and related charges		52.8		0.7		13.2		0.8			8.1			75.6
HPC divestiture costs		—		14.9		—		—			—			14.9
Write-off from impairment of intangible assets		—		—		20.3		—			—			20.3
Inventory acquisition step-up		—		—		0.8		—			—			0.8
Pet safety recall		—		—		18.9		—			—			18.9
Other		—		0.4		—		(0.1	)		5.8			6.1

Adjusted EBITDA	$	254.7	$	119.4	$	136.7	$	107.5		$	(35.9	)	$	582.4

Year Ended September 30, 2017
Net income from continuing operations	$	184.0	$	111.8	$	28.8	$	114.4		$	(256.8	)	$	182.2
Income tax benefit		—		—		—		—			(8.6	)		(8.6	)
Interest expense		—		—		—		—			161.8			161.8
Depreciation and amortization		38.3		34.8		43.1		17.6			13.0			146.8

EBITDA		222.3		146.6		71.9		132.0			(90.6	)		482.2
Share based compensation		—		—		—		—			46.2			46.2
Acquisition and integration related charges		5.5		0.9		7.3		—			4.0			17.7
Restructuring and related charges		26.6		—		9.1		—			1.8			37.5
Write-off from impairment of intangible assets		—		—		15.3		1.0			—			16.3
Inventory acquisition step-up		—		—		3.3		—			—			3.3
Pet safety recall		—		—		35.8		—			—			35.8
Venezuela devaluation		—		0.3		—		—			—			0.3

Adjusted EBITDA	$	254.4	$	147.8	$	142.7	$	133.0		$	(38.6	)	$	639.3

Year Ended September 30, 2016
Net income from continuing operations	$	190.6	$	106.1	$	84.2	$	121.2		$	(249.1	)	$	253.0
Income tax benefit		—		—		—		—			(33.4	)		(33.4	)
Interest expense		—		—		—		—			184.4			184.4
Depreciation and amortization		35.4		32.8		42.7		15.2			9.9			136.0

EBITDA		226.0		138.9		126.9		136.4			(88.2	)		540.0
Share based compensation		—		—		—		—			52.5			52.5
Acquisition and integration related charges		13.3		0.1		5.5		0.5			2.8			22.2
Restructuring and related charges		2.3		0.3		6.0		0.4			1.2			10.2
Write-off from impairment of intangible assets		—		2.0		1.7		1.0			—			4.7
Other		—		—		—		—			0.3			0.3

Adjusted EBITDA	$	241.6	$	141.3	$	140.1	$	138.3		$	(31.4	)	$	629.9

Consolidated Results of Operations

Fiscal Quarter and Fiscal Six Months Ended March 31, 2019 Compared to Fiscal Quarter and Fiscal Six Months Ended April 1, 2018

The following is summarized consolidated results of operations for the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018, respectively:


	Three Month Periods Ended											Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018			Variance					March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018			Variance
Net sales	$	906.7		$	882.6		$	24.1		2.7	%	$	1,787.0		$	1,804.9		$	(17.9	)	(1.0	%)
Gross profit		305.5			306.0			(0.5	)	(0.2	%)		611.3			624.6			(13.3	)	(2.1	%)
Operating expenses		262.7			248.3			14.4		5.8	%		541.9			504.6			37.3		7.4	%
Interest expense		48.3			42.0			6.3		15.0	%		91.5			80.5			11.0		13.7	%
Income tax benefit		(17.3	)		(0.8	)		(16.5	)	2,062.5	%		(15.8	)		(126.5	)		110.7		(87.5	%)
Net income from continuing operations		(12.4	)		14.9			(27.3	)	(183.2	%)		(31.3	)		162.8			(194.1	)	(119.2	%)
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax		783.6			11.3			772.3		6,834.5	%		700.4			32.8			667.6		2,035.4	%
Net income		771.2			26.2			745.0		2,843.5	%		669.1			195.6			473.5		242.1	%

Net Sales. Net sales for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $24.1 million, or 2.7% with an increase in organic sales of $43.4 million, or 4.9%. Net sales for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $17.9 million, or 1.0% with an increase in organic sales of $15.0 million, or 0.8%. The following sets forth net sales by segment for the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018.


	Three Month Periods Ended									Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019		March 31, 2018		Variance					March 31, 2019		March 31, 2018		Variance
HHI	$	331.1	$	318.5	$	12.6		4.0	%	$	636.2	$	644.4		(8.2	)	(1.3	%)
HPC		221.7		231.1		(9.4	)	(4.1	%)		538.9		573.1		(34.2	)	(6.0	%)
PET		214.9		211.2		3.7		1.8	%		419.6		413.6		6.0		1.5	%
H&G		139.0		121.8		17.2		14.1	%		192.3		173.8		18.5		10.6	%

Net Sales	$	906.7	$	882.6		24.1		2.7	%	$	1,787.0	$	1,804.9		(17.9	)	(1.0	%)

The following sets forth the principal components of change in net sales from the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2018 to the three and six month periods ended March 31, 2019.


(in millions)	Three Month Periods Ended			Six Month Periods Ended
Net Sales for the periods ended March 31, 2018	$	882.6		$	1,804.9
Increase (decrease) in H&G		17.2			(12.2	)
Increase (decrease) in HHI		14.9			(4.3	)
Increase in PET		8.9			13.0
Increase in HPC		2.4			18.5
Foreign currency impact, net		(19.3	)		(32.9	)

Net Sales for the year ended March 31, 2019	$	906.7		$	1,787.0

Gross Profit. For the three month period ended March 31, 2019, gross profit decreased $0.5 million, with a decrease in gross profit margin from 34.7% to 33.7% primarily due to changes in product mix. For the six month period ended March 31, 2019, gross profit decreased $13.3 million, with a decrease in gross profit margin from 34.6% to 34.2% primarily due to changes in product mix.

Operating Expenses. Operating expenses for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $14.4 million, or 5.8%, primarily attributable to an increase in selling and general and administrative expenses of $25.2 primarily due to the incremental share based compensation expense offset by decrease in restructuring and related charges of $6.2 million and decrease in transaction related charges of $4.3 million. Operating expenses for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $37.3 million, or 0.5%, primarily attributable to increase in selling and general and administrative expenses of $56.3 million driven by the recognition of incremental depreciation and amortization expense of $29.0 million for long-lived assets of HPC that were previously held for sale and increase in share-based compensation expense offset by decrease in restructuring and integration charges of $15.0 million and decrease in transaction related costs of $3.3 million. See Note 2 – Basis of Presentation & Significant Accounting Policies and Note 5 – Restructuring and Related Charges in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail on transaction related costs and restructuring costs, respectively.

Interest Expense. Interest expense for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $6.3 million, or 15.0%, due to reduced borrowings and the recognition of non-cash write down of financing costs and original issuance discounts plus premiums for the early extinguishment of the Company’s Term Loans and partial paydown of 6.625% notes. Interest expense for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $11.0 million or 13.7% due to the recognition of non-cash write down of financing costs and original issuance discounts plus premiums for the early extinguishment of the Company’s Term Loans and partial paydown of 6.625% notes. See Note 11 – Debt in Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus, for additional detail.

Income Taxes. Our estimated annual effective rate was significantly impacted for the three and six months ended March 31, 2018 by income earned outside the U.S. that is subject to the U.S. tax on global intangible low taxed income, and losses earned outside the U.S. that it is more likely than not will not result in a tax benefit. During the six month period ended March 31, 2018, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Company recognized a $206.7 million tax benefit from revaluing its ending net U.S. deferred tax liabilities due to the reduction in the US corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% and recognized $78.7 million of income tax expense for the one-time deemed mandatory repatriation.

Income From Discontinued Operations. Discontinued operations include our GBL and GAC divisions that were sold on January 2, 2019 and January 28, 2019, respectively. Results of operations, financial position and cash flows for these businesses are separately reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $772.3 million due to the recognition of $977.8 million gain on sale of the GBL discontinued operations, net reclassified accumulated other comprehensive loss realized of $18.5 million; a decrease in income from GAC discontinued operations of $18.1 million primarily attributable to a write-down of net assets to fair value of $3.5 million, reclassified accumulated other comprehensive loss realized of $3.3 million and lower income from GAC operations, net income tax expense of $171.8 million associated with the divestiture, which the Company estimates will result in approximately $10 million in incremental cash income taxes. Cash income tax on the divestiture is lower due to the use of U.S. net operating and capital loss carryforwards and a tax exemption, as provided under local law, that applies to the sale of the majority of the European GBL business.

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $667.6 million due to the recognition of $977.8 million gain on sale of GBL discontinued operations, net reclassified accumulated other comprehensive loss realized of $18.5 million; a decrease in income from GAC discontinued operations of $133.1 million primarily attributable to a write-down of net assets to fair value of $110.8 million, net reclassified accumulated other comprehensive loss realized of $3.3 million and lower income from GAC operations, net income tax expense of $171.8 million associated with the divestiture.

See Note 3 – Divestitures to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus, for more information on the assets and liabilities classified as held for sale and income from discontinued operations within the results of operations.

Noncontrolling Interest. The net income attributable to noncontrolling interest reflects the share of the net income of our subsidiaries, which are not wholly-owned, attributable to the accounting interest. Such amount varies in relation to such subsidiary’s net income or loss for the period and the percentage interest not owned.

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2016

The following is summarized consolidated results of operations for the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016:


	Year Ended September 30,											Year Ended September 30,
(in millions, except %)	2018			2017			Variance					2017			2016			Variance
Net sales	$	3,808.7		$	3,705.4		$	103.3		2.8	%	$	3,705.4		$	3,745.3		$	(39.9	)	(1.1	%)

Gross profit		1,334.3			1,335.3			(1.0	)	(0.1	%)		1,335.3			1,364.1			(28.8	)	(2.1	%)

Operating expenses		1,032.0			994.1			37.9		3.8	%		994.1			953.9			40.2		4.2	%

Interest expense		167.0			161.8			5.2		3.2	%		161.8			184.4			(22.6	)	(12.3	%)

Income tax benefit		(76.8	)		(8.6	)		(68.2	)	793.0	%		(8.6	)		(33.4	)		24.8		(74.3	%)
Net income from continuing operations		206.9			182.2			24.7		13.6	%		182.2			253.0			(70.8	)	(28.0	%)
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax		(24.0	)		119.0			(143.0	)	(120.2	%)		119.0			99.3			19.7		19.8	%
Net income		182.9			301.2			(118.3	)	(39.3	%)		301.2			352.3			(51.1	)	(14.5	%)

The following sets forth the principal components of the change in net sales from the year ended September 30, 2018 to the year ended September 30, 2017, and from the year ended September 30, 2017 to the year ended September 30, 2016:


(in millions)	2017 to 2018			2016 to 2017
Net Sales for the year ended September 30	$	3,705.4		$	3,745.3
Increase due to acquisitions		64.5			28.1
Increase in HHI		97.3			32.4
Decrease in H&G		(3.7	)		(17.8	)
Decrease in HPC		(44.7	)		(5.2	)
Decrease in PET		(52.6	)		(53.9	)
Foreign currency impact, net		42.5			(23.5	)

Net Sales for the year ended September 30	$	3,808.7		$	3,705.4

Operating expenses for the year ended September 30, 2018 increased $37.9 million, or 3.8%, due to an increase in selling and general and administrative expenses of $1.3 million primarily from an increase in distribution expenses, incremental costs associated with the pet safety recall, HPC divestiture costs of $14.9 million, offset by a reduction in stock based compensation expense of $37.4 million, reduction of depreciation and amortization expense of $13.6 million associated with HPC while recognized as held for sale; increases in restructuring and related charges of $35.0 million from HHI and PET restructuring initiatives.

Operating expenses for the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $40.2 million, or 4.2%, due to an increase in selling and general and administrative expenses of $5.4 million due to increases attributable to operating costs of acquired PET businesses and costs associated with the pet safety recall; an increase in restructuring and related charges of $27.2 million primarily attributable to the HHI restructuring initiative; offset by decreased acquisition and

integration related charges of $4.5 million. See Note 4 – Acquisitions and Note 5 – Restructuring and Related Charges to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus for additional detail on restructuring and acquisition and integration costs. See Note 10 – Goodwill and Intangible Assets to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus for additional detail on goodwill and intangible asset impairments.

An increase in interest expense of $5.2 million is primarily attributable to interest costs on variable interest debt and incremental borrowings on $520 million of debt with the parent company.

Income Taxes. The effective tax rate was (59.0%) for the year ended September 30, 2018 compared to (5.0%) for the year ended September 30, 2017 and (15.2%) for the year ended September 30, 2016. Our effective tax rate for the year ended September 30, 2018 was significantly impacted by the Tax Reform Act and goodwill impairment. Our effective tax rate for the year ended September 30, 2017 differs from the U.S federal statutory rate of 35% due to income earned outside the U.S. that is subject to statutory rates lower than 35%. Additionally, the Company recognized a $36.1 million tax benefit for changes in our assessment over our ability to effectively repatriate tax-free non-U.S. earnings upon which liabilities were previously recorded, and a $9.3 million tax benefit for the recognition of additional federal and state tax credits. The Company also recorded a $14.7 million valuation allowance on additional state net operating losses that more likely than not will expire unused. Our effective tax rate applied to the years ended September 30, 2016 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35% primarily due to the release of valuation allowances on U.S. net operating losses deferred tax assets and income earned outside the U.S. that is subject to statutory rates lower than 35% offsetting tax expense on U.S. pretax income. For the year ended September 30, 2016 the effective tax rate includes a $25.5 million expense to record a tax contingency reserve for a tax exposure in Germany where a local court ruled against our characterization of certain assets as amortizable under Germany tax law. Additionally, the Company released $111.1 million of domestic valuation allowance. In December 2015, the Company received a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) which resulted in $87.8 million of U.S. net operating losses being restored and a release of $16.2 million of domestic valuation allowance from additional deferred tax assets created by the IRS ruling. The Company also recorded tax expense of $3.1 million related to additional foreign valuation allowance during the year ended September 30, 2016.

In response to the enactment of the Tax Reform Act, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) to address the application of U.S. GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Reform Act. SAB 118 allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year measurement period in a manner similar to accounting for business combinations. The provisional tax impacts in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2018 may differ from these amounts due to, among other things, additional analysis, changes in interpretations and assumptions we have made, additional regulatory guidance that may be issued, and actions we may take as a result of the Tax Reform Act. See Note 15 - Income Taxes in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information regarding income taxes.

Segment Financial Data

Fiscal Quarter and Fiscal Six Months Ended March 31, 2019 Compared to Fiscal Quarter and Fiscal Six Months Ended April 1, 2018

Hardware & Home Improvement


	Three Month Periods Ended											Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018			Variance					March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018			Variance
Net sales	$	331.1		$	318.5		$	12.6		4.0	%	$	636.2		$	644.4		$	(8.2	)	(1.3	%)

Operating income		44.4			19.6			24.8		126.5	%		87.7			51.2			36.5		71.3	%
Operating income margin		13.4	%		6.2	%		720	bps				13.8	%		7.9	%		590	bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	52.7		$	45.5		$	7.2		15.8	%	$	108.2		$	105.5		$	2.7		2.6	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin		15.9	%		14.3	%		160	bps				17.0	%		16.4	%		60	bps

Net sales for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $12.6 million, with an increase in organic net sales of $14.9 million or 4.7%.

•

Security and lockset increased $8.3 million due to growth in electronics channel.

•

Plumbing accessories increased $2.3 million due to new product introduction and promotional volumes.

•

Hardware increased $4.3 million due to delayed volumes in the prior year during the consolidation of the distribution centers.

Operating income in the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $24.8 million with operating income margin increase of 720 bps primarily due to increased sales volumes with operating efficiencies and reduced restructuring costs and depreciation following the distribution center consolidation in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA in the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $7.2 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin increase of 160 bps primarily due to increased sales volumes and operating efficiencies.

Net sales for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $8.2 million, with a decrease in organic net sales of $4.3 or 0.7%.

•

Security and lockset decreased $1.4 million due to incremental sales from hurricane recovery orders and new product sales in the prior year, partially offset by growth in electronics channel.

•

Plumbing accessories decreased $2.6 million due to incremental sales from hurricane recovery in the prior year and POS softness at specialty home retailers, partially offset by new product introductions and promotional volumes.

•

Hardware decreased $0.3 million due to incremental sales from hurricane recovery orders in the prior year, offset by delayed volumes in the prior year during the consolidation of the distribution centers.

Operating income in the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $36.5 million with operating income margin increase of 590 bps primarily due to operating efficiencies and reduced restructuring costs and depreciation following the distribution center consolidation in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA in the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $2.7 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin increase of 60 bps primarily due to operating efficiencies.

Home and Personal Care


	Three Month Periods Ended											Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance					March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance
Net sales	$	221.7		$	231.1		$	(9.4	)	(4.1	%)	$	538.9		$	573.1		$	(34.2	)	(6.0	%)
Operating (loss) income		(6.8	)		14.2			(21.0	)	(147.9	%)		(14.7	)		47.4			(62.1	)	(131.0	%)
Operating income margin		(3.1	%)		6.1	%		(920	) bps				(2.7	%)		8.3	%		(1,100	) bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	4.5		$	20.1		$	(15.6	)	(77.6	%)	$	39.5		$	61.8		$	(22.3	)	(36.1	%)
Adjusted EBITDA margin		2.0	%		8.7	%		(670	) bps				7.3	%		10.8	%		(350	) bps

Net sales for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $9.4 million, or 4.1%, with an increase in organic net sales of $2.4 million or 1.0%.

•

Personal care appliances decreased $4.2 million primarily due to a $2.5 million decrease in NA sales for lost distribution with retailers, a decrease in EMEA sales of $1.8 million primarily from online channels and lower volumes in the UK.

•

Home and kitchen appliances increased $6.6 million primarily due to a $7.3 million increase in NA sales during the period from new product placements and online distribution; increase in EMEA sales of $1.9 million; partially offset by a decrease in LATAM sales of $2.2 million.

Operating income for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $21.0 million with operating income margin decrease of 920 bps due the deferral of depreciation and amortization of $8.6 million during the prior year while considered held for sale and expenses of $5.4 million related to the plan to sell in the prior year, incremental operating costs primarily due to high input costs and marketing and advertising spend, transaction foreign exchange and lower sales volumes with unfavorable product mix. Adjusted EBITDA for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $15.6 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin decrease of 670 bps due to incremental operating costs primarily due to high input costs and marketing and advertising spend, transaction foreign exchange and lower sales volumes with unfavorable product mix.

Net sales for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $34.2 million, or 6.0%, with a decrease in organic net sales of $12.2 million or 2.1%.

•

Personal care appliances decreased $18.4 million primarily due to a $17.3 million decrease in NA sales for lost distribution with retailers, a decrease in EMEA sales of $2.6 million primarily from online channels and lower volumes in the UK; partially offset by increase in LATAM sales of $3.6 million driven by promotional volumes and new product distribution.

•

Home and kitchen appliances increased $6.2 million primarily due to a $4.6 million increase in NA sales from new product placements and online distribution, increase in EMEA sales of $1.3 million.

Operating income for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $62.1 million with operating income margin decrease of 1,100 bps due to incremental depreciation and amortization of $29.0 million recognized for the change in plan to sell coupled with the deferral of depreciation and amortization of $8.6 million during the prior year while considered held for sale, incremental operating costs primarily due to high input costs and marketing and advertising spend, transaction foreign exchange and lower sales volumes with unfavorable product mix. Adjusted EBITDA for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $22.3 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin decrease of 350 bps due to incremental operating costs primarily due to high input costs and marketing and advertising spend, transaction foreign exchange and lower sales volumes with unfavorable product mix.

Global Pet Supplies


	Three Month Periods Ended											Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance					March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance
Net sales	$	214.9		$	211.2		$	3.7		1.8	%	$	419.6		$	413.6		$	6.0		1.5	%
Operating income		19.7			14.9			4.8		32.2	%		32.2			27.9			4.3		15.4	%
Operating income margin		9.2	%		7.1	%		210	bps				7.7	%		6.7	%		100	bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	32.8		$	35.7		$	(2.9	)	(8.1	%)	$	61.9		$	69.7		$	(7.8	)	(11.2	%)
Adjusted EBITDA margin		15.3	%		16.9	%		(160	)bps				14.8	%		16.9	%		(210	)bps

Net sales for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $3.7 million, or 1.8%, with an increase in organic net sales of $8.9 million or 4.2%.

•

Companion animal increased $9.3 million primarily due to a $8.9 million increase in NA sales from increased pricing for higher input costs, increased volumes and expanded product distribution through online channels, plus expanded distribution as part of the recovery from the pet safety rawhide recall in the prior period and continued growth in the acquired PetMatrix brands.

•

Aquatics decreased $0.4 million primarily due to a $2.3 million decrease in NA sales from slow retail POS and overall category softness; partially offset by increased EMEA sales of $2.0 million.

Operating income for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $4.8 million with an increase in operating income margin of 210 bps primarily driven, increased sales volumes and incremental expenses in the prior year due to the pet safety recall, partially offset by increased manufacturing and distribution costs. Adjusted EBITDA in the three month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $2.9 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin decline of 160 bps primarily due to increased manufacturing and distribution costs, partially offset by increased sales volumes.

Net sales for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $6.0 million, or 1.5%, with an increase in organic net sales of $13.0 million or 3.1%.

•

Companion animal increased $16.7 million primarily due to a $19.7 million increase in NA sales from increased pricing for higher input costs, increased volumes and expanded product distribution through online channels, plus expanded distribution as part of the recovery from the pet safety rawhide recall in the prior period and continued growth in the acquired PetMatrix brands; offset by lower EMEA sales of $4.8 million.

•

Aquatics decreased $3.7 million primarily due to a $4.8 million decrease in NA sales from slow retail POS and overall category softness, partially offset by increased volumes through e-commerce channels; increase in EMEA sales of $0.8 million.

Operating income for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $4.3 million with an increase in operating income margin of 100 bps primarily driven by increased sales volumes and incremental expenses in the prior year due to the pet safety recall, partially offset by increased manufacturing and distribution costs. Adjusted EBITDA in the six month period ended March 31, 2019 decreased $7.8 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin decline of 210 bps primarily due to increased manufacturing and distribution costs, partially offset by increased sales volumes.

Home and Garden


	Three Month Periods Ended											Six Month Periods Ended
(in millions, except %)	March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance					March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018			Variance
Net sales	$	139.0		$	121.8		$	17.2		14.1	%	$	192.3		$	173.8		$	18.5		10.6	%
Operating income		24.6			20.4			4.2		20.6	%		22.3			21.1			1.2		5.7	%
Operating income margin		17.7	%		16.7	%		100	bps				11.6	%		12.1	%		(50	)bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	29.6		$	25.3		$	4.3		17.0	%	$	32.7		$	30.7		$	2.0		6.5	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin		21.3	%		20.8	%		50	bps				17.0	%		17.7	%		(70	)bps

Net sales and organic net sales for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $17.2 million, or 14.1%.

•

Lawn & garden control products increased $17.1 million due to favorable weather compared to the prior year, strong POS and earlier seasonal orders from specialty home retailers, plus incremental distribution at home centers.

•

Repellent products increased $2.0 million due to strong POS earlier in the period from specialty home retailers.

•

Household insect control products decreased $3.0 million primarily due to initial stock orders for new product distribution in the prior year and reduction in LATAM sales due to incremental sales in the prior year from hurricane recovery orders.

•

Other net sales to GAC discontinued operations were $4.7 million and $3.7 million for the three month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Operating income for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $4.2 million with an increase in operating income margin of 100 bps due to increased sales volumes, improved operating efficiencies and pricing updates. Adjusted EBITDA in the three month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $4.3 million with an increase in adjusted EBITDA margin of 50 bps due to sales volumes, improved operating efficiencies and pricing updates.

Net sales and organic net sales for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $18.5 million, or 10.6%.

•

Lawn & garden control products increased $18.6 million due to favorable weather compared to the prior year, strong POS and earlier seasonal orders from specialty home retailers, plus incremental distribution at home centers.

•

Repellent products increased $3.1 million due to strong POS earlier in the period from specialty home retailers, partially offset by a reduction in LATAM sales due to incremental sales in the prior year from hurricane recovery orders.

•

Household insect control products decreased $3.3 million primarily due to initial stock orders for new product distribution in the prior year and reduction in LATAM sales due to incremental sales in the prior year from hurricane recovery orders..

•

Other net sales to GAC discontinued operations were $6.5 million and $6.4 million for the six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Operating income for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $1.2 million with a decline in operating income margin of 50 bps primarily due to increased sales volumes and pricing updates offset by unfavorable product mix. Adjusted EBITDA in the six month period ended March 31, 2019 increased $2.0 million with a decline in adjusted EBITDA margin of 60 bps due to increased sales volumes and pricing updates offset by unfavorable product mix.

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2016

Hardware & Home Improvement (HHI)


	Year Ended September 30,											Year Ended September 30,
(in millions, except %)	2018			2017			Variance					2017			2016			Variance
Net sales	$	1,377.7		$	1,276.1		$	101.6		8.0	%	$	1,276.1		$	1,241.0		$	35.1		2.8	%
Operating income		155.6			185.7			(30.1	)	(16.2	%)		185.7			191.9			(6.2	)	(3.2	%)
Operating income margin		11.3	%		14.6	%		(330	)bps				14.6	%		15.5	%		(90	)bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	254.7		$	254.4		$	0.3		0.1	%	$	254.4		$	241.6		$	12.8		5.3	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin		18.5	%		19.9	%		(140	)bps				19.9	%		19.5	%		40	bps

Net sales for the year ended September 30, 2018 increased $101.6 million, or 8.0%, with an increase in organic net sales of $97.3 million, or 7.6%.

•

Security and locksets increased $93.0 million due to increased market share; new product introduction and promotion volumes with retail partners; increased volumes through e-commerce channels, wholesale distributors, and home builder channel.

•

Plumbing accessories increased $13.6 million due to promotional volumes and new product introductions with retail partners and increased volumes through e-commerce channels and wholesale distributors.

•

Hardware decreased $9.3 million due to substantive non-recurring sell-in volumes with a significant retail partner in the prior year.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $30.1 million with a margin decrease of 330 bps due to increased restructuring related activity and operating inefficiencies, coupled with increase in material input costs and distribution costs. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2018 marginally increased $0.3 million with a decrease in margin of 140 bps primarily driven by increased material input costs, distribution costs, and operating inefficiencies from restructuring initiatives during the period despite increased sales previously discussed.

Net sales for the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $35.1 million, or 2.8%, with an increase in organic net sales of $32.4 million, or 2.6%.

