PRTS 10-Q Q3 2014

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)



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

For the quarterly period ended September 27, 2014



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

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-33264

U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Delaware		68-0623433
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

16941 Keegan Avenue, Carson, CA 90746

(Address of Principal Executive Office) (Zip Code)

(310) 735-0085

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý No o

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



Large Accelerated Filer	o	Accelerated Filer	o
Non-Accelerated Filer	ý (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	o

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

As of November 3, 2014, the registrant had 33,564,338 shares of common stock outstanding, $0.001 par value.

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U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC.

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

FOR THE THIRTEEN WEEKS ENDED SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

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		Page
	PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.	Financial Statements	4
	Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013	4
	Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Operations (Unaudited) for the Thirteen and Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013	5
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013	6
	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)	7
ITEM 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	28
ITEM 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	46
ITEM 4.	Controls and Procedures	46

	PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1.	Legal Proceedings	47
ITEM 1A.	Risk Factors	47
ITEM 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	61
ITEM 3.	Defaults Upon Senior Securities	61
ITEM 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	61
ITEM 5.	Other Information	61
ITEM 6.	Exhibits	62

Unless the context requires otherwise, as used in this report, the terms “U.S. Auto Parts,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

U.S. Auto Parts®, U.S. Auto Parts Network™, PartsTrain®, AutoMD®, AutoMD Insta-Quotes! ®, Kool-Vue™, JC Whitney®, and Stylintrucks™, amongst others, are our United States trademarks. All other trademarks and trade names appearing in this report are the property of their respective owners.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements included in this report, other than statements or characterizations of historical or current fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Any forward-looking statements included herein are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would”, “will likely continue,” “will likely result” and variations of these words or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events, our future operating and financial results, financial expectations, expected growth and strategies, current business indicators, capital needs, financing plans, capital deployment, liquidity, contracts, litigation, product offerings, customers, acquisitions, competition and the status of our facilities. Forward-looking statements, no matter where they occur in this document or in other statements attributable to the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part II, Item 1A of this report. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. You should read this report and the documents that we reference in this report and have filed as exhibits to the report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. Financial Statements

U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited, In Thousands, Except Par and Liquidation Value)



	September 27, 2014			December 28, 2013
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,255		$	818
Short-term investments	39			47
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $258 and $213 at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively	3,958			5,029
Inventory	44,816			36,986
Other current assets	3,052			3,234
Total current assets	53,120			46,114
Property and equipment, net	17,321			19,663
Intangible assets, net	1,822			1,601
Other non-current assets	1,421			1,804
Total assets	$	73,684		$	69,182
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	21,715		$	19,669
Accrued expenses	6,902			5,959
Revolving loan payable	10,869			6,774
Current portion of capital leases payable	209			269
Other current liabilities	3,982			3,682
Total current liabilities	43,677			36,353
Capital leases payable, net of current portion	9,392			9,502
Deferred income taxes	321			335
Other non-current liabilities	1,854			2,126
Total liabilities	55,244			48,316
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Series A convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; $1.45 per share liquidation value or aggregate of $6,017; 4,150 shares authorized; 4,150 shares issued and outstanding at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013	4			4
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; 33,542 and 33,352 shares issued and outstanding at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, respectively	34			33
Additional paid-in-capital	170,969			168,693
Common stock dividend distributable	61			60
Accumulated other comprehensive income	395			446
Accumulated deficit	(153,023		)	(148,370		)
Total stockholders’ equity	18,440			20,866
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	73,684		$	69,182

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS

(Unaudited, in Thousands, Except Per Share Data)



	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013			September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Net sales	$	67,965		$	61,724		$	212,940		$	195,018
Cost of sales (1)	49,551			43,817			153,405			138,360
Gross profit	18,414			17,907			59,535			56,658
Operating expenses:
Marketing	10,278			9,385			31,356			31,762
General and administrative	3,762			4,261			12,532			13,626
Fulfillment	5,256			4,217			15,351			14,589
Technology	1,228			1,204			3,640			4,035
Amortization of intangible assets	106			86			316			299
Impairment loss on property and equipment	—			—			—			4,832
Impairment loss on intangible assets	—			—			—			1,245
Total operating expenses	20,630			19,153			63,195			70,388
Loss from operations	(2,216		)	(1,246		)	(3,660		)	(13,730		)
Other income (expense):
Other income, net	24			135			39			214
Interest expense	(287		)	(287		)	(784		)	(702		)
Total other expense, net	(263		)	(152		)	(745		)	(488		)
Loss before income taxes	(2,479		)	(1,398		)	(4,405		)	(14,218		)
Income tax provision	15			1			68			91
Net loss	(2,494		)	(1,399		)	(4,473		)	(14,309		)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation adjustments	23			6			19			31
Net unrecognized losses on derivative instruments	(48		)	—			(70		)	—
Unrealized gains on investments	—			2			—			4
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	(25		)	8			(51		)	35
Comprehensive loss	$	(2,519	)	$	(1,391	)	$	(4,524	)	$	(14,274	)
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.04	)	$	(0.14	)	$	(0.44	)
Shares used in computation of basic and diluted net loss per share	33,532			33,218			33,459			32,493


(1)	Excludes depreciation and amortization expense which is included in marketing, general and administrative and fulfillment expense as described in “Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Nature of Operations” below.

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited, In Thousands)



	Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Operating activities
Net loss	$	(4,473	)	$	(14,309	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense	6,833			9,736
Amortization of intangible assets	316			299
Impairment loss on property and equipment	—			4,832
Impairment loss on intangible assets	—			1,245
Deferred income taxes	60			109
Share-based compensation expense	1,691			1,065
Stock awards issued for non-employee director service	—			31
Amortization of deferred financing costs	61			61
Gain from disposition of assets	(21		)	(39		)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	1,071			2,536
Inventory	(7,830		)	2,550
Other current assets	106			475
Other non-current assets	(9		)	142
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	2,869			(10,303		)
Other current liabilities	227			(864		)
Other non-current liabilities	(191		)	515
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	710			(1,919		)
Investing activities
Additions to property and equipment	(4,292		)	(6,679		)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	27			42
Cash paid for intangible assets	(200		)	—
Purchases of marketable securities and investments	(746		)	(4		)
Proceeds from the sale of marketable securities and investments	745			—
Purchases of company-owned life insurance	—			(106		)
Net cash used in investing activities	(4,466		)	(6,747		)
Financing activities
Borrowings from revolving loan payable	14,233			16,667
Payments made on revolving loan payable	(10,138		)	(24,590		)
Proceeds from sale leaseback transaction	—			9,584
Proceeds from issuance of Series A convertible preferred stock	—			6,017
Payment of issuance costs from Series A convertible preferred stock	—			(847		)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	—			2,235
Payment of issuance costs from common stock	—			(223		)
Payments on capital leases	(170		)	(126		)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	265			22
Net