•

Security and locksets increased $28.7 million due to increases in NA of $39.5 million from the introduction of new products with key retailers, expansion in electronic based products, promotional sales in e-commerce channel, increased volumes with non-retail wholesale and builder channels, and the introduction of Tell product into retail channels; partially offset by a reduction in LATAM sales of $11.1 million driven by the exit of lower margin business of $9.4 million.

•

Plumbing increased $6.7 million due to increases in NA of $8.1 million from promotional sales volumes with retailers and e-commerce channels, plus the introduction of new products with key retailers.

•

Hardware decreased $3.0 million due to decreases in LATAM of $6.7 million due to the exit of lower margin business of $7.2 million; offset by increase in NA of $1.5 million from incremental retail volumes and new product introductions.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $6.2 million with a margin decrease of 90 bps due to increases in restructuring related activity partially offset by an increase in net sales. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $12.8 million with a margin increase of 40 bps due to the increase in sales volumes and cost improvements.

Home & Personal Care (HPC)


	Year Ended September 30,											Year Ended September 30,
(in millions, except %)	2018			2017			Variance					2017			2016			Variance
Net sales	$	1,110.4		$	1,132.3		$	(21.9	)	(1.9	%)	$	1,132.3		$	1,169.6		$	(37.3	)	(3.2	%)
Operating income		96.0			113.0			(17.0	)	(15.0	%)		113.0			109.4			3.6		3.3	%
Operating income margin		8.6	%		10.0	%		(140	)bps				10.0	%		9.4	%		60	bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	119.4		$	147.8		$	(28.4	)	(19.2	%)	$	147.8		$	141.3		$	6.5		4.6	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin		10.8	%		13.1	%		(230	)bps				13.1	%		12.1	%		100	bps

Net sales from the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $21.9 million, or 1.9%, with an organic net sales decrease of $44.7 million, or 3.9%

•

Home appliances sales decreased $28.4 million, primarily decrease in NA of $34.6 million driven by lost distribution and product placement with retail partners, reduced or non-recurring promotional activity from prior year, soft POS and slower product category sales; partially offset by increased sales in EMEA of $2.8 million driven by promotional sales with retail partners, increased distribution through online retailers and eastern European markets and increases in LATAM of $2.7 million from new product and expanded customer distribution.

•

Personal care sales decreased $16.3 million, primarily decreases in NA of $28.8 million driven by reduced marketing initiatives and promotional activity, lost distribution and product placement with retail partners; offset by increasedsales in EMEA of $8.7 million driven by promotional activities with retail partners and increased distribution through online retailers and increases in LATAM of $4.8 million from new product distribution and increased seasonal promotional activity.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $17.0 million with a decrease in margin of 140 bps primarily driven by decrease in sales volumes, unfavorable product mix, increased operating costs of $14.9 million associated with the plan to sell the business; offset by reduced depreciation and amortization expense from long-lived assets of $29.0 million due to the recognition of the business as held for sale since December 2017. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $28.4 million with a decrease in margin by 230 bps primarily driven by lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix and increased operating costs associated with the plan to sell the business.

Net sales from the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $37.3 million, or 3.2%, with an organic net sales decrease of $17.8 million, or 1.5%

•

Home appliances sales decreased $15.6 million due to decreases in EMEA of $4.2 million primarily from

Brexit-related market softness in the UK, decrease in NA of $2.0 million from slow product category POS and timing of holiday shipments, partially offset by growth in online distribution channels and promotional sales volumes; with decreases in LATAM of $4.4 million and APAC of $5.0 million from slower POS and promotional activity within the regions.

•

Personal care sales decreased $2.2 million due to a decrease in NA of $8.3 million from softer category POS, reduced retailer shelf space partially offset by continued growth through online distribution channels, increases in EMEA of $1.3 million primarily from market growth in Eastern European markets; with increase in LATAM of $1.4 million and APAC of $3.4 million.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $3.6 million with an increase in margin of 60 bps primarily driven by cost improvements and favorable product mix. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $6.5 million with an increase in margin of 100 bps primarily driven by cost improvements and favorable product mix despite lower sales volumes.

Global Pet Supplies (PET)


	Year Ended September 30,											Year Ended September 30,
(in millions, except %)	2018			2017			Variance					2017			2016			Variance
Net sales	$	820.5		$	793.2		$	27.3		3.4	%	$	793.2		$	825.7		$	(32.5	)	(3.9	%)
Operating income		34.9			29.1			5.8		19.9	%		29.1			85.0			(55.9	)	(65.8	%)
Operating income margin		4.3	%		3.7	%		60	bps				3.7	%		10.3	%		(660	)bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	136.7		$	142.7		$	(6.0	)	(4.2	%)	$	142.7		$	140.1		$	2.6		1.9	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin		16.7	%		18.0	%		(130	)bps				18.0	%		17.0	%		100	bps

Net sales for the year ended September 30, 2018 increased $27.3 million, or 3.4%, with an organic net sales decrease of $52.6 million, or 6.6%.

•

Companion animal sales decreased $28.9 million, excluding PetMatrix acquisition sales of $60.0 million, primarily due to a decrease in EMEA of $31.4 million due to the exit of a pet food tolling agreement and delayed shipments during transition of distribution centers within the region, and a decrease in NA of $1.7 million driven by lost distribution from the pet safety recall, reduced product listings and retail inventory reductions with specialty pet retailers.

•

Aquatics decreased $23.7 million, excluding GloFish acquisition sales of $4.5 million, due to a decrease in NA of $15.4 million due to product category softness and slower POS, and a decrease in EMEA of $7.2 million for delayed shipments during transition of distribution centers within the region.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2018 increased $5.8 million with an increase in margin of 60 bps primarily driven by the acquired businesses in the prior year and costs associated with the pet safety recall recognized in the prior year, partially offset by overall lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix, incremental production costs and inefficiencies from start-up of facilities following the product safety recall and restructuring of the European PET distribution center and write-offs of indefinite lived intangible assets of $20.3 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $6.0 million with a decrease in margin by 130 bps primarily driven by lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix and the start-up costs and operating inefficiencies previously mentioned.

Net sales for the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $32.5 million, or 3.9%, with an organic net sales decrease of $53.9 million, or 6.5%.

•

Companion animal sales decreased $44.1 million, excluding PetMatrix acquisition sales of $25.6 million, primarily due to a decrease in EMEA of $23.8 million from lower distribution and softer POS from increased competition and a reduction of $16.2 million for the acceleration of the exit of a pet food tolling agreement; decreases in NA of $21.8 million due to $7.1 million in customer returns from the product safety recall, low margin product exits of $5.2 million, retail inventory reduction management programs, and reduced listings and soft POS with pet specialty retailers.

•

Aquatic sales decreased $9.8 million, excluding GloFish acquisition sales of $2.5 million, due to a decrease in NA of $11.1 million from retail inventory reduction management programs and soft category POS with pet specialty retailers, increases in EMEA of $2.1 million due to promotional sales offset by slower seasonal weather sales.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $55.9 million with a margin decrease of 660 bps due to reduction in sales volumes, product recall, incremental acquisition and integration activity plus a $15.3 million impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets; partially offset by cost improvements. Adjusted EBITDA in the year ended September 30, 2017 increased $2.6 million with a margin increase of 100 bps primarily driven by cost improvements despite the decrease in sale volumes.

Home & Garden (H&G)


	Year Ended September 30,											Year Ended September 30,
(in millions, except %)	2018			2017			Variance					2017			2016			Variance
Net sales	$	500.1		$	503.8		$	(3.7	)	(0.7	%)	$	503.8		$	509.0		$	(5.2	)	(1.0	%)
Operating income		88.0			114.4			(26.4	)	(23.1	%)		114.4			121.1			(6.7	)	(5.5	%)
Operating income margin		17.6	%		22.7	%		(510	)bps				22.7	%		23.8	%		(110	)bps
Adjusted EBITDA	$	107.5		$	133.0		$	(25.5	)	(19.2	%)	$	133.0		$	138.3		$	(5.3	)	(3.8	%)
Adjusted EBITDA margin		21.5	%		26.4	%		(490	)bps				26.4	%		27.2	%		(80	)bps

Net and organic net sales for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $3.7 million, or 0.7%.

•

Lawn & garden controls products decreased $14.3 million primarily due to slower seasonal volumes and POS from unfavorable weather compared to the prior year.

•

Repellent products decreased $6.2 million primarily due to slower seasonal volumes and POS from unfavorable weather compared to the prior year, and lost distribution; partially offset by inventory replenishment after hurricane activity in the U.S. earlier in the fiscal year.

•

Household insect controls products increased $9.4 million primarily due to increased volumes from hurricane activity in the U.S. earlier in the year, partially offset by slower seasonal volumes and POS from unfavorable weather compared to the prior year.

•

Other net sales to GAC were $17.8 million and $10.3 million for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 respectively.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $26.4 million, or 23.1%, with a margin decrease of 510 bps primarily driven by lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix, incremental material input costs and distribution costs. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $25.5 million, or 19.2%, with a margin decrease of 490 bps primarily driven by lower sales volume, unfavorable product mix, incremental material input costs and distribution costs.

Net sales and organic net sales for the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $5.2 million, or 1.0%.

•

Lawn & garden control products decreased $3.6 million due to weather conditions decreasing seasonal inventory sales, a reduction in distribution due to retail inventory reduction management programs, partially offset by the introduction of new products and increased market share with key retail partners.

•

Repellent products decreased $16.8 million due to weather conditions decreasing seasonal inventory sales, a reduction in distribution due to retail inventory management programs, coupled with higher demand driven by Zika concerns in the prior year.

•

Household insect control products increased $4.7 million driven by stronger POS and volume growth with key retailers.

•

Other net sales to GAC were $10.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2017. There were no sales to GAC during the year ended September 30, 2016.

Operating income for the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $6.7 million with a decline in margin of 110 bps primarily driven by lower sales volumes, incremental investment in marketing costs for new product launches and channel expansion with an increase in depreciation expense from capital investments, partially offset by product mix improvement. Adjusted EBITDA in the year ended September 30, 2017 decreased $5.3 million with a decrease in margin of 80 bps compared to the year ended September 30, 2016 due to the lower sales volumes and incremental marketing costs; partially offset by product mix improvement.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash flows from operating activities

The following is a summary cash flows from continuing operations for the six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2018, respectively.


Six Month Periods Ended (in millions)	March 31, 2019			April 1, 2018
Operating activities	$	(267.3	)	$	(207.1	)
Investing activities	$	2,827.4		$	(37.3	)
Financing activities	$	(2,632.8	)	$	241.0

Cash flows from operating activities from continuing operations decreased $60.2 million during the six month period ended March 31, 2019 due to:

•

Increase in cash used by continuing operations of $71.7 million, with cash used for working capital of approximately $46.3 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for taxes of $11.5 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for transaction related charges of $8.3 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for interest of $5.9 million;

•

Decrease in cash paid for restructuring related charges of $28.6 million;

•

Decrease in net corporate expenditures of $8.7 million primarily attributable to the recognition of interest income on excess cash from divestiture proceeds and dividend income from Energizer common stock investment;

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization for the Company was $102.6 million and $68.6 million for the six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The increase in depreciation and amortization during the six month period ended March 31, 2019 is primarily attributable to the cumulative adjustment to depreciation and amortization from the change in plan to sell the HPC division during the three month period ended December 30, 2018 with the change in plan to sell, coupled with the deferred depreciation and amortization during the three month period ended March 31, 2018 when HPC was recognized as held for sale. See Note 3 – Divestitures for further discussion.

Cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from investing activities from continuing operations increased $2,864.6 million during the six month period ended March 31, 2019 primarily attributable to the net cash proceeds from the GBL and GAC divestitures; partially offset by a reduction in capital expenditures.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures for the Company were $27.1 million and $38.1 million for the six month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We expect to make investments in capital projects similar to historical levels.

Cash flows from financing activities

Cash flows for financing activities from continuing operations decreased $2,873.8 million for the six month period ended March 31, 2019 primarily due to repayment of debt on the Company’s Term Loans, partial paydown of the 6.625% Notes, and parent company loan of $520.0 million following the receipt of proceeds from the GBL and GAC divestitures, plus cash dividends to the parent company, SBH, of $676.4 million.

Debt

During the six month period ended March 31, 2019, the Company recognized net proceeds from the Revolver Facility of $126.0 million primarily to support working capital needs; and $10.3 million of other debt financing. The Company made $2,092.6 million of payment on debts, including the redemption of the USD Term Loans of $1,231.7 million, CAD Term Loan of $32.6 million, partial paydown of 6.625% Notes $285.0 million with payment of early extinguishment of $6.3 million, payment of $520.0 million loan with its parent company, SBH, and other debt payments of $17.0 million. As of March 31, 2019, the Company had borrowing availability of $652.4 million, net of outstanding letters of credit and amounts allocated to a foreign subsidiary.

At March 31, 2019, we were in compliance with all covenants under the Senior Credit Agreement and the indentures governing the 6.625% notes, 6.125% notes, 5.75% notes, and 4.00% notes.

The following is a summary of cash flows from continuing operations for the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016:


(in millions)	2018			2017			2016
Operating activities	$	223.7		$	444.0		$	394.0
Investing activities	$	(72.2	)	$	(384.7	)	$	(73.9	)
Financing activities	$	95.7		$	(332.9	)	$	(481.7	)

Cash flows from continuing operations decreased $220.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2018 due to:

•

Decrease in cash used in continuing operations of $114.4 million, including reduction in cash contributed from working capital of $57.3 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for restructuring and integration related activities, of $69.1 million, including divestiture related costs while HPC was considered held for sale, also associated with HHI restructuring activities;

•

Increase in cash paid for income taxes of $16.3 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for interest of $28.1 million, including a non-recurring tender premium of $4.6 million for the redemption of the 6.375% Notes in the prior year, due to a reduction in annualized interest costs from refinancing activities previously discussed;

•

Decrease in corporate expenditures of $3.0 million.

Cash flows from continuing operations increased $59.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2017 due to:

•

Increase in cash used in continuing operations of $17.5 million, including increase in cash contributed from working capital of $35.6 million and one-time settlement payment to Stanley Black & Decker of $23.2 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for income taxes of $2.1 million;

•

Increase in cash paid for acquisition, integration and restructuring related activities of $1.4 million, primarily from lower acquisition and integration activity partially offset by increased spending on restructuring related activities at HHI.

•

Decrease in cash paid for interest of $58.0 million, including a non-recurring tender premium of $4.6 million for the redemption of the 6.375% Notes, due to a reduction in annualized interest costs from refinancing activities previously discussed;

•

Increase in corporate expenditures of $7.4 million;

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization for the Company totaled $124.6 million, $146.8 million and $136.0 million for the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. The decrease in depreciation and amortization for the years ended September 30, 2018 is attributable to the recognition of HPC as held for sale effective December 29, 2017 and the subsequent change in plan to sell in October 2018. The increase in depreciation and amortization for the years ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 is attributable to the increase in capital expenditures and the recognition of property, plant and equipment and definite lived intangible assets from the acquisitions of PetMatrix and GloFish during the year ended September 30, 2017.

Cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from investing activities from continuing operations increased $312.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2018 primarily due to cash used of $304.7 million in business acquisitions during the year ended September 30, 2017 for the purchase of PetMatrix and GloFish and decrease in capital expenditures.

Cash flows used for investing activities from continuing operations increased $310.8 million during the year ended September 30, 2017 primarily due to cash used for the acquisitions of PetMatrix and GloFIsh by Spectrum and increase in capital expenditures.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled $75.9 million, $81.8 million and $73.5 million for the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. Increases in capital expenditures during the year ended September 30, 2017 are attributable to incremental investment in capacity expansion and cost reduction projects. We expect to make investments in capital projects similar to historical levels, as well as incremental investments slightly above historical levels related to acquisitions and in high return cost reduction projects.

Cash flows from financing activities

Cash flows provided by financing activities for continuing operations increased $428.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2018 due to incremental proceeds from the issuance of debt with its parent company of $520 million, lower payment on Spectrum debt; offset by increased dividend payments to parent company. Cash flows used by

financing activities for continuing operations decreased $145.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2017 due to the reduction of debt net proceeds from debt financing activity, reduction of payments on debt; partially offset by an increase in dividends paid to parent company and the purchase of the non-controlling interest in Shaser for $12.6 million.

During the year ended September 30, 2017, Spectrum purchased the remaining 44% non-controlling interest of Shaser, Inc. with a cash payment of $12.6 million. During the year ended September 30, 2016, Spectrum paid $3.2 million of contingent consideration associated with its acquisition of Salix. Refer to the Note 4 - Acquisitions to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information.

During the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized increased proceeds from the issuance of debt financing of $539.6 million primarily due to the issuance of USD Term Loan debt in the prior year. The Company made $69.3 million payments on debt during the year ended September 30, 2018.

During the year ended September 30, 2017, the Company recognized incremental proceeds from the issuance of debt of $265.6 million, including $250.0 million from the issuance of the USD Term Loan primarily to support funding acquisition activity. The Company made $229.2 million payments on debt, including $129.7 million for the redemption of the 6.375% Notes and $61.3 million for the redemption of the Euro Term Loan.

During the year ended September 30, 2016, the Company recognized incremental proceeds from the issuance of debt of $498.9 million, including $477.6 million from the issuance of the 4.00% Notes for refinancing the 6.375% Notes to extend maturities and reduce borrowing costs. The Company made $871.0 million of payments on debt, including partial redemption of $390.3 million of the 6.375% Notes, payments on Term Loans of $415.5 million.

In addition to the outstanding principal on our debt obligations, we have annual interest payment obligations of approximately $270.4 million in the aggregate (excluding the impact of changes to variable interest rates or foreign currency). This includes interest under our: (i) 4.00% Notes of approximately $19.8 million; (ii) 6.625% notes of approximately $37.8 million; (iii) 6.125% Notes of approximately $15.3 million; (iv) 5.75% Notes of $57.5 million; and (v) Term Loans of $56.1 million. Interest on the 4.00% Notes, the 6.625% notes and the 6.75% Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears and interest under the Term Loan and the Revolver Facility is payable on various interest payment dates as provided in the Senior Credit Agreement. Effective November 15, 2017, the 6.625% notes became callable by the Company, respectively.

The Company maintains a revolving credit facility that matures in March 2022 (“Revolver Facility”) pursuant to which the Company may borrow funds at a variable interest rate. During the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company increased the capacity of its Revolver facility by $100.0 million to $800.0 million. As a result of borrowings and payments under the Revolver Facility, at September 30, 2018, the Company had borrowing availability of $777.3 million, net of outstanding letters of credit of $20.7 million and a $2.0 million amount allocated to a foreign subsidiary. Certain fees are required to be paid in connection with our outstanding debt obligations including a quarterly commitment fee of up to 0.50% on the unused portion of the Revolver Facility and certain additional fees with respect to the letter of credit sub-facility under the Revolver Facility.

At September 30, 2018, we were in compliance with all covenants under the Credit Agreement and the indentures governing the 6.625% notes, the 6.125% Notes, the 5.75% Notes, and the 4.00% Notes.

The Company’s access to capital markets and financing costs may depend on the credit ratings of the Company when it is accessing the capital markets. Effective July 24, 2018, the Company’s S&P corporate credit rating was upgraded to ‘B+’ from ‘B’. S&P’s issue-level rating of the 7.75% Notes was lowered to ‘B-’ from ‘B’ to reflect the completion of the Merger. Previously, S&P downgraded the ratings on Spectrum’s corporate credit and senior unsecured debt from ‘BB-’ to ‘B+’ and senior secured debt ratings from ‘BB+’ to ‘BB’; with a continued stable outlook. None of the Company’s current borrowings are subject to default or acceleration as a result of a downgrading of credit ratings, although a downgrade of the Company’s credit ratings could increase fees and interest charges on future borrowings. The Company anticipates that it may use funds received for its divestitures to support the paydown and restructuring of debt.

Refer to Note 11 - Debt of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information.

Liquidity Outlook

The Company’s ability to make principal and interest payment on borrowings under its debt agreements and its ability to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on its ability to generate cash in the future, which, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other conditions. Based on its current level of operations, the Company believes that its existing cash balances and expected cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet its operating requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, the Company may request borrowings under its credit facilities and seek alternative forms of financing or additional investments to achieve its longer-term strategic plans.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

Contractual Obligations & Other Commercial Commitments

The Company repaid certain of its long-term indebtedness during the six months ended March 31, 2019, as described under Note 11 - Debt. There have otherwise been no material changes to our contractual obligations since September 30, 2018.

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of September 30, 2018 and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods:


	Contractual Payments Due by Period
(in millions)	Total		Less than 1 year		1 to 3 years		3 to 5 years		Thereafter
Debt, excluding capital lease obligations⁽¹⁾	$	4,106.5	$	537.6	$	28.2	$	1,226.0	$	2,314.7
Interest payments excluding capital lease obligations⁽²⁾		1,031.5		187.0		371.6		268.4		204.5
Capital lease obligations⁽³⁾		283.5		17.4		37.3		31.8		197.0
Operating lease obligations⁽⁴⁾		82.2		22.8		31.3		17.5		10.6
Employee benefit obligations⁽⁵⁾		94.6		8.0		16.9		17.6		52.1
Letters of credit⁽⁶⁾		20.7		20.7		—		—		—

Total Contractual Obligations	$	5,619.0	$	793.5	$	485.3	$	1,561.3	$	2,778.9

⁽¹⁾	See Note 11 - Debt of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

⁽²⁾	Interest payments on debt subject to variable interest rates are based upon annualized interest rates as of September 30, 2018. See Note 11- Debt of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

⁽³⁾	Capital lease payments due by fiscal year include executory costs and imputed interest not reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. See Note 11 - Debt of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

⁽⁴⁾	Operating lease payments due by fiscal year are not reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. See Note 12 – Leases of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

⁽⁵⁾

Employee benefit obligations represent the sum of our estimated future minimum required funding for our qualified defined benefit plans based on actuarially determined estimates and projected future benefit payments from our unfunded postretirement plans. See Note 14 - Employee Benefit Plans of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

⁽⁶⁾	Standby letters of credit that back the performance of our entities under various credit facilities, insurance policies and lease arrangements.

At September 30, 2018, our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position includes reserves for both uncertain tax positions and deemed mandatory repatriation of post-1986 undistributed foreign subsidiary earnings and profits due to the Tax Reform Act enacted on December 22, 2017. However, it is not possible to predict or estimate the amount and timing of payments and have been excluded from the obligations above. The Company cannot reasonably predict the ultimate outcome of income tax audits currently in progress for certain of our companies; however, it is reasonably possible that during the next 12 months, some portion of our unrecognized tax benefits could be recognized. The mandatory repatriation tax is payable over 8 years, with the first payment due January 2019 and the company has recognized $5.9 million of the repatriation liability as Other Current Liabilities and $67.2 million as Other Long-Term Liabilities on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as of September 30, 2018. See Note 15 - Income Taxes of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this prospectus have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America and fairly present our financial position and results of operations. There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies other than the adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” which provides for a single comprehensive model for entities to use in account for revenue arising from contracts from customers. Refer to Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies and Practices of Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for information about the adoption of Topic 606. There have been no material changes to our critical accounting estimates as discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018.

Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and fairly present our financial position and results of operations. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its accounting estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, and evaluates its estimates on an ongoing basis. The following policies are considered by management to be the most critical to understanding the judgments that are involved in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and the uncertainties that could impact our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The application of these accounting policies requires judgment and use of assumptions as to future events and outcomes that are uncertain and, as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates. Refer to Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies and Practices of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for all relevant accounting policies.

Goodwill, Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets

The Company’s goodwill, intangible assets and tangible fixed assets are stated at historical cost, net of depreciation and amortization, less any provision for impairment. Intangible and tangible assets with determinable lives are amortized or depreciated on a straight line basis over estimated useful lives. Refer to Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies and Practices of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about useful lives.

On an annual basis, or more frequently if triggering events occur, the Company compares the estimated fair value of its reporting units to the carrying value to determine if potential goodwill impairment exists. Our reporting units are consistent with our operating segments. See Note 19 - Segment Information of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of operating and reporting segments. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded for the difference between the fair value of the reporting unit goodwill and its carrying value. The estimated fair value represents the amount at which a reporting unit could be bought or sold in a current transaction between willing parties on an arms-length basis. In estimating the fair value of the reporting unit, we used a discounted cash flows methodology, which requires us to estimate future revenues, expenses, and capital expenditures and make assumptions about our weighted average cost of capital and perpetuity growth rate, among other variables. We test the aggregate estimated fair value of our reporting units by comparison to our total market capitalization, including both equity and debt capital. The fair value of HHI, PET, and H&G reporting units exceeded their carrying value by 89%, 22%, and 222%, respectively, and did not recognize an impairment or deem the respective reporting units as ‘at risk’ of impairment.

In addition to goodwill, the Company has indefinite-lived intangible assets that consist of acquired tradenames. On an annual basis, or more frequently if triggering events occur, the Company compares the estimated fair value of the identified trade names to the carrying value to determine if potential impairment exists. If the fair value is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess. The fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets is determined using an income approach, the relief-from-royalty methodology, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions about future revenues, royalty rates, and the discount rate, among others. During the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized $20.3 million impairment on indefinite life intangible assets due to the reduction in value of certain tradenames associated with the PET segment driven by lost sales volumes attributable to the safety recall and increased market competition. With the recognition of the impairment, the respective intangible assets were adjusted to their determined fair value, leaving no excess fair value as of the measurement date and risk of further impairment.

The Company also reviews other definite-lived intangible assets and tangible fixed assets for impairment when events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Circumstances such as the discontinuation of a product or product line, a sudden or consistent decline in the sales forecast for a product, changes in technology or in the way an asset is being used, a history of operating or cash flow losses or an adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate, among others, may trigger an impairment review. If such indicators are present, the Company performs undiscounted cash flow analyses to determine if impairment exists. The asset value would be deemed impaired if the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset did not exceed the carrying value of the asset. If impairment is determined to exist, any related impairment loss is calculated based on fair value. There were no triggering events identified during the year that necessitated an impairment test of definite-lived assets. No impairment loss was recognized on definite-lived assets.

During the year ended September 30, 2018, the HPC reporting unit was identified as a component of discontinued operations while it was marketed for sale and the net assets were recognized as held for sale, including its goodwill. While HPC was held for sale, there were no impairments of the net assets of the HPC business identified or recognized. Subsequent to September 30, 2018, the Company ceased its plan to sell the business and retroactively recasted its historical financial statements to reflect the HPC business as a component of continuing operations. There was no impairment on goodwill, indefinite lived assets, or long-lived assets with the Company’s change in plan and the deferral of depreciation and amortization associated with long-lived assets while the business was held for sale was recognized subsequent to the year ended September 30, 2018 in the period in which the change in plan was realized by the Company.

A considerable amount of judgment and assumptions are required in performing the impairment tests, principally in determining the fair value of each reporting unit and assets subject to impairment testing. While the Company believes its judgments and assumptions are reasonable, different assumptions could change the estimated fair value and therefore, additional impairment charges could be required. The Company is subject to financial statement risk in the event that business or economic conditions unexpectedly decline and impairment is realized.

Income Taxes

The Company is subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and recording the related deferred tax assets and liabilities.

The Company assesses its income tax positions and records tax liabilities for all years subject to examination based upon management’s evaluation of the facts and circumstances and information available for reporting. For those income tax positions where it is more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will be sustained upon conclusion of an examination, the Company has recorded a reserve based upon the largest amount of tax benefit having a cumulatively greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the applicable taxing authority assuming that it has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will not be sustained, the Company did not recognize a tax benefit. As of September 30, 2018, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest and penalties, that if not recognized, would affect the effective tax rate in future periods was $17.8 million. Our effective tax rate includes the impact of income tax reserves and changes to those reserves when considered appropriate. A number of years may elapse before a particular matter for which we have established a reserve is finally resolved. Unfavorable settlement of any particular issue may require the use of cash or a reduction in our net operating loss carryforwards. Favorable resolution would be recognized as a reduction to the effective rate in the year of resolution.

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, net operating losses, tax credit, and other carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The Company does not adjust its measurement for proposed future tax rate changes that have not yet been enacted into law. The Company regularly reviews its deferred tax assets for recoverability and establishes a valuation allowance based on historical losses, projected future taxable income, expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences, and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. We base these estimates on projections of future income, including tax planning strategies, in certain jurisdictions. Changes in industry conditions and other economic conditions may impact our ability to project future income. Should we determine that we would not be able to realize all or part ofour net deferred tax asset in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period we make that determination.

As of September 30, 2018, we have U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) of $2,427.2 million, with a federal tax benefit of $509.7 million, future tax benefits related to state NOLs of $108.3 million and capital loss carryforwards of $442.2 million with a federal and state tax benefit of $104.1 million. Our total valuation allowance for the tax benefit of deferred tax assets that may not be realized is $282.6 million at September 30, 2018. Of this amount, $247.3 million relates to U.S. net deferred tax assets and $35.3 million relates to foreign net deferred tax

assets. We estimate that $156.5 million of valuation allowance related to domestic deferred tax assets cannot be released regardless of the amount of domestic operating income generated due to both prior period ownership changes that limit the amount of NOLs we can use and legal limitations on the use of capital losses and foreign tax credits.

As of September 30, 2018, we have provided no significant residual US taxes on earnings not yet taxed in the U.S. As of September 30, 2018, we project $6.1 million of additional tax from non-U.S. withholding and other taxes expected to be incurred on repatriation of foreign earnings.

See Note 15 - Income Taxes of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements elsewhere included in this prospectus.

New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies and Practices of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements elsewhere included in this prospectus for information about recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted.

BUSINESS

General

Overview

On July 13, 2018, SBH completed the planned Merger, as further discussed in Note 4 – Acquisitions to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus. Prior to the Merger, SBH was a holding company, doing business as HRG Group, Inc. (“HRG”) and conducting its operations principally through its majority owned subsidiaries. Effective the date of the Merger, management of the organization was assumed by management of its majority owned subsidiary, Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (subsequently renamed Spectrum Brands Legacy, Inc.) (“Spectrum”); resulting in HRG changing its name to SBH and changing the ticker of common stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) from the symbol “HRG” to “SPB”.

SB/RH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spectrum and ultimately, SBH. Spectrum Brands, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SB/RH (“SBI”) incurred certain debt guaranteed by SB/RH and domestic subsidiaries of SBI.

Spectrum

We are a diversified global branded consumer products company. We manage the business in four vertically integrated, product focused segments: (i) Hardware & Home Improvement (“HHI”), (ii) Home and Personal Care (“HPC”), (iii) Global Pet Supplies (“PET”), and (iv) Home and Garden (“H&G”). The Company manufactures, markets and/or distributes its products globally in the North America (“NA”); Europe, Middle East & Africa (“EMEA”); Latin America (“LATAM”) and Asia-Pacific (“APAC”) regions through a variety of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and construction companies. We enjoy strong name recognition in our regions under our various brands and patented technologies across multiple product categories. Geographic strategic initiatives and financial objectives are determined at the corporate level. Each segment is responsible for implementing defined strategic initiatives and achieving certain financial objectives and has a president or general manager responsible for sales and marketing initiatives and the financial results for all product lines within that segment. The following is an overview of the consolidated business showing the net sales by segment and geographic region sold (based upon destination) as a percentage of consolidated net sales for the year ended September 30, 2018.

LOGO

Our operating performance is influenced by a number of factors including: general economic conditions; foreign exchange fluctuations; trends in consumer markets; consumer confidence and preferences; our overall product line mix, including pricing and gross margin, which vary by product line and geographic market; pricing of certain raw materials and commodities; energy and fuel prices; and our general competitive position, especially as impacted by our competitors’ advertising and promotional activities and pricing strategies. See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, included in this prospectus, for further discussion of the consolidated operating results and segment operating results.

Hardware and Home Improvement (HHI)

The following is an overview of net sales by product category and geographic region sold (based upon destination) for the year ended September 30, 2018

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Product Category	Products	Brands
Residential Locksets	Residential locksets and door hardware including knobs, levers, deadbolts, handlesets, and electronic and connected keyless entry locks for residential and commercial applications.	Kwikset^®, Weiser^®, Baldwin^®, EZSET^®, and Tell Manufacturing^®

Plumbing & Accessories	Kitchen, bath and shower faucets and plumbing products.	Pfister^®

Builders’ Hardware	Hinges, metal shapes, security hardware, wire goods, track and sliding door hardware, screen and storm door products, garage door hardware, gate hardware, window hardware and floor protection.	National Hardware^®, FANAL^®, Stanley^® and Black and Decker^®

Our residential lockset products incorporate patented SmartKey® technology that provides advanced security and easy rekeying. We also supply product to some customers who have private label offerings. We license the Stanley® and Black & Decker® marks and logos for such products as residential locksets, builder’s hardware, padlocks, and door hardware through a transitional trademark license agreement with Stanley Black & Decker Corporation (“SBD”). Under the agreement we have a royalty-free, fully paid license to use certain trademarks, brand names and logos in marketing our products and services for five years after the completion of the HHI business acquisition in the 2013 fiscal year. The Company amended the license agreement with SBD to extend the license agreement and allow for the continued use of the respective trademarks, brand names and logos through December 2018. During this extension period, Spectrum will pay to SBD royalties based on a percentage of sales.

The sales force of the HHI business is aligned by brands, customers and geographic regions. We have strong partnerships with a variety of customers including large home improvement centers, wholesale distributors, home builders, plumbers, home automation providers, security/alarm monitoring providers, and commercial contractors. Our sales generally are made through the use of individual purchase orders. A significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a limited group of retailer customers, including Home Depot and Lowe’s, which are customers with more than 10% of Spectrum sales and represent approximately 37% of HHI sales for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Primary competitors in security and residential locksets include Allegion (Schlage), Assa Abloy (Emtek, Yale) and private label import brands such as Defiant. Primary competitors for plumbing include Masco (Delta), Fortune Brands (Moen), Kohler, American Standard and private label brands such as Glacier Bay. Primary competitors for hardware include The Hillman Group, Hampton Products, Koch (Lehigh) and private labels such as Crown Bolt.

Sales in our HHI segment primarily increase during the spring and summer construction period (the Company’s third and fourth fiscal quarters). Our sales by quarter as a percentage of annual net sales during the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:


	2018			2017			2016
First Quarter		24	%		23	%		23	%
Second Quarter		23	%		25	%		24	%
Third Quarter		27	%		25	%		27	%
Fourth Quarter		26	%		27	%		26	%

The principal raw materials used in manufacturing include brass, zinc, and steel that are sourced either on a global or regional basis. The prices of these raw materials are susceptible to fluctuations due to supply and demand trends, energy costs, transportation costs, government regulations and tariffs, changes in currency exchange rates, price controls, general economic conditions and other unforeseen circumstances. We have regularly engaged in forward purchase and hedging derivative transactions in an attempt to effectively manage certain raw material costs we expect to incur over the next 12 to 24 months. Substantially all of our Pfister products are manufactured by third party suppliers that are primarily located in the APAC region. We maintain ownership of most of the tooling and molds used by our suppliers. We continually evaluate our manufacturing facilities’ capacity and related utilization. In general, we believe our existing facilities are adequate for our present and foreseeable needs.

Our research and development strategy is focused on new product development and performance enhancements of our existing products. We plan to continue to use our brand names, customer relationships and research and development efforts to introduce innovative products that offer enhanced value to consumers through new designs and improved functionality.

Home and Personal Care (“HPC”)

The following is an overview of net sales by product category and geographic region sold (based upon destination) for the year ended September 30, 2018

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Product Category	Products	Brands
Home Appliances	Small kitchen appliances including toaster ovens, coffeemakers, slow cookers, blenders, hand mixers, grills, food processors, juicers, toasters, breadmakers, and irons.	Black & Decker^®, Russell Hobbs^®, George Foreman^®, Toastmaster^®, Juiceman^®, Farberware^®, and Breadman^®

Personal Care	Hair dryers, flat irons and straighteners, rotary and foil electric shavers, personal groomers, mustache and beard trimmers, body groomers, nose and ear trimmers, women’s shavers, haircut kits and intense pulsed light hair removal systems.	Remington^®, LumaBella^®

We license the Black & Decker^® brand in North America, Latin America (excluding Brazil) and the Caribbean for four core categories of household appliances: beverage products, food preparation products, garment care products and cooking products through a trademark license agreement with BDC through December 2021. Under the agreement, we agree to pay BDC royalties based on a percentage of sales, with minimum annual royalty payments of $15.0 million. The agreement also requires us to comply with maximum annual return rates for products. If BDC does not agree to renew the license agreement, we have 18 months to transition out of the brand name with no minimum royalty payments during such transition period and BDC has agreed to not compete in the four categories for five years after the end of the transition period. Upon request, BDC may elect to extend the license to use the Black & Decker^® brand to certain additional product categories. BDC has approved several extensions of the license to additional categories and geographies.

We own the right to use the Remington® trademark for electric shavers, shaver accessories, grooming products and personal care products; and Remington Arms Company, Inc. (“Remington Arms”) owns the rights to use the trademark for firearms, sporting goods and products for industrial use, including industrial hand tools. The terms of a 1986 agreement between Remington Products, LLC and Remington Arms provides for the shared rights to use the trademark on products which are not considered “principal products of interest” for either company. We retain the trademark for nearly all products which we believe can benefit from the use of the brand name in our distribution channels. Through our acquisition of Shaser, Inc., we have patented technology that is used in our i-Light and i-Light Reveal intense pulsed light hair removal product line.

HPC products are sold primarily to large retailers, online retailers, wholesalers, distributors, warehouse clubs, food and drug chains and specialty trade or retail outlets such as consumer electronics stores, department stores, discounters and other specialty stores. International distribution varies by region and is often executed on a country-by-country basis. Our sales generally are made through the use of individual purchase orders. A significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a limited group of retailer customers, including Wal-Mart, which is a customer having more than 10% of Spectrum sales and represent approximately 21% of HPC net sales for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Primary competitors for small appliances include Newell Brands (Sunbeam, Mr. Coffee, Crockpot, Oster), De’Longhi America (DeLonghi, Kenwood, Braun), SharkNinja (Shark, Ninja), Hamilton Beach Holding Co. (Hamilton Beach, Proctor Silex), Sensio, Inc. (Bella); SEB S.A.(T-fal, Krups, Rowenta), Whirlpool Corporation (Kitchen Aid), Conair Corporation (Cuisinart, Waring), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Philips), Glen Dimplex (Morphy Richards) and private label brands for major retailers. Primary competitors in personal care include are Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Norelco), The Procter & Gamble Company (Braun), Conair Corporation, Wahl Clipper Corporation and Helen of Troy Limited.

Sales from electric personal care product categories tend to increase during the December holiday season (the Company’s first fiscal quarter), while small appliances sales increase from July through December primarily due to the increased demand by customers in the late summer for “back-to-school” sales (the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter) and in December for the holiday season. Our sales by quarter as a percentage of annual net sales during the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:


	2018			2017			2016
First Quarter		31	%		31	%		31	%
Second Quarter		21	%		20	%		21	%
Third Quarter		23	%		23	%		23	%
Fourth Quarter		25	%		26	%		25	%

Substantially all of our home appliances and personal care products are manufactured by third party suppliers that are primarily located in the APAC region. We maintain ownership of most of the tooling and molds used by our suppliers.

Pet Supplies (PET)

The following is an overview of PET net sales by product category and geographic region sold (based upon destination) for the year ended September 30, 2018:

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Product Category	Products	Brands
Companion Animal	Rawhide chews, dog and cat clean-up, training, health and grooming products, small animal food and care products, rawhide-free dog treats, and wet and dry pet food for dogs and cats.	8IN1^® (8-in-1), Dingo^®, Nature’s Miracle^®, Wild Harvest^™, Littermaid^®, Jungle^®, Excel^®, FURminator^®, IAMS^® (Europe only), Eukanuba^® (Europe only), Healthy-Hide^®, DreamBone^®, SmartBones^®, GloFish^®, ProSense^®, Perfect Coat^®, eCOTRITION^®, Birdola^® and Digest-eeze^®.

Aquatics	Consumer and commerical aquarium kits, stand-alone tanks; acqustics equipment such as filtration systems, heaters and pumps; and acqutics consumables such as fish food, water managerment and care	Tetra^®, Marineland^®, Whisper^® and Instant Ocean^®.

We sell primarily to pet superstores, mass merchandisers, e-tailers, grocery stores and drug chains, warehouse clubs and other specialty retailers. International distribution varies by region and is often executed on a country-by-country basis. Our sales generally are made through the use of individual purchase orders. In addition to product sales, we also perform installation and maintenance services on commercial aquariums. A significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a limited group of retailer customers, including Wal-Mart, which is a customer with more than 10% of Spectrum sales and represent approximately 23% of PET net sales for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Primary competitors are Mars Corporation, the Hartz Mountain Corporation and Central Garden & Pet Company which all sell a comprehensive line of pet supplies that compete across our product categories. The pet supplies product category is highly fragmented with no competitor holding a substantial market share and consists of small companies with limited product lines.

Sales remain fairly consistent throughout the year with little variation. Our sales by quarter as a percentage of annual net sales during the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:


	2018			2017			2016
First Quarter		25	%		25	%		25	%
Second Quarter		25	%		24	%		25	%
Third Quarter		24	%		24	%		25	%
Fourth Quarter		26	%		27	%		25	%

Substantially all of our rawhide alternative products are manufactured by third party suppliers that are primarily located in the Asia-Pacific region and Mexico. We maintain ownership of most of the tooling and molds used by our suppliers. We continually evaluate our manufacturing facilities’ capacity and related utilization. In general, we believe our existing facilities are adequate for our present and foreseeable needs.

Home and Garden (H&G)

The following is an overview of H&G net sales by product category and geographic region sold (based upon destination) for the year ended September 30, 2018:

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Product Category	Products	Brands
Household	Household pest control solutions such as spider and scorpion killers; ant and roach killers; flying insect killers; insect foggers; wasp and hornet killers; and bedbug, flea and tick control products.	Hot Shot^®, Black Flag^®, Real-Kill^®, Ultra Kill^®, The Ant Trap^® (TAT), and Rid-A-Bug^®.

Controls	Outdoor insect and weed control solutions, and animal repellents such as aerosols, granules, and ready-to-use sprays or hose-end ready-to-sprays.	Spectracide^®, Garden Safe^®, Liquid Fence^®, and EcoLogic^®.

Repellents	Personal use pesticides and insect repellent products, including aerosols, lotions, pump sprays and wipes, yard sprays and citronella candles.	Cutter^® and Repel^®.

Other product category consists of products sold to the Global Auto Care business unit that was classified as discontinued operations and subsequently sold to Energizer Holdings, Inc. (“Energizer”) on January 28, 2019. Product sales and distribution will continue under a supply agreement with Energizer subsequent to the completion of the sale. See Note 3 – Divestitures, in Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere for additional discussion.

We sell primarily to home improvement centers, mass merchandisers, dollar stores, hardware stores, home and garden distributors, and food and drug retailers, primarily in the U.S. We also sell certain products in our LATAM markets, primarily in the Caribbean. Our sales generally are made through the use of individual purchase orders. A significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a limited group of retailer customers, including Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s, which are customers with more than 10% of Spectrum sales and represent approximately 66% of H&G net sales for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Primary competitors are The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (Scotts, Ortho, Roundup, Miracle-Gro, Tomcat); Central Garden & Pet (AMDRO, Sevin), Bayer A.G. (Bayer Advanced), S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (Raid, OFF!); and Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Combat).

Sales typically peak during the first six months of the calendar year (the Company’s second and third fiscal quarters) due to customer seasonal purchasing patterns and timing of promotional activities. Our sales by quarter as a percentage of annual net sales during the years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows


	2018			2017			2016
First Quarter		10	%		10	%		9	%
Second Quarter		25	%		27	%		30	%
Third Quarter		42	%		39	%		42	%
Fourth Quarter		23	%		24	%		19	%

Other Information

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters

Due to the nature of our operations, our facilities are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local and foreign legal and regulatory provisions relating to the environment, including those regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes and the remediation of contamination associated with the releases of hazardous substances at our facilities. We believe that compliance with the federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations to which we are subject will not have a material effect upon our capital expenditures, financial condition, earnings or competitive position.

From time to time, we have been required to address the effect of historic activities on the environmental condition of our properties. We have not conducted invasive testing at all facilities to identify all potential environmental liability risks. Given the age of our facilities and the nature of our operations, it is possible that material liabilities may arise in the future in connection with our current or former facilities. If previously unknown contamination of property underlying or in the vicinity of our manufacturing facilities is discovered, we could incur material unforeseen expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position. Although we are currently engaged in investigative or remedial projects at some of our facilities, we do not expect that such projects, taking into account established accruals, will cause us to incur expenditures that are material to our business, financial condition or results of operations; however, it is possible that our future liability could be material.

We have been, and in the future may be, subject to proceedings related to our disposal of industrial and hazardous material at off-site disposal locations or similar disposals made by other parties for which we are held responsible as a result of our relationships with such other parties. In the U.S., these proceedings are under the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) or similar state laws that hold persons who “arranged for” the disposal or treatment of such substances strictly liable for costs incurred in responding to the release or threatened release of hazardous substances from such sites, regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the original disposal. Liability under CERCLA is typically joint and several, meaning that a liable party may be responsible for all costs incurred in investigating and remediating contamination at a site. As a practical matter, liability at CERCLA sites is shared by all of the viable responsible parties. We occasionally are identified by federal or state governmental agencies as being a potentially responsible party for response actions contemplated at an off-site facility. At the existing sites where we have been notified of our status as a potentially responsible party, it is either premature to determine whether our potential liability, if any, will be material or we do not believe that our liability, if any, will be material. We may be named as a potentially responsible party under CERCLA or similar state laws for other sites not currently known to us, and the costs and liabilities associated with these sites may be material.

It is difficult to quantify with certainty the potential financial impact of actions regarding expenditures for environmental matters, particularly remediation, and future capital expenditures for environmental control equipment. See Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere within this prospectus for further discussion on estimated liabilities arising from such environmental matters. Nevertheless, based upon the information currently available, we believe that our ultimate liability arising from such environmental matters should not be material to our business or financial condition.

Electronic and electrical products that depend on electric current to operate (“EEE”) that we sell in Europe are subject to regulation in European Union (“EU”) markets under two key EU directives. Among our brands, this includes a limited range of products, such as aquarium pumps, heaters, and lighting. The first directive is the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (“RoHS”) which took effect in EU member states beginning July 1, 2006. RoHS prohibits companies from selling EEE products which contain certain specified hazardous materials in EU member states. We believe that compliance with RoHS does not have a material effect on our capital expenditures, financial condition, earnings or competitive position. The second directive is entitled the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (“WEEE”). WEEE makes producers or importers of particular classes of EEE goods financially responsible for specified collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of past and future covered products. WEEE assigns levels of

responsibility to companies doing business in EU markets based on their relative market share. WEEE calls on each EU member state to enact enabling legislation to implement the directive. To comply with WEEE requirements, we have partnered with other companies to create a comprehensive collection, treatment, disposal and recycling program as specified within the member countries we conduct business. As EU member states pass enabling legislation we currently expect our compliance system to be sufficient to meet such requirements. Our current estimated costs associated with compliance with WEEE are not significant based on our current market share. However, we continue to evaluate the impact of the WEEE legislation and implementing regulations as EU member states implement guidance and as our market share changes and, as a result, actual costs to our company could differ from our current estimates and may be material to our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Certain of our products and facilities in each of our business segments are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) and/or other federal consumer protection and product safety agencies and are subject to the regulations such agencies enforce, as well as by similar state, foreign and multinational agencies and regulations. For example, in the U.S., all products containing pesticides are regulated by the EPA and equivalent state agencies. The majority of these products must be registered at a federal and/or state level before they can be sold. Our inability to obtain, delay in our receipt of, or the cancellation of any registration could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The severity of the effect would depend on which products were involved, whether another product could be substituted and whether our competitors were similarly affected. We attempt to anticipate regulatory developments and maintain registrations of, and access to, substitute chemicals and other ingredients. We may not always be able to avoid or minimize these risks.

The Food Quality Protection Act (“FQPA”) established a standard for food-use pesticides, which is that a reasonable certainty of no harm will result from the cumulative effect of pesticide exposures. Under the FQPA, the EPA is evaluating the cumulative effects from dietary and non-dietary exposures to pesticides. The pesticides in certain of our products continue to be evaluated by the EPA as part of this program. It is possible that the EPA or a third party active ingredient registrant may decide that a pesticide we use in our products will be limited or made unavailable to us. We cannot predict the outcome or the severity of the effect of the EPA’s continuing evaluations of active ingredients used in our products.

Certain of our products and packaging materials are subject to regulations administered by the FDA. Among other things, the FDA enforces statutory prohibitions against misbranded and adulterated products, establishes ingredients and manufacturing procedures for certain products, establishes standards of identity for certain products, determines the safety of products and establishes labeling standards and requirements. In addition, various states regulate these products by enforcing federal and state standards of identity for selected products, grading products, inspecting production facilities and imposing their own labeling requirements.

The fish sold under the GloFish brand can be classified as an intragenic or transgenic species due to the addition of their bioluminescent genes, which means the FDA has the authority to regulate as the luminescence is caused by intentionally altered genomic DNA. Additional regulatory agencies, including the EPA, as well as agencies in U.S. and foreign states have authority to regulate these types of species. It is possible that the EPA, FDA, another U.S. federal agency, a U.S. state, or a foreign agency could in the future seek to exercise authority over the distribution and/or sale of GloFish brand fish. We will continue to monitor the development of any regulations that might apply to our bioluminescent fish.

Certain of our products may be regulated under programs within the United States, Canada, or in other countries that may require that those products and the associated product packaging be recycled or managed for disposal through a designated recycling program. Some programs are funded through assessment of a fee on the manufacturer and suppliers, including Spectrum Brands. We do not expect that such programs will cause us to incur expenditures that are material to our business, financial condition or results of operations; however, it is possible that our future liability could be material.

The United States Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) was amended in 2016, and the EPA is currently evaluating additional chemicals for regulation under that amended law. Certain of our products may be manufactured using chemicals or other ingredients that may be subject to regulation under current TSCA

regulations, and other chemicals or ingredients may be regulated under the law in the future. We do not expect that compliance with current or future TSCA regulations will cause us to incur expenditures that are material to our business, financial condition or results of operations; however, it is possible that our future liability could be material.

Employees

We have approximately 14,000 full-time employees worldwide as of September 30, 2018 associated with our continuing operations. Approximately 4% of our total labor force is covered by 3 collective bargaining agreements that will expire during our fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. We believe that our overall relationship with our employees is good.

Discontinued Operations

Global Batteries and Lighting (“GBL”)

The Company’s assets and liabilities associated with GBL have been classified as held for sale and the respective operations have been classified as discontinued operations; and reported separately for all periods presented. GBL consists of consumer batteries products including alkaline batteries, zinc carbon batteries, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries, hearing aid batteries, battery chargers, battery-powered portable lighting products including flashlights and lanterns, and other specialty battery products primarily under the Rayovac® and VARTA® brand, and other proprietary brand names pursuant to licensing arrangements with third parties.

On January 15, 2018 the Company entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with Energizer Holdings, Inc. (“Energizer”) where Energizer has agreed to acquire from the Company its GBL business for an aggregate purchase price of $2.0 billion in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The Agreement provides that Energizer will purchase the equity of certain subsidiaries of the Company and acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of other subsidiaries used or held for the purpose of the GBL business. On November 15, 2018, subsequent to the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company entered into an amended acquisition agreement to address a proposed remedy submitted by Energizer to the European Commission, which provided for conditional approval from the commission provided the Varta® consumer battery, chargers, portable power and portable lighting business in the EMEA region be divested by Energizer subsequent to the GBL acquisition, including manufacturing and distribution facilities in Germany. Approval from the commission was received on December 11, 2018. The amended acquisition agreement provides for a purchase price adjustment that is contingent upon the completion of the divestiture of Energizer, including a potential downward adjustment equal to 75% of the difference between the divestiture sale price and the target sale price of $600 million, not to exceed $200 million; or a potential upward adjustment equal to 25% of the excess purchase price. Energizer anticipates that it will complete the divestiture in the 2019 fiscal year. On January 2, 2019, the Company completed the sale of GBL to Energizer. Refer to Note 3 – Divestitures and Note 22 – Subsequent Events to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus, for further discussion pertaining to the GBL divestiture.

Global Auto Care (“GAC”)

The Company’s assets and liabilities associated with GAC have been classified as held for sale and the respective operations have been classified as discontinued operations; and reported separately for all periods presented. GAC consists of appearance products, including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners and washes designed to clean, shine, refresh and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces under the Armor All® brand; performance products including STP® branded fuel and oil additives, functional fluids and automotive appearance products; A/C recharge products that consist of do-it-yourself automotive air conditioner recharge products under the A/C Pro® brand, along with other refrigerant and oil recharge kits, sealants and accessories.

On November 15, 2018 the Company entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with Energizer where Energizer agreed to acquire from the Company its GAC business for an aggregate purchase price of $1.25 billion, including $937.5 million in cash plus stock consideration of 5.3 million shares of Energizer common

stock with an approximate value of $312.5 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The agreement provides that Energizer will purchase the equity of certain subsidiaries of the Company and acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of other subsidiaries used or held for the purpose of the GAC business. On January 28, 2019, the Company completed the sale of GAC to Energizer. Refer to Note 3 – Divestitures and Note 22 – Subsequent Events to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus, for further discussion pertaining to the GAC divestiture.

MANAGEMENT

SBI and SB/RH Holdings are each wholly owned subsidiaries of SBH.

As disclosed in our prior filings, on July 13, 2018 (the “Merger Closing Date”), HRG Group, Inc. (now known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) completed a merger (the “Merger”) with its majority owned subsidiary, Spectrum Brands Legacy, Inc. (formerly known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.). Following the completion of the Merger, HRG Group, Inc. changed its name to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, when used in this “Management” section of this prospectus, the terms (i) the “Company,” “Spectrum Brands,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) prior to and after the Merger Closing Date; (ii) “SPB Legacy” refers to Spectrum Brands Legacy, Inc. (formerly known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) solely prior to the Merger Closing Date; (iii) “HRG Legacy” refers to HRG Group, Inc. (now known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) solely prior to the Merger Closing Date; (iv) “New SPB” refers to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) solely after the Merger Closing Date; (v) “Board” refers to the Board of Directors of Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) prior to and after the Merger Closing Date; and (vi) “Fiscal” refers to fiscal year ended September 30 of each applicable year.

SBH Board of Directors

The board of Spectrum Brands is divided into three classes (designated as Class I, Class II, and Class III, respectively). The three classes are currently comprised of the following directors:

Class I Directors – Terms Expiring at the SBH 2019 Annual Stockholders Meeting

Sherianne James, age 49, was appointed to our Board in October 2018. Ms. James has served as Chief Marketing Officer of Essilor of America since August 2017 and previously was Vice President, Consumer Marketing for the company since July 2016. From February 2011 to July 2016, she held positions of increasing responsibility in marketing and operations for Transitions Optical, a division of Essilor of America, culminating in her role as Vice President of Transitions Optical from April 2014 to July 2016. From July 2005 through December 2010, Ms. James was Senior Marketing Manager for Russell Hobbs/Applica with responsibility for the Black+Decker® and George Foreman® small appliance brands. She previously held a number of key project manager, research manager and brand manager positions with Kraft Foods, Inc. and, later, Kraft/Nabisco Foods from June 1995 to June 2005. Ms. James earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida in 1994 and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2002.

Norman S. Matthews, age 86, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. From June 2010 to the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Matthews served as one of the directors of SPB Legacy. Prior to that time, he had served as a director of SBI since August 2009. Mr. Matthews has over three decades of experience as a business leader in marketing and merchandising and is currently an independent business consultant. As former President of Federated Department Stores, he led the operations of one of the nation’s leading department store retailers with over 850 department stores, including those under the names of Bloomingdales, Burdines, Foley’s, Lazarus and Rich’s, as well as various specialty store chains, discount chains and Ralph’s Grocery. In addition to his senior management roles at Federated Department Stores, Mr. Matthews also served as Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager at E.J. Korvette and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development at Broyhill Furniture Industries. Mr. Matthews is a Princeton University graduate, and earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He also currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Party City Holdco, Inc. and The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc., and previously has served as a director of Henry Schein, Inc., Sunoco, The Progressive Corporation, Toys “R” Us, Duff & Phelps Corporation, and Federated Department Stores. He is a trustee emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History. Mr. Matthews is the Chairman of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of our Compensation Committee. Mr. Matthews’ extensive experience with the operations of various notable consumer products retailers led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should be a member of the Board of Directors.

Joseph S. Steinberg, age 75, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. From February 2015 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Steinberg served as one of the directors of SPB Legacy. In addition, from December 2014

until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Steinberg served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of HRG Legacy, and from April 2017 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Steinberg served as HRG Legacy’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Steinberg is Chairman of the board of directors of Jefferies Financial, a significant stockholder of the Company. He has served as a director of Jefferies Financial since December 1978 and as President from January 1979 until March 2013, when he became the Chairman of the Jefferies Financial board of directors. Mr. Steinberg has served as Chairman of the board of directors of HomeFed Corporation since 1999 and as a HomeFed director since 1998. Mr. Steinberg serves on the board of directors of Crimson Wine Group, Ltd. Mr. Steinberg also has served as a director of Jefferies Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Jefferies Financial, since April 2008. Mr. Steinberg previously served as a director of Mueller Industries, Inc. from September 2011 to September 2012 and Fidelity & Guaranty Life (“FGL”), a former subsidiary of HRG Legacy, from February 2015 until November 2017. Mr. Steinberg serves on the Board as the nominee of Jefferies Financial pursuant to the Shareholder Agreement between Jeffries Financial and the Company Agreement (see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”). Mr. Steinberg’s extensive experience with finance and investments and his leadership position at HRG Legacy led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should be a member of the Board of Directors.

Class II Directors – Terms Expiring at the SBH 2020 Annual Stockholders Meeting

Kenneth C. Ambrecht, age 73, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. From June 2010 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Ambrecht served as one of the directors of SPB Legacy. Prior to that time, he had served as a director of SBI from August 2009 to June 2010. Since December 2005, Mr. Ambrecht has served as a principal of KCA Associates LLC, through which he provides advice on financial transactions. From July 2004 to December 2005, Mr. Ambrecht served as a Managing Director with the investment banking firm First Albany Capital, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Ambrecht was a Managing Director with Royal Bank Canada Capital Markets. Prior to that post, Mr. Ambrecht worked with the investment bank Lehman Brothers as Managing Director with its capital market division. Mr. Ambrecht is also a member of the Board of Directors of American Financial Group, Inc. During the past five years, Mr. Ambrecht has also served as a director of Dominion Petroleum Ltd. and Fortescue Metals Group Limited. Mr. Ambrecht serves as the Chairman of our Compensation Committee and is a member of our Audit and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.

Hugh R. Rovit, age 58, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. From June 2010 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Rovit served as one of the directors of SPB Legacy. Prior to that time, he had served as a director of SBI from August 2009 to June 2010. Mr. Rovit served as Chief Executive Officer of Ellery Homestyles, a leading supplier of branded and private label home fashion products to major retailers, offering curtains, bedding, throws and specialty products, from May 2013 until its sale in September 2018 to a strategic competitor. Previously, Mr. Rovit served as Chief Executive Officer of Sure Fit Inc., a marketer and distributor of home furnishing products from 2006 through 2012 and was a Principal at turnaround management firm Masson & Company from 2001 through 2005. Previously, Mr. Rovit held the positions of Chief Financial Officer of Best Manufacturing, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of institutional service apparel and textiles, from 1998 through 2001 and Chief Financial Officer of Royce Hosiery Mills, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of men’s and women’s hosiery, from 1991 through 1998. Mr. Rovit is a director of Xpress Retail and previously has served as a director of Nellson Nutraceuticals, Inc., Kid Brands Inc., Atkins Nutritional, Inc., Oneida, Ltd., Cosmetic Essence, Inc. and Twin Star International. Mr. Rovit received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and has a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. Mr. Rovit is a member of our Audit Committee.

Class III Directors – Terms Expiring at the SBH 2021 Annual Stockholders Meeting

David S. Harris, age 59, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. Mr. Harris has served as President of Grant Capital, Inc., a private investment company, since 2002. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Harris served as a Managing Director and Sector Head of the Retail and Consumer Products Group of ING Barings LLC and ABN Amro Securities. From 1986 to 1997, Mr. Harris served in various capacities as a member of the Investment Banking Group of Furman Selz LLC, where he advised a wide range of consumer products and industrial companies on financings and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to joining Furman Selz, Mr. Harris was a CPA with Price Waterhouse in New York. Since 2003, Mr. Harris has served as a director of REX American Resources Corporation, and serves as Lead Director and the Chairman of its Audit and Compensation Committees. Mr. Harris is a director of Carrols Restaurant Group, which he joined in 2012 and served as Chairman of its Audit Committee from 2012 to 2017 and now serves as Chairman of its Compensation Committee. From June 2002 to December 2015, Mr. Harris was a director of Steiner

Leisure Limited. From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Harris was a director of Michael Anthony Jewelers, Inc., and served as the Chairman of its Audit Committee. Mr. Harris earned a B.S. in accounting and finance from Rider University in 1982 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1986. Mr. Harris was designated as a member of our Board by Jefferies Financial pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement governing the Merger (see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”).

David M. Maura, age 46, was appointed as the Executive Chairman of our Board and our Chief Executive Officer on the Merger Closing Date. Previously, he had served as the Executive Chairman, effective as of January 2016, and as Chief Executive Officer, effective as of April 2018, of SPB Legacy. Prior to such appointment, Mr. Maura served as non-executive Chairman of the Board of SPB Legacy since July 2011 and served as interim Chairman and as one of the directors of SPB Legacy since June 2010. Mr. Maura was a Managing Director and the Executive Vice President of Investments at HRG Legacy from October 2011 until November 2016 and had been a member of HRG Legacy’s board of directors from May 2011 until December 2017. Mr. Maura previously served as a Vice President and Director of Investments of Harbinger Capital Partners LLC (“Harbinger Capital”) from 2006 until 2012, where he was responsible for investments in consumer products, agriculture and retail sectors. Prior to joining Harbinger Capital in 2006, Mr. Maura was a Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at First Albany Capital, Inc., where he focused on distressed debt and special situations, primarily in the consumer products and retail sectors. Prior to First Albany, Mr. Maura was a Director and Senior High Yield Research Analyst in Global High Yield Research at Merrill Lynch & Co. Previously, Mr. Maura was a Vice President and Senior Analyst in the High Yield Group at Wachovia Securities, where he covered various consumer product, service, and retail companies. Mr. Maura began his career at ZPR Investment Management as a Financial Analyst. Mr. Maura has served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mosaic Acquisition Corp. since October 2017. He previously has served on the boards of directors of Ferrous Resources, Ltd., Russell Hobbs, and Applica. Mr. Maura received a B.S. in Business Administration from Stetson University and is a CFA charterholder.

Terry L. Polistina, age 55, was appointed to our Board on the Merger Closing Date. From June 2010 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Polistina served as one of the directors of SPB Legacy. Since the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Polistina has also served as the Lead Independent Director of the Board. Prior to that, he served as a director of SBI from August 2009 to June 2010. Mr. Polistina served as the President, Small Appliances of SPB Legacy beginning in June 2010 and became President – Global Appliances of SPB Legacy in October 2010 until September 2013. Prior to that, Mr. Polistina served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Russell Hobbs from 2007 until 2010. Mr. Polistina served as Chief Operating Officer at Applica from 2006 to 2007 and Chief Financial Officer from 2001 to 2007, at which time Applica combined with Russell Hobbs. Mr. Polistina also served as a Senior Vice President of Applica beginning in June 1998. Mr. Polistina is a director of privately held Entic, Inc. Mr. Polistina received an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Florida and holds a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami. Mr. Polistina is the Chairman of our Audit Committee, a member of our Compensation Committee and serves as the Lead Independent Director of the Board.

SBH Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors

The following sets forth certain information with respect to the executive officers of the Company, as of the date of this prospectus. All officers of the Company serve at the discretion of the Board.


Name	Age	Position
Douglas L. Martin	56	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Randal Lewis	52	Chief Operating Officer
Ehsan Zargar	41	Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Douglas L. Martin, age 56, was appointed as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on the Merger Closing Date. From September 2014 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Martin served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of SPB Legacy. Prior to joining SPB Legacy, Mr. Martin served from September 2012 to August 2014 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Newell Brands, Inc. (formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc.), a global marketer of consumer and commercial products, including writing, home solutions, tools, commercial products, and baby and parenting brands. Mr. Martin was employed by Newell Brands, Inc. since 1987, serving in a variety of senior financial roles, including Deputy Chief Financial Officer from February 2012 to September 2012, Vice President of Finance – Newell Consumer from November 2011 to

February 2012, Vice President of Finance – Office Products from December 2007 to November 2011, and Vice President and Treasurer from June 2002 to December 2007. Mr. Martin began his career with KPMG LLP, holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rockford University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Randal Lewis, age 52, was appointed as our Chief Operating Officer in October 2018 and has direct responsibility for all operating divisions. Mr. Lewis previously led our former Pet, Home & Garden Division since November 2014. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of our Home & Garden business since January 2011, where he led the restructuring of the business. From April 2005 to January 2011, Mr. Lewis served as our Home & Garden business’s Vice President, Manufacturing and Vice President, Operations. Prior to that, Mr. Lewis held various leadership roles from October 1997 to April 2005 with the former owners of United Industries Corporation, which is now owned by the Company, and from January 1989 to October 1997 Mr. Lewis worked at Unilever. Mr. Lewis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1988.

Ehsan Zargar, age 41, was appointed Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary on October 1, 2018. From June 2011 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Zargar held a number of increasingly senior positions with HRG Legacy, including serving as its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from January 2017 until the Merger Closing Date, as its General Counsel since April 2015, and as Corporate Secretary since February 2012. From August 2017 until the Merger Closing Date, Mr. Zargar served as a director of SPB Legacy. From November 2006 to June 2011, Mr. Zargar worked in the New York office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Previously, Mr. Zargar practiced law at another major law firm focusing on general corporate matters. Mr. Zargar received a law degree from Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and a B.A. from the University of Toronto.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

SBI and SB/RH Holdings are each wholly owned subsidiaries of SBH.

Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, when used in this “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this prospectus, the terms (i) the “Company,” “Spectrum Brands,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) prior to and after the Merger Closing Date; (ii) “SPB Legacy” refers to Spectrum Brands Legacy, Inc. (formerly known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) solely prior to the Merger Closing Date; (iii) “HRG Legacy” refers to HRG Group, Inc. (now known as Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.) solely prior to the Merger Closing Date; (iv) “New SPB” refers to Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) solely after the Merger Closing Date; (v) “Board” refers to the Board of Directors of Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as HRG Group, Inc.) prior to and after the Merger Closing Date; and (vi) “Fiscal” refers to fiscal year ended September 30 of each applicable year.

This section provides an overview and analysis of our compensation programs and policies, the material compensation decisions made under those programs and policies, and the material factors considered in making those decisions. The discussion below is intended to help you understand the detailed information provided in our executive compensation tables and put that information into context within our overall compensation philosophy.

As discussed earlier in this prospectus, during Fiscal 2018 certain of the Company’s NEOs were the officers of New SPB, SPB Legacy and/or HRG Legacy. In order to help you understand the overall compensation earned or paid to such individuals during Fiscal 2018, Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016, this Compensation Discussion and Analysis discloses the compensation our NEOs earned or received from New SPB, SPB Legacy and HRG Legacy during such years. In addition, since the Fiscal 2018 compensation plans and programs of New SPB are a continuation of the compensation plans of SPB Legacy, unless indicated otherwise herein, the compensation plans and programs of these two companies have been aggregated as a single plan or program. The compensation plans and programs of HRG Legacy, which were terminated at the Merger Closing Date and applied only to the HRG Legacy NEOs, are reported with respect to HRG Legacy only and only until the Merger Closing Date. In reviewing this disclosure, it is important to note that until the Merger Closing Date, the Company and HRG Legacy had two sets of officers and directors performing services for two separate companies and each had separate compensation plans until the companies were merged at the Merger. Upon the completion of the Merger, the officers and directors of HRG Legacy resigned their positions and one set of officers and directors provided services to the combined company.

Fiscal 2018 Named Executive Officers

The series of tables following this Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides more detailed information concerning compensation earned or paid in Fiscal 2018, Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016 for the following individuals (each a “named executive officer” or “NEO” for all or a portion of Fiscal 2018):

•

David M. Maura, our current Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of our Board;

•

Andreas Rouvé, the former Chief Executive Officer and President of SPB Legacy;

•

Douglas L. Martin, our current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer;

•

Nathan E. Fagre, our former Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary;

•

Stacey L. Neu, our former Senior Vice President, Human Resources;

•

Joseph S. Steinberg, the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of HRG Legacy and our current Board member;

•

Ehsan Zargar, the former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of HRG Legacy and our current Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary; and

•

George C. Nicholson, the former Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of HRG Legacy.

During Fiscal 2018, Messrs. Steinberg, Zargar and Nicholson only participated in the executive compensation programs of HRG Legacy and did not participate in the executive compensation programs of New SPB or SPB Legacy. In Fiscal 2018, Messrs. Maura, Martin, Rouvé and Fagre and Ms. Neu only participated in the executive compensation programs of New SPB and SPB Legacy and did not participate in the executive compensation programs of HRG Legacy. During Fiscal 2018, Messrs. Steinberg and Zargar received ordinary board fees for their service as directors of SPB Legacy, Mr. Steinberg received ordinary board fees for his service as a director of HRG Legacy and New SPB and Mr. Zargar received $20,000 in connection with his provision of consulting and advisory services to New SPB from August 2018 through September of 2018. While Mr. Maura served as a director of HRG Legacy until December of 2017, he did not receive any payments from HRG Legacy for such service. While Mr. Steinberg served as the Chief Executive Officer of HRG Legacy, he did not receive compensation for such service and instead only received ordinary board fees as described above and from another former subsidiary of HRG Legacy, FGL.

HRG Legacy Compensation Programs

HRG Legacy’s compensation programs were administered by its Compensation Committee. For Fiscal 2018, in consideration of the limited number of employees at HRG Legacy and in connection with HRG Legacy’s general review of its strategic alternatives and short-term employment expectations, the executive compensation philosophy of HRG Legacy was focused on the retention of its executives and cash payments to its executives upon the achievement of certain tasks and/or time service requirements. HRG Legacy’s Compensation Committee considered several factors in designing levels of compensation, including, but not limited to, historical levels of pay for each executive, turnover in the executive ranks, and its judgment about retention risk with regard to each executive relative to his or her importance to the execution of HRG Legacy’s business strategy. More specifically, the principal elements of compensation for HRG Legacy’s NEOs in Fiscal 2018 were: base salary, retention bonus payable in cash, and limited benefits. During Fiscal 2018, HRG Legacy also provided its NEOs with standard medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance benefits available to employees generally. Messrs. Nicholson and Zargar also participated in a supplemental health insurance plan that provided supplemental insurance coverage for certain out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.

HRG Legacy limited the use of perquisites as a method of compensation and provided executive officers with only those perquisites that it believed were reasonable and consistent with its overall compensation program to better enable it to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. In this regard, its NEOs were eligible to participate in a flexible perquisite account under its FlexNet Program and a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (the “HRG Legacy 401(k) Plan”), which are described further below and quantified in the Summary Compensation Table.

Base Salary

The annual base salaries for Messrs. Zargar and Nicholson for their service to HRG Legacy were initially set forth in each executive’s employment agreement, subject to subsequent review by the HRG Legacy Compensation Committee. Mr. Steinberg did not receive a base salary from HRG Legacy, Mr. Zargar’s annual base salary was $400,000 and Mr. Nicholson’s annual base salary was $338,000. The HRG Legacy Compensation Committee reviewed the applicable salaries of its NEOs during Fiscal 2018 and determined to make no changes in the salary levels.

Retention Payments

As discussed herein, in connection with its review of strategic alternatives and short-term employment expectations, HRG Legacy determined to focus its bonus program on the retention of its executives and provided cash payment to its executives upon the achievement of certain tasks and/or time service requirements.

For Fiscal 2018, Mr. Nicholson received a retention bonus equal to $750,000 pursuant to retention bonus arrangements entered into with HRG Legacy, plus a one-time payment of $200,000 and continued COBRA coverage or reimbursement for up to 12 months and such payments were in lieu of any severance or annual bonus payments. For Fiscal 2018, Mr. Zargar earned a retention bonus equal to $5,000,000 and continued COBRA coverage or reimbursement for up to 12 months pursuant to retention bonus arrangements entered into with HRG Legacy and such payments were in lieu of any severance or annual bonus payments. In addition, Mr. Zargar received a payment of $100,000 in lieu of the unused balance in connection with his FlexNet account.

As discussed above, Mr. Steinberg did not receive compensation in his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer of HRG Legacy and thus did not receive any bonus for Fiscal 2018.

For further details on the bonus amounts paid to the Named Executive Officers for Fiscal 2018, see the sections entitled “Summary Compensation Table” and “Agreements with HRG Legacy NEOs.”

Benefits

HRG Legacy limited the use of perquisites as a method of compensation and provided named executive officers with only those perquisites that it believed were reasonable and consistent with its overall compensation program to better enable it to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. In this regard, its NEOs were eligible to participate in a flexible perquisite account under its FlexNet Program, which permitted them to be reimbursed for certain eligible personal expenses, up to a per year cap of $50,000 for Mr. Zargar and $25,000 for Mr. Nicholson. In connection with the Merger, any remaining and unused amounts under the FlexNet Program were paid out in cash to the participants. Eligible expenses under this program included, but were not limited to, reimbursement for tax preparation, legal services, education programs, health and wellness programs, technology and personal computers, wills and estate planning services and transportation services. Participants were responsible for payment of taxes on FlexNet payments. Reimbursements, at participants’ elections, could have been net of taxes and/or included an estimated tax payment, subject to the annual maximum reimbursement cap. The perquisites provided to the HRG Legacy NEOs are quantified in the Summary Compensation Table below.

HRG Legacy also sponsored the HRG Legacy 401(k) Plan in which eligible participants were permitted to defer a fixed amount or a percentage of their eligible compensation, subject to limitations. In Fiscal 2018, HRG Legacy made discretionary matching contributions of up to 5% of eligible compensation.

HRG Legacy did not grant equity awards to its NEOs for Fiscal 2018 in connection with their service as NEOs.

Agreements with HRG Legacy NEOs

HRG Legacy had entered into written agreements with Mr. Zargar and Mr. Nicholson with respect to their service as employees of HRG Legacy, as described below. HRG Legacy did not enter into a written agreement with Mr. Steinberg because Mr. Steinberg did not receive compensation from HRG Legacy for his service as its Chief Executive Officer.

Agreements with Mr. Zargar

On October 1, 2012, HRG Legacy entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with Mr. Zargar. Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Zargar’s annual base salary was $250,000 and Mr. Zargar was also eligible for an annual bonus. On April 19, 2015, Mr. Zargar’s base salary was increased to $400,000. Effective January 1, 2017, Mr. Zargar was appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HRG Legacy, in addition to his prior General Counsel and Corporate Secretary roles.

On January 20, 2017, HRG Legacy and Mr. Zargar entered into a retention agreement (the “Prior Zargar Retention Agreement”). The Prior Zargar Retention Agreement was designed to retain and incentivize Mr. Zargar to remain employed with HRG Legacy during Fiscal 2017; thus he was eligible to receive (i) $2,000,000 on June 30, 2017, (ii) $1,000,000 on October 2, 2017, (iii) $1,000,000 on the closing of a strategic transaction involving the Company and substantially all of its assets and (iv) COBRA reimbursement for a period of up to six months post-termination. The $2,000,000 referenced above was paid to Mr. Zargar on June 30, 2017 and the $1,000,000 was paid to Mr. Zargar on October 2, 2017.

On September 15, 2017, HRG Legacy and Mr. Zargar entered into an amended and restated retention letter agreement, designed to retain and incentivize Mr. Zargar to remain employed with HRG Legacy during Fiscal 2018 (the “Restated Zargar Retention Agreement”), which superseded in its entirety the Prior Zargar Retention Agreement. Pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement, in addition to the retention payments which were previously received, Mr. Zargar was eligible to receive (i) a payment equal to $2,000,000 on June 30, 2018, (ii) a payment equal to $2,000,000, on October 1, 2018, (iii) a payment equal to $1,000,000 on the later of (x) closing of a sale, merger, change in control or other strategic transaction involving the HRG Legacy beneficial ownership interests in HRG Legacy’s former subsidiary, Fidelity & Guaranty Life (“FGL”) or (y) January 15, 2018, and (iv) COBRA reimbursement for a period of up to 12 months post-termination, subject with respect to (i) through (iii), to Mr. Zargar’s continued employment with HRG Legacy through such dates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent not yet paid, Mr. Zargar was eligible to receive the payments upon a termination without cause or resignation for good reason. In addition, in accordance with the terms of the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement, payments were accelerated to the Merger Closing Date. In addition, pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement, his options to acquire stock of HRG Legacy would be exercisable for one year post-termination of employment, subject to certain additional extensions. To the extent not previously made, the payments described above were made by HRG Legacy to Mr. Zargar promptly following the Merger Close Date. As a condition to receiving such payments, Mr. Zargar executed a customary release in favor of HRG Legacy. The payments made to Mr. Zargar were in lieu of any severance or other bonus payments.

On July 30, 2018, the Company entered into a consulting agreement (the “Consulting Agreement”) with Mr. Zargar, for the provision of business and consulting services to the Company by Mr. Zargar as an independent contractor, for a period of three months, subject to early termination by either party. Under the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Zargar was entitled to receive a consulting fee at the rate of $10,000 per month plus reimbursement for reasonably incurred out-of-pocket expenses. The Consulting Agreement was terminated by mutual consent as of September 30, 2018 and Mr. Zargar received a total of $20,000 plus reimbursement for certain expenses.

On September 13, 2018, New SPB, its subsidiary Spectrum Brands, Inc. (“SBI”) and Mr. Zargar entered into an employment agreement (the “2018 Zargar Employment Agreement”) , which became effective as of October 1, 2018. The initial term of the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement will extend until September 30, 2021, subject to earlier termination, with automatic one-year renewals thereafter unless the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement is terminated by either party with at least 90 days’ prior written notice to the other party. The 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement provides Mr. Zargar with an annual base salary of $400,000 and he will be eligible to receive a performance-based management incentive plan bonus for each fiscal year starting in Fiscal 2019, based on a target of at least 60% of the then-current base salary (the “Target Amount”) paid during the applicable fiscal year during the term, provided the Company achieves certain annual performance goals as established by the Board and/or the Compensation Committee of the Board. If such performance goals are met, the bonus will be payable in cash or stock. If Mr. Zargar exceeds the performance targets, the bonus will be increased in accordance with the formula approved by the Compensation Committee provided that the bonus will not exceed 200% of the Target Amount.

Mr. Zargar will receive equity awards in Fiscal 2019 for the performance periods, with the terms and conditions, and in such amounts as determined by the Compensation Committee. Mr. Zargar will also be eligible for future awards under the Company’s equity plan at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and/or Board and will be eligible to participate in future multi-year incentive programs as may be adopted from time to time. The 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement also provides Mr. Zargar with certain other compensation and benefits, including the following: (i) four weeks of paid vacation for each full year; (ii) eligibility for Mr. Zargar to participate in the Company’s executive auto lease program; (iii) a stipend for corporate apartment and income tax filings and returns preparation and advice and estate planning advice; and (iv) eligibility for Mr. Zargar to participate in any of the Company’s insurance plans and other benefits, if any, as the benefits are made available to other executive officers of the Company.

Under the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement, Mr. Zargar is entitled to receive severance benefits if his employment is terminated under certain circumstances. If Mr. Zargar’s employment is terminated by the Company without “Cause,” by Mr. Zargar for “Good Reason” (as defined below), or by reason of death or by the Company for disability, or upon a Company-initiated non-renewal, he will be entitled to the following severance benefits: (i) a cash payment equal to 2.99 times his then-current Base Salary, (ii) a cash payment equal to 1.5 times his then-current Target Amount bonus, each payable ratably on a monthly basis over the 18-month period following termination; (iii) a

pro rata portion, in cash, of the annual bonus Mr. Zargar would have earned for the fiscal year in which termination occurs if his employment had not ceased; (iv) medical insurance coverage and certain other employee benefits for Mr. Zargar and his dependents for the 18-month period following termination; (v) payment of accrued vacation time pursuant to Company policy; and (vi) all unvested outstanding performance-based and time-based equity awards will immediately vest as provided in the applicable equity award agreements.

In the case of termination, severance payments and vesting are conditioned upon Mr. Zargar’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates. Mr. Zargar also is subject to non-solicitation restrictions with respect to Company customers and employees for 18 months following the termination of his employment. Further, Mr. Zargar is subject to confidentiality provisions protecting the Company’s confidential business information from unauthorized disclosure.

For purposes of the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement, “Cause” is defined as (i) the commission by Mr. Zargar of any deliberate and premeditated act taken by him in bad faith against the interests of the Company that causes or is reasonably anticipated to cause material harm to the Company; (ii) Mr. Zargar being convicted of, or pleading nolo contendere with respect to, any felony or of any lesser crime or offense having as its predicate element fraud, dishonesty, or misappropriation of the property of the Company that causes or is reasonably anticipated to cause material harm to the Company; (iii) the habitual drug addiction or intoxication of Mr. Zargar which negatively impacts his job performance or Mr. Zargar’s failure of a Company-required drug test; (iv) the willful failure or refusal of Mr. Zargar to perform his duties as set forth in the agreement or the willful failure or refusal to follow the direction of the Board, provided such failure or refusal continues after 30 calendar days of the receipt of written notice from the Board of such failure or refusal; or (v) Mr. Zargar materially breaches any of the terms of the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement or any other agreement between himself and the Company and the breach is not cured within 30 calendar days after written notice from the Company. In addition, for purposes of the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement, “Good Reason” is defined as (i) any reduction, not consented to by Mr. Zargar, in Mr. Zargar’s Base Salary or target bonus opportunity, then in effect; (ii) the relocation, not consented to by Mr. Zargar, of the office at which he is principally employed as of the date of the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement to a location more than 50 miles from such office, or the requirement by the Company that Mr. Zargar be based at a location other than such office on an extended basis, except for required business travel; (iii) a substantial diminution or other substantive adverse change, not consented to by Mr. Zargar, in the nature or scope of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions, or duties; (iv) a breach by the Company of any of its material obligations under the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement; or (v) the failure of the Company to obtain the agreement for any successor to the Company to assume and agree to perform the Company’s obligations under the 2018 Zargar Employment Agreement.

As Mr. Zargar has subsequently been employed by the Company as its Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, the Company entered into an agreement with Mr. Zargar, whereby it confirmed that his 8,967 outstanding options to acquire stock of the Company would continue to be exercisable until the 10^th anniversary of the original date of grant.

Agreements with Mr. Nicholson

On November 19, 2015, HRG Legacy entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Nicholson as its Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, and on December 26, 2015, Mr. Nicholson was promoted to the additional position of Acting Chief Financial Officer of HRG Legacy, effective as of January 4, 2016. Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Nicholson’s annual base salary was $275,000 and Mr. Nicholson was also eligible for an annual bonus in a target amount equal to $275,000. Mr. Nicholson is subject to certain non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions for six months following termination of employment, as well as perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions.

On January 20, 2017, HRG Legacy and Mr. Nicholson entered into a retention letter agreement (the “Prior Nicholson Retention Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Nicholson was employed by HRG Legacy as its Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, effective as of January 20, 2017. In addition, his base salary was increased to $325,000 effective as of January 1, 2017 and he received a one-time bonus equal to $100,000 within ten days after January 20, 2017. The Prior Nicholson Retention Agreement was designed to retain and incentivize Mr. Nicholson to remain employed with HRG Legacy during Fiscal 2017 and for the filing of HRG Legacy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for such year; thus if he remained so employed he could receive (i) a retention payment equal to $325,000, (ii) a bonus equal to $400,000 and (iii) COBRA reimbursement for a period of up to 12 months.

On September 15, 2017, HRG Legacy and Mr. Nicholson entered into an amended and restated retention letter agreement, designed to retain and incentivize Mr. Nicholson to remain employed with HRG Legacy during its Fiscal 2018 and for the filing of HRG Legacy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for such year (the “Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement”), which superseded in its entirety the Prior Nicholson Retention Agreement.

Pursuant to the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement, Mr. Nicholson’s base salary was increased from $325,000 to $338,000 effective as of October 1, 2017. In addition to the retention payment equal to $325,000 and the bonus equal to $400,000 that Mr. Nicholson would receive upon continued employment related to Fiscal 2017, the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement provided that Mr. Nicholson would also receive (i) a retention payment equal to $325,000 for Fiscal 2018 and (ii) a bonus equal to $425,000 for Fiscal 2018, subject in each case to Mr. Nicholson’s continued employment with HRG Legacy through the earliest of November 30, 2018, the date HRG Legacy filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018 or an earlier date selected by HRG Legacy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mr. Nicholson would also receive these payments, to the extent not yet paid, if his employment was terminated prior to the above specified dates due to his death or disability, or by HRG Legacy without Cause or by Mr. Nicholson for Good Reason. To the extent not previously made, the payments described above were made by HRG Legacy to Mr. Nicolson promptly following the Merger Close Date. As a condition to receiving such payments, Mr. Nicolson executed a customary release in favor of HRG Legacy. The payments made to Mr. Nicolson were in lieu of any severance or other bonus payments.

As noted above, pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement and the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement, the employment of Mr. Zargar and Mr. Nicholson terminated on July 13, 2018 and such termination was a termination without Cause and the payments were made pursuant to such agreements.

“Cause” pursuant to the retention agreements generally means: (A) willful misconduct in the performance of the executive’s duties for HRG Legacy which causes material injury to HRG Legacy or its subsidiaries; (B) the executive willfully engages in illegal conduct that is injurious to HRG Legacy or its subsidiaries; (C) the executive’s material breach of the terms of the retention agreement or the executive’s employment agreement; (D) the executive willfully violates HRG Legacy’s written policies in a manner that causes material injury to HRG; (E) the executive commits fraud or misappropriates, embezzles or misuses the funds or property of HRG Legacy or its subsidiaries; (F) the executive engages in negligent actions that result in the loss of a material amount of capital of HRG Legacy or its subsidiaries; or (G) the executive willfully fails to follow the reasonable and lawful instructions of our Board or the executive’s superiors that are consistent with the executive’s position with HRG Legacy; provided, however, that the executive must be provided a ten day period to cure any of the events or occurrences described in the immediately preceding clause (C), (D) or (G), to the extent curable. No act, or failure to act, on the part of the executive shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that the executive’s action or omission was in the best interests of HRG Legacy. An act, or failure to act, based on specific authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by our Board or based upon the written advice of outside counsel for HRG Legacy shall be presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the executive in good faith and in the best interests of HRG Legacy.

“Good Reason” pursuant to the retention agreements generally means the occurrence, without the executive’s express written consent, of any of the following events: (A) a material diminution in the executive’s authority, duties or responsibilities; (B) a diminution of base salary; (C) a change in the geographic location of the executive’s principal place of performance of his services to a location more than thirty miles outside of New York City that is also more than thirty miles from the executive’s primary residence at the time of such change, except for travel consistent with the terms of the executive’s employment agreement; or (D) a material breach by HRG Legacy of the retention agreement or the executive’s employment agreement. The executive shall give HRG Legacy a written notice (specifying in detail the event or circumstances claimed to give rise to Good Reason) within 25 days after the executive has knowledge that an event or circumstances constituting Good Reason have occurred, and if the executive fails to provide such timely notice, then such event or circumstances will no longer constitute Good Reason. HRG Legacy has 30 days to cure the event or circumstances described in such notice, and if such event or circumstances are not timely cured, then the executive must actually terminate employment within 120 days following the specified event or circumstances constituting Good Reason; otherwise, such event or circumstances will no longer constitute Good Reason.

Agreement with Mr. Maura

Mr. Maura did not serve as an officer of or receive compensation from HRG Legacy during Fiscal 2018. However, in accordance with Mr. Maura’s separation agreement dated November 28, 2016 with HRG Legacy (the “Maura Separation Agreement”), Mr. Maura was entitled to receive on November 1, 2018 in part a cash payment of $1,815,080 which represented a previously earned but deferred bonus which payment was accelerated in connection with the Merger Closing Date. In addition, pursuant to the Maura Separation Agreement, Mr. Maura’s options to acquire stock of HRG Legacy were generally permitted to be exercised for one year post-termination of employment subject to certain extensions for blackouts and Mr. Maura was subject to certain post-employment restrictive covenants.

As Mr. Maura has subsequently been employed by the Company as its Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the Company entered into an agreement with Mr. Maura, whereby it confirmed that his 213,652 outstanding options to acquire stock of the Company would continue to be exercisable until the 10^th anniversary of the original date of grant and the post-employment restrictive covenants contained in the Maura Separation Agreement would no longer be applicable.

Compensation Clawback Policy

The Compensation Clawback policy for HRG Legacy is similar to the policy described in the section entitled “Compensation Clawback Policy.”

Risk Review

The HRG Legacy Compensation Committee reviewed, analyzed and discussed the incentives created by HRG Legacy’s Fiscal 2018 compensation program. The HRG Legacy Compensation Committee did not believe that any aspect of its Fiscal 2018 compensation program encouraged its NEOs to take unnecessary or excessive risks.

Impact of Tax Considerations

With respect to taxes, Section 162(m) of the Code imposes a $1 million limit on the deduction that a company may claim in any tax year with respect to compensation paid to each of its Chief Executive Officer and three other named executive officers (other than the Chief Financial Officer), unless certain conditions are satisfied. Certain types of performance-based compensation were generally exempted from the $1 million limit. Historically, performance-based compensation can include income from stock options, performance-based restricted stock, and certain formula-driven compensation that meets the requirements of Section 162(m). The exemption from Section 162(m) for performance-based compensation and for the chief financial officer was recently repealed for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, subject to certain grandfather provisions. Due to the uncertainties of the application and interpretation of Section 162(m) and the transition relief, no assurance can be given that compensation originally intended to satisfy the exemption from Section 162(m) will be deductible. In structuring the compensation for its named executive officers, HRG Legacy’s Compensation Committee reviewed a variety of factors including the deductibility of such compensation under Section 162(m), to the extent applicable. However, this is not the driving or most influential factor with respect to HRG Legacy’s compensation programs (especially in light of HRG Legacy’s strategic business review) and the HRG Legacy Compensation Committee has approved and paid non deductible compensation.

Compensation in Connection with Termination of Employment

In connection with Mr. Zargar’s termination of employment with HRG Legacy on July 13, 2018, pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement and subject to his execution of a release of claims, Mr. Zargar received a payment of $2,000,000 which represented the unpaid amount pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement, plus COBRA reimbursement. In addition, Mr. Zargar received a payment of $100,000 in connection with his unused FlexNet balance.

In connection with Mr. Nicholson’s termination of employment with HRG Legacy on July 13, 2018, pursuant to the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement in connection with the execution of a release of claims Mr. Nicholson received a payment of $750,000 which represented the unpaid amount pursuant to the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement, plus COBRA reimbursement. In addition, Mr. Nicholson received payment of an additional $200,000 in connection with his additional work in connection with the Merger.

In connection with the termination of Mr. Steinberg with HRG Legacy on July 13, 2018, Mr. Steinberg did not receive severance.

During Fiscal 2018, HRG Legacy’s compensation programs did not provide for any “golden parachute” tax gross-ups to any named executive officer.

You can find additional information regarding compensation payable in connection with the termination of employment of HRG Legacy NEOs under the heading “Agreements with HRG Legacy NEOs” and the table below.

The following table sets forth amounts of compensation that were paid to Messrs. Zargar and Nicholson based upon their termination on July 13, 2018.

As discussed above, Mr. Steinberg was not eligible to receive severance.


Name	Cash Severance		Benefits Continuation⁽¹⁾		Total
Ehsan Zargar⁽²⁾	$	2,100,000	$	5,772	$	2,105,772
George C. Nicholson⁽³⁾	$	980,971	$	11,509	$	992,480

(1)	This column reflects estimated payments for COBRA coverage. This does not include the vacation payout for Mr. Zargar of $30,769 and for Mr. Nicholson of $11,700.

(2)	For Mr. Zargar, the cash severance represented the $2,000,000 which remained payable pursuant to his retention agreement at the time of his termination on July 13, 2018 plus the payment of $100,000 for his FlexNet account.

(3)	For Mr. Nicholson, this represented the $750,000 which remained payable pursuant to his retention agreement at the time of his termination on July 13, 2018 plus the payment of an additional bonus of $200,000 plus the payment of $30,971 for his FlexNet account.

New SPB and SPB Legacy Compensation Programs

As noted above, the Fiscal 2018 compensation programs for New SPB were a continuation of the programs that were in place for SPB Legacy prior to the Merger, and the members of the Compensation Committee for New SPB following the Merger were the same as the members of SPB Legacy. Therefore, as we discuss the compensation programs for New SPB and SPB Legacy, and the actions of the Compensation Committees for these companies, for ease of discussion we are treating the programs on a unified basis.

Executive Summary

Our compensation programs are administered by our Compensation Committee. Our compensation programs are designed to attract and retain highly qualified executives, to align the compensation paid to executives with the business strategies of our Company, and to align the interests of our executives with the interests of our stockholders. In Fiscal 2018, these programs were based on our “pay-for-performance” philosophy in which variable compensation represents a majority of an executive’s potential compensation. The variable incentive compensation programs continued our focus on the company-wide goals of increasing growth and earnings, maximizing free cash flow generation, and building for superior long-term shareholder returns.

In terms of our Fiscal 2018 performance against the targets set by our Compensation Committee at the beginning of Fiscal 2018, we exceeded the minimum threshold performance target for company-wide net sales, but did not achieve the minimum threshold performance targets for company-wide adjusted EBITDA or adjusted free cash flow (“FCF” or “Free Cash Flow”). Accordingly, there were no payments earned by the SPB Legacy and New SPB executives under the Fiscal 2018 annual or multi-year equity incentive plans, and only a limited payment was made under the Company’s annual cash bonus plan known as the MIP. Further details on the incentive plans, the applicable targets and actual performance in Fiscal 2018 are set forth below, as well as the specific definitions of the performance metrics.

In establishing our compensation programs, our Compensation Committee obtains the advice of its independent compensation consultant, Lyons, Benenson & Company Inc. (“LB & Co.”), and evaluates the compensation programs with reference to a peer group of 15 companies, as outlined in the section entitled “Role of Committee-Retained Consultant.”

Background on Compensation Considerations

Our Compensation Committee pursued several objectives in determining its executive compensation programs for Fiscal 2018. It sought to attract and retain highly qualified executives for the Company and for each of the business segments and the overall corporate objectives. It sought to align the compensation paid to our executives with the overall corporate business strategies while leaving the flexibility necessary to respond to changing business priorities and circumstances. It also sought to align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders and sought to reward our executives when they performed in a manner that created value for our stockholders. In order to pursue these objectives, our Compensation Committee:

Considered the advice of our independent compensation consultant on executive compensation issues and program design, including advice on the corporate compensation program as it compared to our peer group companies;

Conducted an annual review of compensation summaries for each NEO, including the compensation and benefit values offered to each executive and other contributors to compensation;

Consulted with our Executive Chairman and other members of senior management with regard to compensation matters and periodically met in executive session without management to evaluate management’s input; and

Solicited comments and concurrence from other Board members regarding its recommendations and actions.

Philosophy on Performance-Based Compensation

Our Compensation Committee designed the Fiscal 2018 executive compensation programs so that, at target levels of performance, a significant portion of the value of each executive’s annual compensation (consisting of salary and incentive awards) would be based on the achievement of company-wide Fiscal 2018 performance objectives set by our Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee concluded that a combination of annual fixed base pay and incentive performance-based pay provided our NEOs with an appropriate mix of current cash compensation and performance compensation. In applying these compensation programs to both individual and company-wide circumstances, the percentage of annual compensation based on the achievement of performance objectives set by our Compensation Committee could vary by individual. For Fiscal 2018, the percentage of annual compensation at target based on the achievement of company-wide performance for the NEOs serving at the end of Fiscal 2018 was 79.24% for the four executives as a group. In addition, to highlight the alignment of the incentive plans with stockholder interests, all of the incentive programs (whether equity or cash-based) in Fiscal 2018 were completely performance-based plans. Accordingly, since our Fiscal 2018 performance goals were not met no payments were made for Fiscal 2018 under these equity plans.

The remainder of each executive’s compensation was made up of amounts that did not vary based on performance. For each of the NEOs, these non-performance based amounts are set forth in such executive’s employment agreement or written terms of employment, as described below, subject to annual review and potential increase by our Compensation Committee. These amounts are determined by our Compensation Committee taking into account current market conditions, the Company’s financial condition at the time such compensation levels are determined, compensation levels for similarly situated executives with other companies, experience level and the duties and responsibilities of such executive’s position.

A component of the Fiscal 2018 incentive compensation also consisted of a multi-year program, known as the S3B award program. Our Compensation Committee determined that awards that have multi-year performance periods and that vest over time would enhance the consistency of our senior management team and provide greater incentives for our NEOs to remain at SPB Legacy and New SPB.

Role of Committee-Retained Consultant

In Fiscal 2018, our Compensation Committee continued to retain an outside consultant, LB & Co., to assist in formulating and evaluating executive and director compensation programs. During the past year, our Compensation Committee periodically requested LB & Co. to:

Provide comparative market data for our peer group, and other groups on request, with respect to compensation matters;

Analyze our compensation and benefit programs relative to our peer group, including our mix of performance based compensation, non-variable compensation and the retentive features of our compensation plans in light of the Company’s strategies and prospects;

Review the plan designs, including the performance metrics selected, for our various incentive plans and make recommendations to our Compensation Committee on appropriate plan designs to support the overall corporate strategic objectives, including the extensive work performed and benefits obtained from the efforts of our NEOs and other employees in carrying out the Company’s transformative M&A transactions;

Advise our Compensation Committee on compensation matters and management proposals with respect to compensation matters;

Assist in the preparation of the compensation discussion and analysis disclosure set forth in this prospectus and the compensation tables provided herewith; and

On request, participate in meetings of our Compensation Committee.

In order to encourage an independent viewpoint, our Compensation Committee and its members had access to LB & Co. at any time without management present and have consulted from time to time with LB & Co. without management present.

LB & Co., with input from management and our Compensation Committee, developed a peer group of companies based on a variety of criteria, including type of business, revenue, assets and market capitalization. The composition of this peer group is reviewed annually by our Compensation Committee and LB & Co., and, if appropriate, revised, based on changes in business orientation of peer group companies, changes in financial size or performance of SPB Legacy and New SPB and the peer group companies, and any mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs or bankruptcies of companies in the peer group. At the end of Fiscal 2018, the peer group utilized consisted of 15 companies comprised of: Central Garden and Pet Company, Church & Dwight Co., Inc., The Clorox Company, Edgewell Personal Care Company, Energizer Holdings, Inc., Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., Hanesbrands, Inc., Hasbro, Inc., Helen of Troy Limited, Mattel, Inc., Newell Brands, Inc., Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., and Tupperware Brands Corporation. There was no change in the composition of the peer group companies from Fiscal 2017 to Fiscal 2018. While our Compensation Committee does not target a particular range for total compensation as compared to our peer group, it does take this information into account when establishing compensation programs.

No fees were paid to LB & Co. for services other than executive and director compensation consulting during Fiscal 2018. In accordance with SEC rules, our Compensation Committee considered the independence of LB & Co., including an assessment of the following factors: (i) other services provided to SPB Legacy and New SPB or to HRG Legacy by the consultant; (ii) fees paid by SPB Legacy and New SPB as a percentage of the consulting firm’s total revenue; (iii) policies or procedures maintained by LB & Co. that are designed to prevent a conflict of interest; (iv) any business or personal relationships between the individual consultants involved in the engagement and any member of our Compensation Committee; (v) any SPB Legacy, HRG Legacy or New SPB stock owned by individual consultants involved in the engagement; and (vi) any business or personal relationships between our executive officers and LB & Co. or the individual consultants involved in the engagement. Our Compensation Committee has concluded that no conflict of interest exists that prevented LB & Co. from independently representing our Compensation Committee during Fiscal 2018.

Agreements with SPB Legacy and New SPB NEOs

Our Compensation Committee periodically evaluates the appropriateness of entering into employment agreements, severance agreements or other written agreements with members of the Company’s NEOs to govern compensation and other aspects of the employment relationship. During Fiscal 2018, SPB Legacy and its wholly owned subsidiary, SBI, had written employment agreements with the following executive officers: (i) an Employment Agreement, dated January 20, 2016, as amended and restated on dated April 25, 2018, with Mr. Maura (the “Maura Employment Agreement”); (ii) an Employment Agreement, dated September 1, 2014, as amended and restated on December 15, 2016, with Mr. Martin (the “Martin Employment Agreement”); (iii) an Employment Agreement, dated March 16, 2015, as amended and restated on December 15, 2016, with Mr. Rouvé (the “Rouvé Employment Agreement”) and a Separation Agreement and Release, dated April 25, 2018, with Mr. Rouvé (the “Rouvé Separation Agreement”); (iv) a Severance Agreement, dated November 19, 2012, with Mr. Fagre (the “Fagre Severance Agreement”) and a Separation and Release Agreement, dated September 12, 2018, with Mr. Fagre (the “Fagre Separation Agreement”); and (v) a Severance Agreement, dated September 1, 2009, with Ms. Neu (the “Neu Severance Agreement”) and a Separation and Release Agreement, dated September 12, 2018, with Ms. Neu (the “Neu Separation Agreement”).

Agreement with Mr. Maura

Pursuant to the Maura Agreement, the initial term will be until April 24, 2021, subject to earlier termination, with automatic one-year renewals thereafter. The Maura Employment Agreement provides Mr. Maura with an annual base salary as Executive Chairman of $700,000 and an annual base salary of $200,000 for the duration of his services as CEO and he will be eligible to receive a performance-based management incentive plan (“MIP”) bonus for each fiscal year, based on a target of 125% of his total base salary, as may be applicable at the time (the “Target Amount”), paid during the applicable fiscal year during the term of the Maura Employment Agreement, provided the Company achieves certain annual performance goals as established by the Board and/or the Compensation Committee. If such performance goals are met, the MIP bonus will be payable in cash and/or stock. If Mr. Maura exceeds the performance targets, the bonus will be increased in accordance with the formula approved by the Compensation Committee no later than the close of the first quarter of the year following the applicable fiscal year; provided that the bonus will not exceed 250% of the Target Amount.

Mr. Maura received an additional award valued at $200,000 under the SPB Legacy 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“EIP”). The Maura Employment Agreement does not change prior equity awards made to Mr. Maura, including prior grants made to Mr. Maura under the EIP. Mr. Maura is eligible for a performance based restricted stock unit award with a target value of $3,000,000 for his service as Executive Chairman and $200,000 as Chief Executive Officer for each year during the term. In addition, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and/or the Board, Mr. Maura is also eligible to receive future grants and/or participate in future multi-year incentive programs.

The Maura Employment Agreement also provides Mr. Maura with, among other things: (i) four weeks of paid vacation for each full year; (ii) eligibility for Mr. Maura to participate in the Company’s executive auto lease program; (iii) a stipend for income tax filings and returns preparation and advice and estate planning advice; and (iv) eligibility for Mr. Maura to participate in any of the Company’s insurance plans and other benefits, if any, as the benefits are made available to other executive officers of the Company.

Under the Maura Employment Agreement, Mr. Maura is entitled to receive severance benefits if his employment is terminated under certain circumstances. In general, termination as Executive Chairman and as CEO is determined separately, so that termination from either position will generally provide for payments in respect only of that position, and a termination from both positions will provide for payments in respect of both positions.

Termination with Cause or Voluntary Termination by the Executive (Other Than for Good Reason). In the event that Mr. Maura is terminated with “cause” or terminates his employment voluntarily, other than for “good reason,” from his role as Executive Chairman, or as CEO, or all his roles, Mr. Maura’s compensation (with respect to such roles) and other benefits (in the case where he is terminated from all his roles) provided under his employment agreement cease at the time of such termination and Mr. Maura is entitled to no further compensation under his employment agreement with respect to such role. Notwithstanding this, the Company would pay to Mr. Maura accrued compensation and benefits and continuation of Company medical benefits to the extent required by law.

Termination without Cause, for Good Reason, Death or Disability, upon a Change in Control, or upon Non-Renewal. If Mr. Maura’s role as CEO is terminated (without terminating his role as Executive Chairman), on the basis of without “cause,” by the Company, by Mr. Maura for “good reason,” due to Mr. Maura’s death or disability, or upon a Company-initiated non-renewal or upon a change in control, Mr. Maura will be entitled to receive the following severance benefits: (i) the vesting of $250,000 of his outstanding time-based equity awards, based on grant-date value, as determined by the Compensation Committee; (ii) a cash payment of $500,000 ratably monthly in arrears over the 12-month period following such termination; and (iii) a pro rata portion, in cash, of the annual MIP bonus related to the base salary that Mr. Maura would have earned for the fiscal year in which termination occurs. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Mr. Maura’s employment is terminated in a CIC Termination (as defined below) during the initial term of the Maura Employment Agreement, then instead of the payment in clause (ii) above, he will receive a cash payment equal to the greater of (x) a cash amount equal to $500,000, or (y) a cash amount equal to his then-current base salary times the number of months remaining in the initial term, with a pro rata amount being calculated for any partial month in that time period.

In addition to the payments above, if Mr. Maura’s employment (as Executive Chairman) is terminated by the Company without “cause,” by Mr. Maura for “good reason,” upon Mr. Maura’s death or disability, or upon a –Company-initiated non-renewal of his employment agreement, the Company shall pay Mr. Maura: (i) (a) a cash payment equal to 1.5 times the base salary in effect immediately prior to his termination, plus (b) a cash payment equal to 1.0 times his target annual MIP bonus of 125% of his then-current base salary, each payable ratably on a monthly basis over the 18-month period immediately following his termination; (ii) the pro rata portion, in cash, of the annual MIP bonus (if any) he would have earned for the fiscal year in which such termination occurs if his employment had not ceased, to be paid at the same time such bonus would have been paid to Mr. Maura for such fiscal year if his employment had not terminated; (iii) for the 18-month period immediately following such termination, arrange to provide Mr. Maura and his dependents with medical insurance coverage and other employee benefits on a basis substantially similar to those provided to Mr. Maura and his dependents by the Company immediately prior to the date of termination at no greater cost to Mr. Maura or the Company than the cost to Mr. Maura and the Company immediately prior to such date; (iv) payment of accrued vacation time pursuant to Company policy; and (v) all unvested outstanding time-based equity awards will promptly vest as provided in the applicable equity award agreements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Mr. Maura’s employment is terminated in a CIC Termination during the initial term of the Maura Employment Agreement, then instead of the payment in clause (i)(a) above, he will receive a cash payment equal to the greater of (x) a cash amount equal to 1.5 times his then-current base salary, or (y) a cash amount equal to his then-current base salary times the number of months remaining in the initial term, with a pro rata amount being calculated for any partial month in that time period.

If Mr. Maura’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” (and not due to death or disability) or by Mr. Maura for “good reason” during the period that begins 60 days prior to the occurrence of a change in control (or, in limited cases, earlier) and ends upon the first anniversary of the change in control (a “CIC Termination”), then Mr. Maura will receive all severance benefits available to him as if he terminated his employment for “good reason” and all of his outstanding and unvested performance-based equity awards will vest in full (at the target level).

The payment of the severance payments and vesting of equity awards described above with respect to a termination of Mr. Maura’s employment are conditioned upon Mr. Maura’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its controlled affiliates, and Mr. Maura’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. The non-competition and non-solicitation provisions extend for 18 months following Mr. Maura’s termination, and confidentiality provisions extend for seven years following Mr. Maura’s termination.

Under the Maura Employment Agreement, (a) “good reason” is defined as the occurrence of any of the following events without Mr. Maura’s consent: (i) any reduction in Mr. Maura’s annual base salary or target MIP bonus opportunity then in effect; (ii) the required relocation of Mr. Maura’s office at which he is principally employed as of April 25, 2018 to a location more than 50 miles from such office, or the requirement by the Company that Mr. Maura be based at a location other than such office on an extended basis, except for required business travel; (iii) a substantial diminution or other substantive adverse change in the nature or scope of Mr. Maura’s responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions, or duties; (iv) a breach by the Company of any of its other material obligations under the Maura Employment Agreement; or (v) the failure of the Company to obtain the agreement of any successor to the Company to assume and agree to perform the Maura Employment Agreement; and (b) “cause” is defined, in general, as the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the commission by Mr. Maura of any deliberate and premeditated act taken by Mr. Maura in bad faith against the interests of the Company that causes or is reasonably anticipated to cause material harm to the Company; (ii) Mr. Maura has been convicted of, or pleads nolo contendere with respect to, any felony, or of any lesser crime or offense having as its predicate element fraud, dishonesty, or misappropriation of the property of the Company that causes or is reasonably anticipated to cause material harm to the Company; (iii) the habitual drug addiction or intoxication of Mr. Maura which negatively impacts his job performance or Mr. Maura’s failure of a company-required drug test; (iv) the willful failure or refusal of Mr. Maura to perform his duties as set forth in the employment agreement or the willful failure or refusal to follow the direction of our Board, which is not cured after 30 calendar days’ notice; or (v) Mr. Maura materially breaches any of the terms of the Maura Employment Agreement or any other agreement between himself and the Company and the breach is not cured within 30 calendar days after written notice from the Company.

Agreement with Mr. Martin

The initial term of the Martin Employment Agreement was until March 1, 2016, and thereafter is subject to automatic one-year renewals, subject to earlier terminations. Pursuant to the Martin Employment Agreement, Mr. Martin will receive an annual base salary of $550,000, subject to periodic review and increase by the Compensation Committee, in its discretion. In addition, Mr. Martin will receive a performance-based cash bonus under the MIP program for each fiscal year during the term of the agreement. The MIP bonus will be based on a target of 90% of Mr. Martin’s base salary paid during the applicable fiscal year, provided that the Company achieves certain annual performance goals as established by the Board and/or Compensation Committee. If such performance goals are met, the MIP bonus will be payable in equity within 74 days after fiscal year-end; provided that Mr. Martin remains employed with the corporation on the date the bonus is paid.

Mr. Martin is also eligible to participate in future equity or multi-year equity award programs, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and/or the Board.

The Martin Employment Agreement also provides Mr. Martin with certain other compensation and benefits, including the following: (i) a full executive physical on an annual basis; (ii) an annual net cash payment of $20,000 for tax, estate, and financial planning assistance; (iii) eligibility for Mr. Martin to participate in the Company’s executive auto lease program during the term of the employment agreement; and (iv) a Company-funded executive life and disability insurance policy.

The Martin Employment Agreement contains the following provisions applicable upon the termination of Mr. Martin’s employment with the Company and/or in the event of a change in control of the Company (as defined in the SPB Legacy Plan).

Termination with Cause or Voluntary Termination by the Executive (Other Than for Good Reason). In the event that Mr. Martin is terminated with “cause” or terminates his employment voluntarily, other than for “good reason,” Mr. Martin’s salary and other benefits provided under his employment agreement cease at the time of such

termination and Mr. Martin is entitled to no further compensation under his employment agreement. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Martin would be entitled to continue to participate in the Company’s medical benefit plans to the extent required by law. Further, upon any such termination of employment, the Company would pay to Mr. Martin accrued pay and benefits.

Termination without Cause, for Good Reason, Death, or Disability, or upon a Change in Control. If the employment of Mr. Martin with the Company is terminated by the Company without “cause,” by Mr. Martin for “good reason,” or is terminated due to Mr. Martin’s death or disability, Mr. Martin is entitled to receive certain post-termination benefits, detailed below, contingent upon execution of a separation agreement with a release of claims agreeable to the Company and Mr. Martin’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. In such event the Company will: (i) pay Mr. Martin (a) 1.5 times his base salary in effect immediately prior to his termination, plus (b) 1.0 times his target annual bonus award for the fiscal year in which such termination occurs, ratably over the 18-month period immediately following his termination; (ii) pay Mr. Martin the pro rata portion of the annual bonus (if any) he would have earned pursuant to any annual bonus or incentive plan maintained by the Company in respect of the fiscal year in which such termination occurs if his employment had not ceased, to be paid at the same time such bonus would have been paid to Mr. Martin for such fiscal year if his employment had not terminated; (iii) for the 18-month period immediately following such termination, arrange to provide Mr. Martin and his dependents with insurance and other benefits on a basis substantially similar to those provided to Mr. Martin and his dependents by the Company immediately prior to the date of termination at no greater cost to Mr. Martin or the Company than the cost to Mr. Martin and the Company immediately prior to such date; (iv) pay Mr. Martin his accrued vacation time pursuant to Company policy; and (v) all unvested outstanding time-based equity awards will promptly vest as provided in the applicable equity award agreements.

If Mr. Martin’s employment is terminated in a CIC Termination, then Mr. Martin will receive all severance benefits available to him as if he terminated his employment for “good reason” (as described above), and all of his outstanding and unvested performance-based equity awards will vest in full (at the target level).

The payment of the severance payments and vesting of equity awards described above with respect to the termination of Mr. Martin’s employment are conditioned upon Mr. Martin’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its controlled affiliates, and Mr. Martin’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. The non-competition and non-solicitation provisions extend for 18 months following Mr. Martin’s termination, and confidentiality provisions extend for seven years following Mr. Martin’s termination.

The definitions of “good reason” and “cause” under the Martin Agreement were similar to the definitions of such terms in the Maura Agreement.

Agreements with Mr. Rouvé

During Fiscal 2018, Mr. Rouvé was employed pursuant to the Rouvé Employment Agreement. As describe elsewhere herein, Mr. Rouvé’s employment with the Company ceased during Fiscal 2018. The Rouvé Employment Agreement contains the following provisions applicable upon the termination of Mr. Rouvé’s employment with the Company.

Termination with Cause or Voluntary Termination by the Executive (Other Than for Good Reason). In the event that Mr. Rouvé was terminated with “cause” or terminated his employment voluntarily, other than for “good reason,” Mr. Rouvé’s salary and other benefits provided under his employment agreement were to cease at the time of such termination and Mr. Rouvé was entitled to no further compensation under his employment agreement. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Rouvé would have been entitled to continue to participate in the Company’s medical benefit plans to the extent required by law. Further, upon any such termination of employment, the Company would have paid to Mr. Rouvé his accrued pay and benefits.

Termination without Cause, for Good Reason, Death, or Disability. If the employment of Mr. Rouvé with the Company was terminated by the Company without “cause,” by Mr. Rouvé for “good reason,” or due to Mr. Rouvé’s death or disability, Mr. Rouvé would have been entitled to receive certain post-termination benefits, detailed below, contingent upon execution of a separation agreement with a release of claims agreeable to the

Company and Mr. Rouvé’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. In such event the Rouvé Employment Agreement provided for the Company to: (i) pay Mr. Rouvé a cash payment equal to 1.5 times his base salary, and a cash payment equal to 1 times the target annual MIP bonus of 125% of Mr. Rouvé’s then-current base salary, each payable ratably on a monthly basis over the 18-month period following termination; (ii) pay Mr. Rouvé a pro rata portion, in cash, of the annual MIP bonus Mr. Rouvé would have earned for the fiscal year in which termination occurs if his employment had not ceased; (iii) provide medical insurance coverage and certain other employee benefits for Mr. Rouvé and his dependents for the 18-month period following termination; (iv) pay Mr. Rouvé his accrued vacation time pursuant to Company policy; and (v) all unvested outstanding time-based equity awards will promptly vest as provided in the applicable equity award agreements. The definition of “good reason” and “cause” under the Rouvé Employment Agreement were substantially similar to the definition of such terms under the Maura Employment Agreement, described above.

If Mr. Rouvé’s employment was terminated by the Company in a CIC Termination, then Mr. Rouvé was entitled to receive all severance benefits available to him as if he terminated his employment for “good reason” (as described above), and all of his outstanding and unvested performance-based equity awards would have vested in full (at the target level).

Pursuant to the Rouvé Employment Agreement, the payment of the severance payments and vesting of equity awards described above with respect to the termination of Mr. Rouvé’s employment were conditioned upon Mr. Rouvé’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its controlled affiliates, and Mr. Rouvé’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. The non-competition and non-solicitation provisions extend for 18 months following Mr. Rouvé’s termination, and confidentiality provisions extend for seven years following Mr. Rouvé’s termination.

Prior to his service as Chief Executive Officer of SPB Legacy, Mr. Rouvé entered into a pension agreement established under provisions of German law between Mr. Rouvé and VARTA Geratebatterie GmbH, a former subsidiary of the Company, dated May 17, 1989 as supplemented on July 1, 1999 (the “Rouvé Pension Agreement”), which obligations were assumed by subsidiaries of the Company. Under the Rouvé Pension Agreement, he is entitled to receive pension payments upon permanent disability, reaching age 65 or earlier termination or retirement at the request of the Company. The current calculated amount of the pension payments is $20,767 (Euro17,895) annually, which can be adjusted in future years pursuant to the provisions of the German Employers’ Retirement Benefits Law (Betriebsrentengesetz). As of September 30, 2018, the accrual amount for Mr. Rouvé’s pension was $315,670 (Euro272,012), and the Company’s allocation to the accrual amount for Fiscal 2018 was $19,276 (Euro16,610). All amounts stated in this paragraph are denominated in Euros and converted into U.S. Dollars at the rate of $1.1605 per Euro, using the published rate from the OANDA Corporation currency database as of September 30, 2018.

On April 26, 2018, Mr. Rouvé’s employment was terminated and he resigned as a member of the SPB Legacy Board on April 25, 2018. In connection with the foregoing, Mr. Rouvé’s SPB Legacy and SBI entered into a Separation Agreement and Release, dated April 25, 2018 (the “Rouvé Separation Agreement”).

Under the terms of the Rouvé Separation Agreement, Mr. Rouvé was entitled to receive: (i) $183,750, payable over 90 days from April 25, 2018, in lieu of 90 days’ notice of termination under the Rouvé Employment Agreement (the “Rouvé Notice Period”); (ii) payment for accrued but unused vacation days; (iii) $1,102,750, which was equal to one and one-half times Mr. Rouvé’s annual base salary at the time of his departure, payable over a period of 18 months following the Rouvé Notice Period; (iv) $918,750, which was equal to Mr. Rouvé’s annual bonus at target level under the SPB Legacy 2018 Management Incentive Plan, payable over a period of 18 months following the Rouvé Notice Period; (v) the annual bonus earned, if any, by Mr. Rouvé under the SPB Legacy 2018 Management Incentive Plan, based on actual performance results, to be paid, if at all, in a lump sum or, at the election of SPB Legacy, in common stock of SPB Legacy at substantially the same time as Fiscal 2018 bonuses were paid to other executives of SPB Legacy; (vi) for a period of 18 months following the Rouvé Notice Period, continuation medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits, provided that such continuation benefits shall end earlier upon Mr. Rouvé’s becoming eligible for comparable coverage under another employer’s benefit plans; (vii) the continuance of the Company-owned life insurance benefit for Mr. Rouvé and certain German pension contributions for a period of 18 months following the Rouvé Notice Period; (viii) a net relocation payment of $500,000 in satisfaction of the Company’s obligation to provide relocation costs and expenses under the Rouvé Employment Agreement; (ix) the use of Mr. Rouvé’s leased vehicle provided by SPB Legacy for a period of twelve months

following the Rouvé Notice Period, and, after such period, the entitlement to purchase such leased vehicle; (x) any earned but unpaid base salary through the date of resignation and vesting of Mr. Rouvé’s previously earned performance shares under the SPB Legacy 2017 EIP Award; (xi) the reimbursement of any unreimbursed business expenses; (xii) accrued benefits, to the extent vested, under all employee benefit plans in which Mr. Rouvé participated (except for any plan that provides for bonus, severance, separation pay or termination benefits); and (xiii) tax preparation assistance, and if applicable, a make-whole payment equal to Mr. Rouvé’s tax liability for the foregoing benefits, to be paid, if at all, between January 1 and March 31 of the year following the year in which the foregoing benefits become includable in Mr. Rouvé’s income for tax purposes. Mr. Rouvé’s entitlement to the foregoing consideration was subject to his continuing compliance with the terms of the Rouvé Separation Agreement, which includes various restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement and confidentiality.

In connection with the Rouvé Separation Agreement, Mr. Rouvé entered into a customary release of potential claims against SPB Legacy and its shareholders, subsidiaries and affiliates, officers and directors and forfeited his performance shares under the SPB Legacy 2018 EIP and the SPB Legacy S3B multi-year equity program and any other equity incentive plan.

Agreements with Mr. Fagre

The initial term of the Fagre Severance Agreement was until December 15, 2017, and thereafter was subject to an automatic one-year renewal. The Fagre Severance Agreement contained the following provisions applicable upon the termination of Mr. Fagre’s employment with SBI.

Termination for Cause or Voluntary Termination by the Executive. In the event that Mr. Fagre was terminated for “cause” or terminates his employment voluntarily, Mr. Fagre’s salary and other benefits ceased at the time of such termination and Mr. Fagre was entitled to no further compensation under his severance agreement. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Fagre would have been entitled to continue to participate in SBI’s medical benefit plans to the extent required by law. Further, upon any such termination of employment, SBI would have paid to Mr. Fagre his accrued pay and benefits.

Termination without Cause, for Good Reason, or for Death or Disability. If the employment of Mr. Fagre with SBI was terminated by SBI without “cause,” by Mr. Fagre for “good reason,” or due to Mr. Fagre’s death or disability, Mr. Fagre was entitled to receive certain post-termination benefits, detailed below, contingent upon execution of a separation agreement with a release of claims agreeable to SBI within 30 days following his termination date. In such event SBI would have paid Mr. Fagre an amount in cash equal to the sum of Mr. Fagre’s (i) annual base salary in effect immediately prior to Mr. Fagre’s termination, and (ii) target annual bonus award for the fiscal year in which such termination occurred, to be paid ratably over the 12-month period immediately following his termination. In addition, for the 12-month period immediately following such termination, SBI was required to arrange to provide to Mr. Fagre and his dependents insurance and other benefits on a basis substantially similar to those provided to Mr. Fagre and his dependents prior to his termination. In addition, Mr. Fagre would have been entitled to have all unvested outstanding time-based equity awards promptly vest to the extent provided in the applicable equity award agreements.

If Mr. Fagre’s employment was terminated by SBI in a CIC Termination, then Mr. Fagre would have received all severance benefits available to him as if he terminated his employment for “good reason” (as described above), and all outstanding and unvested performance-based equity awards would have vested in full (at the target level).

Pursuant to the Fagre Severance Agreement, the payment of the severance payments and vesting of equity awards described above with respect to the termination of Mr. Fagre’s employment were conditioned upon Mr. Fagre’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its controlled affiliates, and Mr. Fagre’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in his employment agreement. The non-competition and non-solicitation provisions extend for 18 months following Mr. Fagre’s termination, and confidentiality provisions extend for seven years following Mr. Fagre’s termination.

The Fagre Severance Agreement defined “cause” in general as the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the commission by Mr. Fagre of any fraud, embezzlement or material act of dishonest faith against the interests of SBI; (ii) Mr. Fagre has been convicted of, or pleads nolo contendere with respect to, any felony or other crime, the elements of which are substantially related to the duties and responsibilities associated with Mr. Fagre’s employment; (iii) Mr. Fagre’s willful misconduct; (iv) the willful failure or refusal of Mr. Fagre to perform his duties as set forth herein or the willful failure or refusal to follow the direction of the Chief Executive Officer or the Board, subject to a 30-day cure right; or (v) Mr. Fagre materially breaches any of the terms of the Fagre Severance Agreement, subject to a 30-day cure right. The definition of “good reason” under the Fagre Severance Agreement was substantially similar to the definition of such term under the Martin Employment Agreement, described above.

On September 12, 2018, Mr. Fagre entered into the Fagre Separation Agreement pursuant to which his employment as an officer of the Company ceased on October 1, 2018. Pursuant to the Fagre Separation Agreement, Mr. Fagre is entitled to receive: (i) $375,000, representing 12 month’s base salary, which is payable over a period of 52 weeks after October 1, 2018; (ii) a severance cash bonus of $225,000, equal to the bonus which Mr. Fagre would receive if target performance goals were achieved in year of termination; (iii) severance of $500,000, payable in cash or Company stock (or a combination thereof), at the Company’s option on or prior to December 31, 2018, (iv) 12 months’ continuation of medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; and (v) any earned but unpaid base salary and other accrued benefits.

In addition, Mr. Fagre’s previously granted equity awards were treated as follows: (i) earned but unpaid restricted stock units awarded pursuant to the 2017 EIP Award under the Plan, which represented 4,018 restricted stock units for Mr. Fagre, were to vest upon the earlier of the scheduled vesting date under the EIP award agreement or thirty days following the applicable separation date and all other units made as part of the 2017 EIP Award were forfeited; and (ii) any earned portion of the 2018 EIP Award and the S3B Award were to be settled based on actual results and these awards were forfeited based on the actual results. In addition, the Fagre Separation Agreement provided that Mr. Fagre would continue to provide transition services as an employee until December 31, 2018 at a rate of $10,000 per month.

Mr. Fagre’s entitlement to the foregoing is subject to his continuing compliance with the terms of the Fagre Separation Agreement, which includes various restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement and confidentiality. The Fagre Separation Agreement also contains customary release of potential claims by Mr. Fagre in favor of the Company.

Agreements with Ms. Neu

The Neu Severance Agreement contained the following provisions applicable upon the termination of Ms. Neu’s employment with SBI.

Termination for Cause or Voluntary Termination by the Executive. In the event that Ms. Neu was terminated for “cause” or terminated her employment voluntarily, Ms. Neu’s salary and other benefits ceased at the time of such termination and Ms. Neu was entitled to no further compensation under her severance agreement. Notwithstanding this, Ms. Neu would have been entitled to continue to participate in SBI’s medical benefit plans to the extent required by law. Further, upon any such termination of employment, SBI would have paid to Ms. Neu her accrued pay and benefits.

Termination without Cause, for Good Reason, or for Death or Disability. If the employment of Ms. Neu with SBI was terminated by SBI without “cause,” by Ms. Neu for “good reason,” or due to Ms. Neu’s death or disability, Ms. Neu was entitled to receive certain post-termination benefits, detailed below, contingent upon execution of a separation agreement with a release of claims agreeable to SBI within 30 days following her termination date. In such event SBI would have paid Ms. Neu an amount in cash equal to the sum of Ms. Neu’s (i) annual base salary in effect immediately prior to Mr. Neu’s termination, and (ii) target annual bonus award for the fiscal year in which such termination occurred, to be paid ratably over the 12-month period immediately following her termination. In addition, for the 12-month period immediately following such termination, SBI was required to arrange to provide to Ms. Neu and her dependents insurance and other benefits on a basis substantially similar to those provided to Ms. Neu and her dependents prior to her termination. In addition, Ms. Neu would have been entitled to have all unvested outstanding time-based equity awards promptly vest to the extent provided in the applicable equity award agreements.

If Ms. Neu’s employment was terminated by SBI in a CIC Termination or, in limited cases, earlier, and ends upon the first anniversary of the change in control, then Ms. Neu would have received all severance benefits available to her as if she terminated her employment for “good reason” (as described above), and all outstanding and unvested performance-based equity awards would have vested in full (at the target level).

Pursuant to the Neu Severance Agreement, the payment of the severance payments and vesting of equity awards described above with respect to the termination of Ms. Neu’s employment were conditioned upon Ms. Neu’s execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its controlled affiliates, and Ms. Neu’s compliance with the non-competition and confidentiality restrictions set forth in her employment agreement. The non-competition and non-solicitation provisions extend for 18 months following Ms. Neu’s termination, and confidentiality provisions extend for seven years following Ms. Neu’s termination.

The Neu Severance Agreement defined “cause” and “good reason” similar to the definitions of such terms under the Fagre Severance Agreement, described above.

On September 12, 2018, Ms. Neu entered into the Neu Separation Agreement pursuant to which her employment as an officer of the Company ceased on October 1, 2018. Pursuant to the Neu Separation Agreement, Ms. Neu is entitled to receive: (i) $275,000, representing 12 months’ base salary, which is payable over a period of 52 weeks after October 1, 2018; (ii) a severance cash bonus of $165,000, equal to the bonus which Ms. Neu could receive if target performance goals were achieved in the year of termination; (iii) severance of $300,000, payable in cash or Company stock (or a combination thereof), at the Company’s option on or prior to December 31, 2018; (iv) 12 months’ continuation of medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; and (v) any earned but unpaid base salary and other accrued benefits.

In addition, Ms. Neu’s previously granted equity awards were treated as follows: (i) earned but unpaid restricted stock units awarded pursuant to the 2017 EIP Award under the Plan, which represented 2,318 restricted stock units for Ms. Neu, were to vest upon the earlier of the scheduled vesting date under the EIP award agreement or thirty days following the applicable separation date and all other units made as part of the 2017 EIP Award were forfeited; and (ii) any earned portion of the 2018 EIP Award and the S3B Award were to be settled based on actual results and these awards were forfeited based on the actual results.

Ms. Neu’s entitlement to the foregoing is subject to her continuing compliance with the terms of the Neu Separation Agreement, which includes various restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement and confidentiality. The Neu Separation Agreement also contains customary release of potential claims by Ms. Neu in favor of the Company.

Compensation Components

Base Salary

The annual base salaries for Messrs. Maura, Rouvé, and Martin were initially set forth in each executive’s employment agreement, as amended, and in the case of Messrs. Maura and Martin are subject to subsequent increases by our Compensation Committee. Mr. Fagre’s base salary was initially set by the Chief Executive Officer at the time he joined SPB Legacy in January 2011. Ms. Neu’s base salary was initially set by the Chief Executive Officer at the time of her appointment as the head of Human Resources in April 2010. In determining the initial annual base salary for each NEO or in making any subsequent increases, our Compensation Committee considered the market conditions at the time such compensation levels were determined, the corporation’s financial condition at the time such compensation levels were determined, compensation levels for similarly situated executives at other companies, experience level, and the duties and responsibilities of such executive’s position. Base salary level is subject to evaluation from time to time by our Compensation Committee to determine whether any increase is appropriate. Our Compensation Committee reviewed the current salaries of the NEOs during Fiscal 2018 and determined to increase Mr. Maura’s base salary to $900,000 per annum in connection with his appointment in April 2018 to the additional

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role of Chief Executive Officer. With respect to the other NEOs, our Compensation Committee determined to make no changes in the salary levels. The annual base salaries at the end of Fiscal 2018 for the NEOs were as follows (Mr. Rouvé was not serving at the end of Fiscal 2018 and Mr. Fagre and Ms. Neu entered into Separation Agreements effective at the end of Fiscal 2018):


Named Executive*	Annual Base Salary at end of Fiscal 2018		Actual Base Salary Paid for Fiscal 2018
David M. Maura	$	900,000	$	769,744
Andreas Rouvé	$	735,000	$	603,077
Douglas L. Martin	$	550,000	$	540,128
Nathan E. Fagre	$	375,000	$	368,269
Stacey L. Neu	$	275,000	$	270,064

Management Incentive Plan

General Description

Our management personnel, including our NEOs, participate in our annual performance-based cash bonus program referred to as the Management Incentive Plan (the “MIP”), which is designed to compensate executives and other managers based on achievement of annual corporate, business segment, and/or divisional financial goals. Under the MIP, each participant has the opportunity to earn a threshold, target, or maximum bonus amount that is contingent upon achieving the annual performance goals set by our Compensation Committee and reviewed by our Board. Particular performance goals (such as increasing adjusted EBITDA) are established prior to or during the first quarter of the relevant fiscal year and reflect our Compensation Committee’s views at that time of the critical indicators of corporate success in light of primary business priorities.

The specific financial targets with respect to performance goals are then set by our Compensation Committee based on our annual operating plan, as approved by our Board, prior to or during the first fiscal quarter of the relevant fiscal year. The annual operating plan includes performance targets for the Company as a whole as well as for each business segment. Note that in connection with the Merger, the Company adopted SPB Legacy’s MIP program, but excluded the impact both of the costs associated with the Merger and net sales, income and expenses relating to HRG Legacy activities during Fiscal 2018.

Fiscal 2018 MIP Program

The Fiscal 2018 MIP program followed the plan design from prior years with the corporate goals of increasing Adjusted EBITDA growth and Free Cash Flow and added the corporate goal of increasing Net Sales. The Compensation Committee established the new weightings with the Adjusted EBITDA having a weighting of 50%, Net Sales having a weighting of 20%, and Free Cash Flow having a weighting of 30%. The performance targets for each of Messrs. Maura, Rouvé, Martin, and Fagre, and for Ms. Neu, were equal to those established for the corporation as a whole.

For purposes of determining achievement of the targets under the Fiscal 2018 MIP Program, the Compensation Committee established the definitions set forth below. Beginning in Fiscal 2018, the Board approved an incremental investment program of up to $20 million to support long-term growth initiatives of the Company in the areas of product innovation, R&D, and marketing and sales (“Investment Initiative”). In order to incentivize management to execute this initiative, the Board reduced the Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow targets for Fiscal 2018 (for both MIP and EIP) and the Adjusted Diluted EPS under the S3B Plan by the amount of investment made, subject to a $20 million cap.

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“Adjusted EBITDA” is defined as earnings (defined as net income (loss) of SPB Legacy) before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization and excluding restructuring, acquisition, and integration charges, and other one-time charges. The result of the formula in the preceding sentence shall then be adjusted so as to negate the effects of acquisitions or dispositions; provided, however that Adjusted EBITDA resulting from businesses or products lines acquired (in Board-approved transactions) during the performance period will be included in the calculation from the date of acquisition, subject to negative discretion of the Compensation Committee.

“Free Cash Flow” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA plus or minus changes in current and long-term assets and liabilities, less cash payments for taxes, restructuring and interest, but excluding outlays or proceeds from acquisitions or dispositions. Any reductions in Free Cash Flow resulting from transaction costs or financing fees incurred in connection with any Board-approved acquisition or refinancing (in each case during the performance period) will be added back to Free Cash Flow, subject to negative discretion of the Compensation Committee.

“Net Sales” is defined as the amount of revenue generated less returns, cash discounts, trade rebates, and other trade spend or consumer offers that result in a reduction of revenue in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. GAAP. Net Sales achievement will be net of FX currency translation impact (e.g., achievement will exclude positive or negative impact(s) as a result of converting local currency sales into U.S. dollars), will include amounts in the annual operating plan relating to acquisitions completed in the prior year and will exclude amounts from acquisitions completed in the current year.

For Fiscal 2018, the MIP award levels achievable at target for each participating NEO were as follows:


Named Executive	MIP Target as % of Annual Base
David M. Maura		125	%
Andreas Rouvé		125	%
Douglas L. Martin		90	%
Nathan E. Fagre		60	%
Stacey L. Neu		60	%

The Fiscal 2018 MIP plan design had a minimum financial threshold for each of Adjusted EBITDA, Net Sales, and Free Cash Flow, below which no payout would be earned with respect to that objective. The achievement of the goals of Adjusted EBITDA, Net Sales, and Free Cash Flow is determined and earned independently of one another.

As the table below outlines, for Fiscal 2018 the Company did not achieve the minimum threshold levels under the Fiscal 2018 MIP targets for Adjusted EBITDA or for Free Cash Flow, but did exceed the minimum threshold level for Net Sales.

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Performance Required to Achieve Bonus % as Indicated ($ in millions)
Performance Metric	Weight (% of Target Bonus)			Threshold (50%)		Target (100%)		Maximum (200%)		Calculated 2018 Payout Factor (% of Target Bonus)
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957.00	$	995.00	$	1,044.75		0.00	%
Consolidated Free Cash Flow		30	%	$	587.00	$	630.00	$	686.70		0.00	%
Net Sales		20	%	$	5,008.00	$	5,336.00	$	5,602.80		60.63	%

The table above shows the three performance metrics for Messrs. Maura, Rouvé, Martin, Fagre and Ms. Neu. For Messrs. Maura and Rouvé, there was the opportunity to earn a MIP bonus of up to 250% of their target, and for Mr. Martin, Mr. Fagre and Ms. Neu, there was an opportunity to earn a MIP bonus of up to 200% of their target. As noted above the threshold was not achieved and no payment was made with respect to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA or Consolidated Free Cash Flow. With respect to the Net Sales Component of 20%, 60.63% of the target was achieved representing a 12.12% payout.

Spectrum S3B Plan

During Fiscal 2016, our Compensation Committee, in consultation with members of management, its independent compensation consultant, and outside counsel for our Compensation Committee, reviewed and evaluated the success of the previous multi-year incentive plan, known as the “Spectrum S2B Plan,” in light of its original objectives of incentivizing senior management to drive the SPB Legacy’s performance in excess of key financial performance metrics during Fiscal 2015 and Fiscal 2016. Our Compensation Committee determined the Spectrum S2B Plan succeeded in driving accelerated growth of stockholder value during the 2-year performance period. As a result, our Compensation Committee designed a successor multi-year superior achievement incentive compensation program for SPB Legacy’s NEOs, other members of SPB Legacy’s management team and key employees that similarly was intended to promote significant stockholder value creation. This successor program is referred to as the “Spectrum S3B Plan” or “Spectrum S3B.” The purpose of the Spectrum S3B Plan was to incentivize senior management to drive the corporation’s performance in excess of key financial performance metrics over a two-year performance period consisting of Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2018.

Our Compensation Committee determined that the performance metrics for the Spectrum S3B Plan would be Adjusted Diluted EPS and Return on Assets (“ROA”). The specific performance targets for Adjusted Diluted EPS and Return on Assets for the two-year performance period were based on the financial goals in the SPB Legacy three-year strategic plan that covered this time period. In terms of potential award payouts for plan participants, 50% of the award was based on Adjusted Diluted EPS and 50% on ROA. In addition, there would be no payout with respect to a given metric if the performance targets were not fully achieved as of September 30, 2018. The maximum payout could be up to 125% of the target award.

Participants in the Spectrum S3B Plan had the opportunity to earn additional award amounts based on achievement in excess of the performance targets. The additional award opportunity was based on the corporation realizing aggressive targets above those set forth in the strategic plan, as determined separately for the Adjusted Diluted EPS metric and the Return on Assets metric. Under the Spectrum S3B Plan, maximum payouts under each of the performance metrics would be forfeited if the performance on the remaining metric was less than 90% of target. See “Fiscal 2018 MIP Program” for a discussion of potential adjustments to the Adjusted Diluted EPS calculations in connection with the Company’s Investment Initiative.

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For purposes of determining achievement of the targets under the Spectrum S3B Plan, our Compensation Committee established the following definitions:

“Adjusted Diluted EPS” means GAAP-diluted income per share adjusted for the following items as they relate to the calculation of net income: acquisition and integration related charges, restructuring and related charges, one-time debt refinancing costs, inventory fair-value adjustments related to acquisitions, discontinued operations, stock-based compensation amortization related to the Spectrum S3B Plan above or below the amounts reflected in the plan targets, and normalizing the consolidated tax rate at 35%.

“Return on Assets” means Adjusted Cash Flow, divided by Average Tangible Assets. For these purposes, “Adjusted Cash Flow” means U.S. GAAP income plus depreciation and amortization adjusted for the following items as they relate to the calculation of net income: acquisition and integration related charges, restructuring and related charges, one-time debt refinancing costs, inventory fair-value adjustments related to acquisitions, discontinued operations, stock-based compensation amortized related to the Spectrum S3B Plan above or below the amounts reflected in the plan targets and normalizing the consolidated tax rate at 35% less capital expenditures.

“Average Tangible Assets” means total U.S. GAAP current assets excluding cash and cash equivalents minus total current liabilities excluding current maturities of long-term debt, plus net property, plant, and equipment.

Under the plan design, awards were to be paid in the form of performance-based RSUs. If the above performance criteria were satisfied as of September 30, 2018, then 50% of the award would be paid in RSUs within 74 days after the end of Fiscal 2018, and 50% would be paid in RSUs or restricted stock which vest one year after the first vesting date, subject to continued employment and any other applicable terms in the underlying award agreement. All participants, including our NEOs, would have been required to retain at least 50% of the shares they receive upon vesting (net of any shares withheld by the Company upon vesting for tax purposes) for one year after vesting. There were approximately 200 participants in the Spectrum S3B Plan.

For the Adjusted Diluted EPS metric, the target level of performance at the end of Fiscal 2018 was $6.40 per share and the maximum level was $6.54 per share. For the ROA metric, the target level of performance at the end of Fiscal 2018 was 44.30% and the maximum level was 48.70%. Based on the actual Fiscal 2018 company-wide performance for ROA and Adjusted Diluted EPS, the target levels were not achieved and accordingly there were no S3B awards earned by or paid to the NEOs with respect to the S3B program. The following table summarizes the S3B award opportunities for the NEOs and, as noted, no payout was made with respect to the S3B.


	Value of RSUs or Restricted Stock Granted (in $)
NEO*	Award at Target		Additional Award at Maximum Overachievement		Total		Calculated 2018 Payout Factor (% of Target Bonus)
David M. Maura	$	3,000,000	$	750,000	$	3,750,000		0.00	%
Andreas Rouvé	$	3,000,000	$	750,000	$	3,750,000		0.00	%
Douglas L. Martin	$	2,000,000	$	500,000	$	2,500,000		0.00	%
Nathan E. Fagre	$	750,000	$	187,500	$	937,500		0.00	%
Stacey L. Neu	$	500,000	$	125,000	$	625,000		0.00	%

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Equity Incentive Plan

Fiscal 2018 EIP Program

The 2018 EIP program was consistent with the design of our prior years’ EIP programs. As with prior years, awards under the 2018 EIP for all participants were made in the form of performance-based RSUs, and the award agreements provided that RSUs vested based on the achievement of the performance goals set for the corporation for Fiscal 2018. For the 2018 EIP, the corporate performance goals were Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, and the targets were as set forth in the Fiscal 2018 Annual Operating Plan approved by the SPB Legacy Board at the beginning of Fiscal 2018. The weighting of these two goals was 50% for Adjusted EBITDA and 50% for Free Cash Flow. The definitions of Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow were generally the same as described above for the 2018 MIP. Also, as was the case with the 2018 MIP, the Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow targets for Fiscal 2018 were reduced by up to $20 million for each dollar of actual spending on Board-approved Investment Initiatives.

Under the 2018 EIP, the two performance goals could be earned independently of one another. The achievement of the performance goals for each of our NEOs was measured on a consolidated company-wide basis. Acquisitions by the corporation are included in the Adjusted EBITDA calculations subject to the negative discretion of our Compensation Committee.

The potential RSUs that could have been earned by each participating NEO, for the 50% of the award based on Adjusted EBITDA, expressed as a percentage of that portion of the award amount, ranged from 50% for achievement of the threshold Adjusted EBITDA performance level established by our Compensation Committee of $957.00 million, 100% for achieving the performance goal in full at the target performance level of $995.00 million, and up to a maximum of 135% of the target award if actual performance reached or exceeded the upper achievement threshold of $1044.75 million. For the 50% of the award based on Free Cash Flow, the NEOs could achieve 50% of this portion of the award for achievement of the threshold Free Cash Flow performance level of $587.00 million, 100% for achieving the performance goal in full at the target performance level of $630.00 million, and up to a maximum of 135% of the target award if actual performance reached or exceeded the upper achievement threshold of $686.70 million.

The 2018 EIP design had a minimum financial threshold for each of Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, set at the level of better than the prior year’s actual performance, below which there was no payout with respect to that objective. The award agreements for the 2018 EIP provided that if an award was earned for Fiscal 2018, then 50% of the RSUs awarded would vest as soon as practicable after certification of the results by our Compensation Committee, but no later than 74 days following the end of Fiscal 2018, and 50% would vest on the first anniversary of the initial vesting date, subject to continued employment on such anniversary. Awards for performance between threshold and target levels, and between target and maximum levels, could be earned based on a linear curve between the various levels. If both applicable threshold performances were not achieved, then no RSUs were earned. Our Compensation Committee also provided in the award agreements for the NEOs that such officers are required to hold at least 25% of the net shares they receive (after any shares withheld by the Company for tax purposes) for at least one year. In addition, the NEOs, and all other officers at the Vice President level or higher, are subject to the share ownership guidelines discussed below.

Based on the actual Fiscal 2018 company-wide performance for Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, the minimum threshold levels were not achieved and accordingly, there were no Fiscal 2018 awards earned by or paid to the NEOs with respect to the 2018 EIP program. The table below reflects for each NEO the RSU award amount, the performance metrics established by our Compensation Committee, the weighting of each performance metric, the percentage of his or her target award achievable pursuant to the performance goals applicable to his or her award, the

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performance required to achieve the threshold, target, and maximum vesting eligibility based on those performance goals, and amounts actually paid (as noted no payouts were made under the Fiscal 2018 EIP):


					Performance Required to be Eligible to Vest - Indicated % of RSUs ($ in millions)
NEO*	Performance Metric	Weight (% of Target Bonus)			Threshold (50%)		Target (100%)		Maximum (135%)		Actual Payment
David M. Maura (29,515)	Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957	$	995	$	1,045	$	0
	Consolidated Free Cash Flow		50	%	$	587	$	630	$	687	$	0
Andreas Rouvé (27,410)	Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957	$	995	$	1,045	$	0
	Consolidated Free Cash Flow		50	%	$	587	$	630	$	687	$	0
Douglas L. Martin (13,705)	Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957	$	995	$	1,044.75	$	0
	Consolidated Free Cash Flow		50	%	$	587	$	630	$	686.70	$	0
Nathan E. Fagre (11,878)	Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957	$	995	$	1,045	$	0
	Consolidated Free Cash Flow		50	%	$	587	$	630	$	687	$	0
Stacey L. Neu (6,852)	Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA		50	%	$	957	$	995	$	1,045	$	0
	Consolidated Free Cash Flow		50	%	$	587	$	630	$	687	$	0

Other Compensation Matters

Stock Ownership Guidelines

Our Board believes that certain of the Company’s officers and the Company’s directors should own and hold Company common stock to further align their interests with the interests of stockholders and to further promote the Company’s commitment to sound corporate governance. Therefore, effective January 29, 2013, our Board, upon the recommendation of our Compensation Committee, established stock ownership guidelines applicable to the Company’s NEOs and all other officers of the Company and its subsidiaries with a level of Vice President or above. Members of the Board of Directors are also subject to stock ownership guidelines, which are summarized in the section entitled “Director Compensation” below.

Under the stock ownership guidelines, the applicable officers and the directors are expected to achieve the levels of stock ownership indicated below (which equal a dollar value of stock based on a multiple of the officer’s base salary or the director’s annual cash retainer) in the applicable time periods.


Position	$ Value of Stock to be Retained (Multiple of Base Salary)	Years to Achieve
Executive Chairman of our Board and our Chief Executive Officer	5x Base Salary	2 years
Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer, and Presidents of business units	3x Base Salary	2 years
Senior Vice Presidents	2x Base Salary	3 years
Vice Presidents	1x Base Salary	3 years
Board Members	5x Cash Retainer	5 years

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The stock ownership levels attained by an officer are based on shares directly owned by the officer or director, whether through earned and vested RSU or restricted stock grants or open market purchases. Unvested restricted shares, unvested RSUs, and stock options are not counted toward the ownership goals. Our Compensation Committee reviews, on an annual basis; the progress of the officers and directors in meeting the guidelines; and in some circumstances failure to meet the guidelines by an officer or director could result in additional retention requirements or other actions by our Compensation Committee.

In addition, all incentive plan participants, including NEOs, are subject to an additional stock retention requirement requiring them to retain at least 25% of their earned net shares of Company stock (after tax withholding) received under awards granted per the Fiscal 2017 EIP and Fiscal 2018 EIP for one year after date of vesting. In addition, under the terms of the Spectrum S2B Plan and S3B Plan, all participants at the level of Vice President or higher were subject to the 50% stock retention requirement (net of tax withholding) for one year after the date of vesting of awards under that plan.

Deferral and Post-Termination Benefits

Retirement Benefits. The Company maintains a 401(k) plan for its employees, including the NEOs.

Supplemental Executive Life Insurance Program. During Fiscal 2018, each of Messrs. Maura, Rouvé, and Martin participated in a program pursuant to which SPB Legacy and New SPB, on behalf of each participant, made an annual contribution on October 1 equal to 15% of such participant’s base salary as of that date into a company-owned executive life insurance policy for such participant. The investment options for each such policy are selected by the insurance provider.

Post-Termination Benefits. As described above, the Legacy SPB and/or its subsidiary SBI had entered into agreements with Messrs. Maura, Rouvé, Martin, and Fagre and with Ms. Neu which govern, among other things, post-termination benefits payable to each such NEO should his or her employment with the Company terminate. These agreements were adopted and assumed by the Company at the time of the Merger. A detailed description of the post-termination rights and benefits pursuant to each of the agreements described in this paragraph is set forth under the heading “Agreements with SPB Legacy and New SPB NEOs” above.

Perquisites and Benefits

The Company provides certain limited perquisites and other benefits to certain executives, including the NEOs. Among these benefits are financial planning services, tax planning services, car allowances or leased car programs, executive medical exams, and executive life and disability insurance.

Timing and Pricing of Stock-Based Grants

SPB Legacy and New SPB did not grant stock options to its employees. HRG Legacy’s compensation package included options, but no options were granted to NEOs during Fiscal 2018. In connection with the Merger, New SPB retained the options issued and outstanding at the time of the Merger at HRG Legacy, which were adjusted to give effect to the stock split in connection with the Merger. New SPB does not anticipate that it will use options as part of its compensation program going forward.

SPB Legacy and New SPB do provide stock, restricted stock and RSUs as part of the compensation package made available to NEOs, directors and employees. With respect to annual or special grants of stock or restricted stock, these are generally made on the date or as soon as practicable following the date on which such grants are approved by our Compensation Committee or our Board, or, if the award dictated a subsequent date or the achievement of a

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particular event prior to grant, as soon as practicable after such subsequent date or achievement of such event. For purposes of valuing awards made under the Equity Plans, the grant price is generally the closing sales price of the Company’s common stock on the exchange on which the Company’s shares are listed on the day prior to the grant date.

Impact of Tax Considerations

With respect to taxes, Section 162(m) of the Code imposes a $1 million limit on the deduction that a company may claim in any tax year with respect to compensation paid to each of its Chief Executive Officer and three other named executive officers (other than the Chief Financial Officer), unless certain conditions are satisfied. Certain types of performance-based compensation were generally exempted from the $1 million limit. Historically, performance-based compensation can include income from stock options, performance-based restricted stock, and certain formula-driven compensation that meets the requirements of Section 162(m). The exemption from Section 162(m) for performance-based compensation and for the chief financial officer was recently repealed generally for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, subject to certain grandfather provisions. Due to the uncertainties of the application and interpretation of Section 162(m) and the transition relief, no assurance can be given that compensation originally intended to satisfy the exemption from Section 162(m) will be deductible. In structuring the compensation for our named executive officers, our Compensation Committee will review a variety of factors which may include the deductibility of such compensation under Section 162(m), to the extent applicable. However, this is not the driving or most influential factor, and the Compensation Committee has approved in the past and specifically reserves the right to pay or approve nondeductible compensation currently and in the future.

Tax Payments

The Company provides increases in payments to the NEOs and other management personnel to cover personal income tax due as a result of imputed income in connection with the provision of the following perquisites: company-leased car, financial planning and tax planning, executive life and disability insurance, and NEO or other management personnel relocation. Beyond these tax payments, the Company does not make any other payments to the NEOs or other management personnel to cover personal income taxes.

Background on Governing Equity Plans

In connection with the Merger, the Company assumed the pre-existing SPB Legacy omnibus equity plan and continued to maintain the omnibus equity plan that had been approved by the HRG Legacy stockholders. As a result, the Company has two plans under which awards have been granted in the past and awards may be made under in the future. These two plans are described below.

HRG Legacy stockholders approved the adoption of the HRG Group, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Equity Award Plan (formerly, Harbinger Group, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Equity Award Plan), as amended (the “Legacy HRG Plan”), pursuant to which incentive compensation and performance compensation awards may be provided to employees, directors, officers and consultants of HRG Legacy and, following the Merger, the Company or of their subsidiaries or their respective affiliates. The Legacy HRG Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 24 million shares of common stock of HRG. Immediately prior to the close of the Merger, each stock option and restricted stock award granted under the Legacy HRG Plan that was outstanding and unvested immediately prior to the closing became fully vested, and each stock option became exercisable. Each exercisable award that was unexercised was adjusted (including to give effect to the reverse stock split in connection with the Merger) and remains outstanding, subject to the same terms and conditions as applied in the corresponding award. Each HRG Legacy restricted stock award became fully vested and treated as a share of HRG common stock for purpose of the reverse stock split and Merger. As of September 30, 2018, there were 1.4 million shares available for issuance under the Legacy HRG Plan.

The SPB Legacy stockholders in 2011 approved the adoption of the Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Equity Award Plan, as subsequently amended in 2014 and 2017 (the “Legacy SPB Plan”, and together with the Legacy HRG Plan, the “Company’s Equity Plans”), pursuant to which incentive compensation and performance compensation awards may be provided to employees, directors, officers and consultants of SPB Legacy and, following the Merger, the Company, and their subsidiaries or their respective affiliates. Further, effective as of the closing date of the Merger, each restricted stock award, restricted stock unit and performance stock unit under the

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Legacy SPB Plan, whether vested or unvested, were assumed by the Company and automatically converted into a corresponding equity-based award in the Company with the right to hold or acquire shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of SPB Legacy common stock previously underlying such award. Each new award is subject to the same terms and conditions as the corresponding SPB Legacy award. The Company assumed all rights and obligation in respect of each equity-based plan of SPB Legacy. As of September 30, 2018, there were 1.6 million shares available for issuance under the Legacy SPB Plan.

Compensation Clawback Policy

On January 28, 2016, the SPB Legacy Board adopted a Compensation Clawback Policy setting forth the conditions under which applicable incentive compensation provided by SPB Legacy and its subsidiaries to executive officers may be subject to forfeiture, disgorgement, recoupment, or diminution (“clawback”). This policy was ratified and adopted by our Company’s Board immediately following the Merger and made applicable to all incentive compensation paid by the Company to executive officers. The policy provides that our Board or our Compensation Committee shall require the clawback or adjustment of certain incentive-based compensation to the Company in the following circumstances:

As required by Section 304 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, which generally provides that if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to material noncompliance as a result of misconduct with financial reporting requirements under the securities laws, then the CEO and CFO must reimburse the Company for any incentive-based compensation or equity compensation and profits from the sale of the Company’s securities during the 12-month period following initial publication of the financial statements that had been restated;

As required by Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Act and Rule 10D-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which generally require that, in the event the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to its material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements under the securities laws, the Company may recover from any of its current or former executive officers who received incentive compensation, including stock options, during the three-year period preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare a restatement based on the erroneous financial reporting, any amount that exceeds what would have been paid to the executive officer after giving effect to the restatement; and

As required by any other applicable law, regulation, or regulatory requirement.

Additionally, our Board or Compensation Committee in their discretion may require that any executive officer who has been awarded incentive-based compensation shall forfeit, disgorge, return, or adjust such compensation in the following circumstances:

If the Company suffers significant financial loss, reputational damage, or similar adverse impact as a result of actions taken or decisions made by the executive officer in circumstances constituting illegal or intentionally wrongful conduct or gross negligence; or

If the executive officer is awarded or is paid out under any incentive compensation plan of the Company on the basis of a material misstatement of financial calculations or information, or if events coming to light after the award disclose a material misstatement which would have significantly reduced the amount of the award or payout if known at the time of the award or payout.

The awards and incentive compensation subject to clawback under the policy include vested and unvested equity awards, shares acquired upon vesting or lapse of restrictions, short- and long-term incentive bonuses and similar compensation, discretionary bonuses, and any other awards or compensation under the Company’s EIP, MIP, S2B Plan, S3B Plan, and any other incentive compensation plan of the Company. Any clawback under the policy may, in the discretion of our Board or Compensation Committee, be effectuated through the reduction, forfeiture, or cancellation of awards, the return of paid-out cash or exercised or released shares, adjustments to future incentive compensation opportunities, or in such other manner as our Board and Compensation Committee determine to be appropriate, except as otherwise required by law.

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In addition, under the Company’s Equity Plans, any equity award agreement granted may be cancelled by our Compensation Committee in its sole discretion, except as prohibited by applicable law, if the participant, without the consent of the Company, while employed by or providing services to the Company or any affiliate or after termination of such employment or service, violates a non-competition, non-solicitation, or non-disclosure covenant or agreement or otherwise engages in activity that is in conflict with or is adverse to the interests of the Company or any affiliate, including fraud or conduct contributing to any financial restatements or irregularities engaged in, as determined by our Compensation Committee in its sole discretion. Our Compensation Committee may also provide in any award agreement that the participant will forfeit any gain realized on the vesting or exercise of such award, and must repay the gain to the Company, in each case except as prohibited by applicable law, if (a) the participant engages in any activity referred to in the preceding sentence, or (b) the amount of any such gain is in excess of what the participant should have received under the terms of the award for any reason (including without limitation by reason of a financial restatement, mistake in calculations, or other administrative error). Additionally, awards are subject to claw-back, forfeiture, or similar requirements to the extent required by applicable law (including without limitation Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Section 954 of the Dodd Frank Act). Equity awards issued by New SPB and SPB Legacy have included these provisions.

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Executive Compensation Tables

The following tables and footnotes show the compensation earned for service in all capacities during Fiscal 2018, Fiscal 2017, and Fiscal 2016 by the NEOs of New SPB, SPB Legacy and HRG Legacy. We refer you to the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and the “Termination and Change in Control Provisions” sections herein as well as the corresponding footnotes to the tables for material factors necessary for an understanding of the compensation detailed in the Summary Compensation Table, All Other Compensation Table for Fiscal 2018, and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table below.

Post-Merger Company and SPB Legacy Summary Compensation Table


Name and Principal Position⁽¹⁾	Year		Salary		Bonus⁽²⁾		Stock Awards⁽³⁾		Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation⁽⁴⁾		All Other Compensation⁽⁵⁾		Total
David M. Maura		2018	$	769,744		—	$	3,200,000	$	136,463	$	417,421	$	4,523,628
Executive Chairman of the Board		2017	$	700,000		—	$	6,000,011	$	549,784	$	326,273	$	7,576,068	⁽⁶⁾
and Chief Executive Officer		2016	$	490,000		—	$	3,000,035	$	1,243,113	$	449,359	$	5,182,507

Andreas Rouvé		2018	$	603,077		—	$	3,000,025	$	111,444	$	603,688	$	4,318,234
Former SPB Chief Executive Officer		2017	$	735,000		—	$	6,000,011	$	577,274	$	272,964	$	7,585,249
		2016	$	735,000		—	$	3,000,035	$	1,308,943	$	701,910	$	5,745,888

Douglas L. Martin		2018	$	540,128		—	$	1,500,012	$	60,044	$	229,074	$	2,329,258
Chief Financial Officer		2017	$	550,000		—	$	3,500,007	$	311,021	$	189,391	$	4,550,419
		2016	$	550,000		—	$	1,499,968	$	705,227	$	189,798	$	2,944,993

Nathan E. Fagre		2018	$	368,269		—	$	1,300,047	$	225,000	$	126,904	$	2,020,220
Former SPB Senior Vice President,		2017	$	375,000		—	$	2,049,992	$	141,373	$	101,826	$	2,668,191
General Counsel and Secretary		2016	$	375,000		—	$	1,299,979	$	320,558	$	122,321	$	2,117,858

Stacey L. Neu		2018	$	270,064		—	$	749,951	$	165,000	$	58,713	$	1,243,728
Former Senior Vice President of		2017	$	275,000		—	$	1,249,942	$	103,674	$	46,377	$	1,674,993
Global Human Resources		2016	$	272,916		—	$	750,033	$	233,295	$	39,290	$	1,295,534

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Name and Principal Position⁽¹⁾	Year		Salary		Bonus⁽²⁾		Stock Awards⁽³⁾		Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation⁽⁴⁾		All Other Compensation⁽⁵⁾		Total
Joseph S. Steinberg		2018		—		—		—		—		—		—
Former HRG Chairman and		2017		—		—	$	80,000		—	$	85,927	$	165,927
Chief Executive Officer		2016		—		—		—		—		—		—

Ehsan Zargar		2018	$	315,384	$	5,000,000		—		—	$	165,582	$	5,480,966
Former HRG Executive Vice		2017	$	400,000	$	3,000,000		—		—	$	64,225	$	3,464,225
President, General Counsel and
Chief Operating Officer

George C. Nicholson		2018	$	279,000	$	950,000		—		—	$	61,380	$	1,290.380
Former HRG Senior Vice President		2017	$	312,500	$	825,000		—		—	$	42,441	$	1,179,941
Chief Accounting Officer and		2016	$	275,000		—		—	$	300,000	$	38,250	$	613,250
Chief Financial Officer

(1)

David M. Maura, our current Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of our Board; Andreas Rouvé, the former Chief Executive Officer and President of SPB Legacy; Douglas L. Martin, our current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Nathan E. Fagre, our former Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; Stacey L. Neu, our former Senior Vice President, Human Resources; Joseph S. Steinberg, the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board of HRG Legacy and our current board member; Ehsan Zargar, the former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of HRG Legacy and our current Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary; and George C. Nicholson, the former Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of HRG Legacy.

(2)	For Messrs. Zargar and Nicholson this reflects amounts paid for Fiscal 2018 pursuant to their retention agreements with HRG Legacy.

(3)

The 2018 EIP grants and the grants made under the Spectrum S3B Plan which are represented this column did not meet the applicable performance criteria and were forfeited. Accordingly, this table does not reflect what was paid or what was earned and, as noted, no payments were made with respect to the 2018 EIP or the Spectrum 3B Plan. For Fiscal 2018, this column reflects grants of performance-based restricted stock units under the 2018 EIP. For Fiscal 2017, this column reflects grants of performance-based restricted stock units under the 2017 EIP and grants under the Spectrum S3B Plan. For Fiscal 2016, this column reflects grants of performance-based restricted stock units under the 2016 EIP. This column reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of the awards computed in accordance with ASC Topic 718. For a discussion of the relevant ASC 718 valuation assumptions, see Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies and Practices, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2018. The performance-based restricted stock unit awards were subject to performance conditions and the values listed in this column with respect to such awards are based on the outcome of such grants at target as of the grant date. If the conditions for the highest level of performance were achieved, the value of the awards

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would have been as follows: Mr. Maura (2018 – $4,050,088; 2017 – $7,800,000; and 2016 - $4,050,000); Mr. Rouvé (2018 – $4,050,000; 2017 – $7,800,000; and 2016 – $4,050,000); Mr. Martin (2018 –$2,025,044; 2017 – $4,525,000; and 2016 – $2,025,000); Mr. Fagre (2018 – $1,755,031; 2017 – $2,692,500; and 2016 – $1,755,000); and Ms. Neu (2018 – $1,012,413; 2017 – $1,637,500; and 2016 – $1,012,500). At the lowest level of performance, the performance-based restricted stock unit awards are forfeited.

(4)

For Fiscal 2018, 2017, and 2016, this column represents amounts earned under the Company’s 2018, 2017, and 2016 MIP, as applicable. For additional detail on the 2018 MIP and the determination of the cash awards thereunder, please refer to the discussion under the headings “Management Incentive Plan” and the table entitled “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal 2018” and its accompanying footnotes. The cash incentive awards payable under the 2018, 2017 and 2016 MIP for the NEOs were settled in shares of common stock in lieu of cash on November 25, 2016, December 8, 2017 and December 7, 2018 respectively, as follows: Mr. Maura – 9,594 shares for the 2016 MIP, 4,786 shares for the 2017 MIP and 2,748 shares for the 2018 MIP; Mr. Rouvé – 10,101 shares for the 2016 MIP, 5,025 shares for the 2017 MIP and 1,279 shares for the 2018 MIP; Mr. Martin – 5,442 shares for the 2016 MIP, 2,707 shares for the 2017 MIP and 1,209 shares for the 2018 MIP; Mr. Fagre – 2,474 shares for the 2016 MIP and 1,231 shares for the 2017 MIP; and Ms. Neu – 1,800 shares for the 2016 MIP and 902 shares for the 2017 MIP. For the 2018 MIP, Mr. Fagre and Ms. Neu received payment of their awards in cash, as provided for in their respective separation agreements.

(5)

Please see the following tables for the details of the amounts that comprise the All Other Compensation column. For Messrs. Zargar and Nicholson, the 2018 amounts reflect HRG Legacy’s FlexNet benefits, HRG Legacy’s 401(k) matching contributions and HRG Legacy paid premiums for supplemental health insurance.

(6)

For his services as an HRG Legacy employee during Fiscal 2017, Mr. Maura also received compensation from HRG Legacy consisting of the following (i) bonus of $2,150,000, (ii) option awards of $1,895,458, and (iii) all other compensation of $550,000 for a total of $4,595,458 (these amounts were earned in connection with Mr. Maura’s separation agreement from HRG Legacy in connection with the Maura Separation Agreement from November 2016). For Fiscal 2016, Mr. Maura also received compensation from HRG Legacy as follows (i) salary $150,824, (ii) stock awards $191,356, (iii) option awards $36,613, (iv) non-equity incentive plan compensation of $3,355,080 and all other compensation of $50,000, for a total of $3,783,873. These amounts are not reflected in the summary compensation table above and relate to Mr. Maura’s prior service for HRG Legacy. For additional details please see the Summary Compensation Table of HRG Legacy’s Proxy dated April 30, 2018.

All Other Compensation Table for Fiscal 2018


Name*	Financial Planning Services Provided to Executive		Life Insurance Premiums Paid on Executives Behalf⁽¹⁾		Car Allowance/ Personal Use of Company Car⁽²⁾		Tax Equalization Payments⁽³⁾		Company Contributions to Executive’s Qualified Retirement Plan⁽⁴⁾		Company Contributions to Executive’s Supplemental Life Insurance Policy		Dividends⁽⁵⁾		FlexNet		Other⁽⁶⁾		Total
David M. Maura	$	30,000	$	4,943	$	24,286	$	14,852	$	10,320	$	77,000	$	256,020		—		—	$	417,421
Andreas Rouvé	$	30,000	$	17,640	$	15,250	$	39,641	$	9,250	$	110,250	$	138,515		—	$	243,142	$	603,688
Douglas L. Martin	$	20,000	$	10,535	$	15,250	$	27,607	$	9,250	$	82,500	$	63,932		—		—	$	229,074
Nathan E. Fagre	$	20,000	$	9,185	$	15,427	$	28,474	$	9,250		—	$	44,568		—		—	$	126,904

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Name*	Financial Planning Services Provided to Executive		Life Insurance Premiums Paid on Executives Behalf⁽¹⁾		Car Allowance/ Personal Use of Company Car⁽²⁾		Tax Equalization Payments⁽³⁾		Company Contributions to Executive’s Qualified Retirement Plan⁽⁴⁾		Company Contributions to Executive’s Supplemental Life Insurance Policy		Dividends⁽⁵⁾		FlexNet		Other⁽⁶⁾		Total
Stacey L. Neu		—	$	2,132	$	14,250	$	10,300	$	6,645		—	$	25,386		—		—	$	58,713
Joseph S. Steinberg		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—
Ehsan Zargar		—		—		—		—	$	9,269		—		—	$	100,000	$	56,313	$	165,582
George C. Nicholson		—		—		—		—	$	10,123		—		—	$	25,000	$	20,286	$	61,380

(1)	The amount represents the life insurance premium paid for Fiscal 2018. The Company provides life insurance coverage equal to three times base salary for each executive officer.

(2)

The Company sponsors a leased car and car allowance program. Under the leased car program, costs associated with using the vehicle are also provided. These include maintenance, insurance, and license and registration. Under the car allowance program, the executive receives a fixed monthly allowance. Mr. Rouvé, Mr. Martin, Mr. Fagre, and Ms. Neu participated in the leased car program. Mr. Maura received up to $2,000 per month for a car allowance.

(3)	Includes tax payments for the financial benefits received for the following executive benefits and perquisites: financial planning, executive life insurance, and executive leased car program.

(4)	Represents amounts contributed under the Company-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan.

(5)	Dividends paid on RSUs held by NEOs which were not factored into the grant date fair value of the RSUs.

(6)

Represents salary continuance payments totaling $217,700 and vacation payout totaling $25,442 received by Mr. Rouvé as part of his severance. For Mr. Zargar, represents (i) vacation payout of $30,769 from HRG Legacy in connection with the termination of his employment with HRG Legacy, (ii) $20,000 payments from New SPB for consulting services provided to New SPB and (iii) $5,544 from HRG Legacy representing employer paid premiums for a supplemental health insurance plan. For Mr. Nicholson, represents vacation payout of $11,700 from HRG Legacy and $8,586 from HRG Legacy representing employer paid premiums for a supplemental health insurance plan. As noted above, pursuant to the Restated Zargar Retention Agreement and the Restated Nicholson Retention Agreement, the employment of Mr. Zargar and Mr. Nicholson with HRG Legacy terminated on July 13, 2018 and such termination was a termination without Cause and the payments were made by HRG Legacy pursuant to such agreements and are shown in the Bonus column.

114

Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal 2018

The following table and footnotes provide information with respect to equity grants made to the NEOs indicated in the table during Fiscal 2018 as well as the range of future payouts under non-equity incentive plans for the NEOs indicated.


				Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards						Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards						Grant Date Fair Value of Stock
Name*	Grant Date			Threshold $		Target $		Maximum $		Threshold $		Target $		Maximum $		Awards⁽³⁾ $
David M. Maura		10/01/2017	⁽¹⁾	$	281,250	$	1,125,000	$	2,812,500
		12/15/2017	⁽²⁾								6,853		27,410		37,004	$	3,000,025
		4/28/2018	⁽²⁾								526		2,105		2,842	$	199,975
Andreas Rouvé		10/01/2017	⁽¹⁾	$	229,688	$	918,750	$	2,296,875
		12/15/2017	⁽²⁾								6,853		27,410		37,004	$	3,000,025
Douglas L. Martin		10/01/2017	⁽¹⁾	$	123,750	$	495,000	$	990,000
		12/15/2017	⁽²⁾								3,426		13,705		18,502	$	1,500,012
Nathan E. Fagre		10/01/2017	⁽¹⁾	$	56,250	$	225,000	$	450,000
		12/15/2017	⁽²⁾								2,970		11,878		16,035	$	1,300,047
Stacey L. Neu		10/01/2017	⁽¹⁾	$	41,250	$	165,000	$	330,000
		12/15/2017	⁽²⁾								1,713		6,852		9,250	$	749,951
Joseph Steinberg		—			—		—		—		—		—		—		—
Ehsan Zargar		—			—		—		—		—		—		—		—
George C. Nicholson		—			—		—		—		—		—		—		—

(1)

Represents the threshold, target, and maximum payouts under the Company’s 2018 MIP. The actual amounts earned under the plan for Fiscal 2018 are disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table above as part of the column entitled “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.” For Messrs. Maura and Rouvé the maximum payouts for the disclosed awards are equal to 250% of target. For Messrs. Martin and Fagre and for Ms. Neu the maximum payouts for the disclosed awards are equal to 200% of target.

(2)

The amounts represent the threshold, target, and maximum payouts, denominated in the number of shares of stock, in respect of performance-based RSUs granted under the Company’s 2018 EIP. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis – Equity Incentive Plans – Fiscal 2018 EIP Program” for a discussion of the performance measures applicable to the grants.

(3)

Except as otherwise noted, reflects the value at the grant date based upon the probable outcome of the relevant performance conditions at target. This amount is consistent with the estimate of aggregate compensation costs to be recognized over the service period determined as of the grant date under FASB ASC Topic 718, excluding the effect of any estimated forfeitures.

115

Outstanding Equity Awards at the End of Fiscal 2018

The following table and footnotes set forth information regarding outstanding options and restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards as of September 30, 2018 for the NEOs. The market value of shares that have not vested was determined by multiplying $74.04, the closing market price of the Company’s stock on September 28, 2018, the last trading day of Fiscal 2018, by the number of shares.


Name*	Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable		Option Exercise Price		Option Expiration Date			Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested			Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested		Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units, or Other Rights That Have Not Vested⁽¹⁾			Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units, or Other Rights That Have Not Vested
David M. Maura		70,294	$	52.83		11/29/2022	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		64,142	$	72.92		12/3/2023	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		26,743	$	82.85		11/25/2024	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		1,164	$	86.38		11/24/2025	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		51,309	$	95.43		12/14/2026	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		—		—		—			9,273	⁽²⁾	$	686,573		54,328	⁽³⁾	$	4,022,445
Andreas Rouvé		—		—		—			9,273	⁽⁴⁾	$	686,573		52,223	⁽⁵⁾	$	3,866,591

Douglas L. Martin		—		—		—			4,636	⁽⁶⁾	$	343,249		30,232	⁽⁷⁾	$	2,238,377
Nathan E. Fagre		—		—		—			4,018	⁽⁸⁾	$	297,493		18,097	⁽⁹⁾	$	1,339,902
Stacey L. Neu		—		—		—			2,318	⁽¹⁰⁾	$	171,625		10,995	⁽¹¹⁾	$	814,070
Joseph S. Steinberg		—		—		—			—			—		—			—
Ehsan Zargar		3,958	$	72.92		11/29/2023	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
		5,009	$	82.86		11/25/2024	⁽¹²⁾		—			—		—			—
George C. Nicholson		—		—		—			—			—		—			—

(1)

The performance-based RSUs represented in this column did not meet performance criteria and were forfeited. Accordingly, this table does not reflect what was paid or what was earned and as noted no payments were made with respect to the 2018 EIP or the Spectrum 3B Plan. This represents 54,328 RSUs for Mr. Maura, 52,223 RSUs for Mr. Rouvé, 30,232 RSUs for Mr. Martin, 18,097 RSUs for Mr. Fagre, and 10,995 RSUs for Ms. Neu. If the performance criteria under the 2018 EIP were satisfied as of September 30, 2018, the RSUs granted would have vested as follows: 50% of the award on December 1, 2018, and the remaining 50% (plus any over-achievement upside) on December 1, 2018, subject to continued employment on that date. If the performance criteria under the Spectrum S3B Plan had been satisfied as of September 30, 2018, the RSUs granted would have vested as follows: 50% of the award on December 1, 2018, and the remaining 50% on December 1, 2019.

(2)	Represents 9,273 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Maura pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP. The RSUs granted to Mr. Maura under the 2017 EIP vest as follows: 50% of the award vested on December 1, 2017, and the remaining 50% vest on December 1, 2018.

116

(3)

Represents 29,515 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Maura pursuant to the Company’s 2018 EIP, 87 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP for reaching or exceeding the upper achievement thresholds for the performance goals, 24,726 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Spectrum S3B Plan.

(4)	Represents 9,273 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Rouvé pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP. The RSUs granted to Mr. Rouvé under the 2017 EIP vest as follows: 50% of the award vested on December 1, 2017, and the remaining 50% vest on December 1, 2018.

(5)

Represents 24,410 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Rouvé pursuant to the Company’s 2018 EIP, 87 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP for reaching or exceeding the upper achievement thresholds for the performance goals, and 24,726 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Spectrum S3B Plan.

(6)	Represents 4,636 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Martin pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP. The RSUs granted to Mr. Martin under the 2017 EIP vest as follows: 50% of the award vested on December 1, 2017, and the remaining 50% vest on December 1, 2018.

(7)

Represents 13,705 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Martin pursuant to the Company’s 2018 EIP, 43 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP for reaching or exceeding the upper achievement thresholds for the performance goals, and 16,484 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Spectrum S3B Plan.

(8)	Represents 4,018 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Fagre pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP. The RSUs granted to Mr. Fagre under the 2017 EIP vest as follows: 50% of the award vested on December 1, 2017, and the remaining 50% vest on December 1, 2017.

(9)

Represents 11,878 performance-based RSUs granted to Mr. Fagre pursuant to the Company’s 2018 EIP, 38 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP for reaching or exceeding the upper achievement thresholds for the performance goals, and 6,181 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Spectrum S3B Plan.

(10)	Represents 2,318 performance-based RSUs granted to Ms. Neu pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP. The RSUs granted to Ms. Neu under the 2017 EIP vest as follows: 50% of the award vested on December 1, 2017, and the remaining 50% vest on December 1, 2018.

(11)

Represents 6,852 performance-based RSUs granted to Ms. Neu pursuant to the Company’s 2018 EIP, 22 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Company’s 2017 EIP for reaching or exceeding the upper achievement thresholds for the performance goals, and 4,121 performance-based RSUs granted pursuant to the Spectrum S3B Plan.

(12)

The options granted to Mr. Maura and Mr. Zargar by HRG Legacy had an original expiration date of ten years from the date of grant, which were generally reduced to one year following the termination of their employment. As Mr. Maura and Mr. Zargar were subsequently employed by the Company following the Merger, the Company entered into an agreement with each Executive confirming that such options would continue to be exercisable until the tenth anniversary of their original grant date.

117

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

The following table and footnotes provide information regarding option exercises and stock vesting during Fiscal 2018 for the NEOs.


	Stock Awards					Options
Name	Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting		Value Realized On Vesting			Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise		Value Realized On Exercise
David M. Maura		53,768	$	6,142,088	⁽¹⁾		—		—
Andreas Rouvé		61,725	$	6,865,644	⁽²⁾		—		—
Douglas L. Martin		28,562	$	3,262,770	⁽³⁾		—		—
Nathan E. Fagre		18,377	$	2,099,157	⁽⁴⁾		—		—
Stacey L. Neu		10,635	$	1,214,858	⁽⁵⁾		—		—
Joseph S. Steinberg(7)		—		—			—		—
Ehsan Zargar (7)(8)		4,118	$	444,634			49,644	$	244,274	(6)
George C. Nicholson		—		—			—		—

(1)

The amount for Mr. Maura in this column represents the value realized upon the vesting of 48,982 RSUs on December 1, 2017 and 4,786 RSUs on December 8, 2017. The value was computed by multiplying the number of shares vested by the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock on each such vesting date, which was $114.21 on December 1, 2017 and $114.47 on December 8, 2017.

(2)

The amount for Mr. Rouvé in this column represents the value realized upon the vesting of 47,427 RSUs on December 1, 2017, 5,025 RSUs on December 8, 2017, and 9,273 RSUs on April 25, 2018. The value was computed by multiplying the number of shares vested by the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock on each such vesting date, which was $114.21 on December 1, 2017, $114.47 on December 8, 2017 and $94.23 on April 25, 2018.

(3)

The amount for Mr. Martin in this column represents the value realized upon the vesting of 25,855 RSUs on December 1, 2017 and 2,707 RSUs on December 8, 2017. The value was computed by multiplying the number of shares vested by the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock on each such vesting date, which was $114.21 on December 1, 2017 and $114.47 on December 8, 2017.

(4)

The amount for Mr. Fagre in this column represents the value realized upon the vesting of 17,146RSUs on December 1, 2017 and 1,231 RSUs on December 8, 2017. The value was computed by multiplying the number of shares vested by the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock on each such vesting date, which was $114.21 on December 1, 2017 and $114.47 on December 8, 2017.

(5)

The amount for Ms. Neu in this column represents the value realized upon the vesting of 9,733 RSUs on December 1, 2017 and 902 RSUs on December 8, 2017. The value was computed by multiplying the number of shares vested by the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock on each such vesting date, which was $114.21 on December 1, 2017 and $114.47 on December 8, 2017.

(6)	The amount for Mr. Zargar in this column represents the value realized upon exercising 49,644 options on April 27, 2018.

(7)	The table above does not reflect the amount of stock awards that vested for Mr. Steinberg and Mr. Zargar in connection with their service as directors and such amounts are reflected in the director compensation table.

(8)	This represents the gross amount of shares which vested and 2,299 shares were withheld for taxes.

118

Pension Benefits

Except for Mr. Rouvé, none of the NEOs participated in any SPB Legacy, HRG Legacy or New SPB pension plans during or as of the end of Fiscal 2018. As noted under “Summaries of Employment and Severance Agreements with SPB Legacy and New SPB NEOs – Employment Agreement with Mr. Rouvé” above, Mr. Rouvé is entitled to receive certain pension payments.

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation

None of our NEOs participated in any SPB Legacy or Company non-qualified deferred compensation programs during or as of the end of Fiscal 2018; except that Mr. Maura received a payment in August 2018 of $1,815,080 in connection with a previously earned and deferred bonus from HRG Legacy, which was scheduled to be paid by November 2018.

Termination and Change in Control Provisions

Awards under the Company Equity Plan. For purposes of these incentive plans, “change in control” generally means the occurrence of any of the events listed below and “Applicable Company” means SPB Legacy with respect to the Legacy SPB Plan and the Company with respect to the Legacy HRG Plan:

(i)

the acquisition, by any individual, entity or group of beneficial ownership of more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Applicable Company’s then outstanding securities;

(ii)

individuals who constituted our Board at the effective time of the plan and directors who are nominated and elected as their successors from time to time cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of our Board;

(iii)

consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Applicable Company or any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Applicable Company with any other entity, other than (A) a merger or consolidation which results in the voting securities of the Applicable Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Applicable Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Applicable Company (or similar transaction) in which no individual, entity or group is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of voting securities of the Applicable Company (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such individual, entity or group any securities acquired directly from the Applicable Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries) representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Applicable Company’s then outstanding voting securities or (C) a merger or consolidation affecting the Applicable Company as a result of which a Designated Holder (as defined below) owns after such transaction more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Applicable Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(iv)

approval by the stockholders of the Applicable Company of either a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Applicable Company or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Applicable Company, other than a sale or disposition by the Applicable Company of all or substantially all of the assets of the Applicable Company to an entity, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Applicable Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Applicable Company immediately prior to such sale.

Provided that, in each case, it shall not be a change in control if, immediately following the occurrence of the event described above (i) the record holders of the common stock of the Applicable Company immediately prior to the event continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Company immediately following the event, or (ii) the Harbinger Master Fund, the Harbinger Special Situations Fund, HRG, and their respective affiliates and subsidiaries (the “Designated Holders”) beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Applicable Company or any successor.

119

In general, in the event a change in control occurs, our Board may, in its sole discretion, provide that, with respect to any particular outstanding awards:

(i)

all stock options and stock appreciation rights outstanding as of immediately prior to the change in control will become immediately exercisable;

(ii)

the restricted period shall expire immediately prior to the change in control with respect to up to 100 percent of the then-outstanding shares of restricted stock or RSUs (including, without limitation, a waiver of any applicable performance goals);

(iii)

all incomplete performance periods in effect on the date the change in control occurs shall end on that date, and our Compensation Committee may (i) determine the extent to which performance goals with respect to each such performance period have been met based on such audited or unaudited financial information or other information then available it deems relevant and (ii) cause the participant to receive partial or full payment of awards for each such performance period based upon our Compensation Committee’s determination of the degree of attainment of such performance goals, or assuming that the applicable “target” levels of performance have been attained or on such other basis determined by our Compensation Committee; and

(iv)

any awards previously deferred shall be settled as soon as practicable.

Executive Specific Provisions regarding Termination and Change in Control

As discussed under the heading “Summary of Employment and Severance Agreements with New SPB and SPB Legacy NEOs,” each of the continuing NEOs are parties to continuing employment or other written agreements with the Company that govern various aspects of the employment relationship, including the rights and obligations of the parties upon termination of that employment relationship and/or a change in control.

120

Tables of Amounts Payable upon Termination or Change in Control

The following tables set forth the amounts that would have been payable at September 30, 2018 to each of the NEOs who were employed by the Company as NEOs on the last day of Fiscal 2018 under the various scenarios for termination of employment or a change in control of the Company had such scenarios occurred on September 30, 2018 (except for Mr. Rouvé whose employment terminated in April 2018).

David Maura


	Termination Scenarios (Assumes Termination On 9/30/2018)
Component	Without Good Reason or For Cause		With Good Reason or Without Cause			Upon Death or Disability			Change in Control (CIC) and Termination
Cash Severance⁽¹⁾, ⁽²⁾	$	0	$	3,185,411		$	3,185,411		$	3,185,411
Annual Bonus⁽³⁾, ⁽⁴⁾	$	0	$	136,418		$	136,418		$	136,418
Equity Awards (Intrinsic Value)⁽⁵⁾
Unvested Restricted Stock Units	$	0	$	936,508	⁽⁶⁾	$	936,508	⁽⁶⁾

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

Spectrum Brands, Inc. S-1/A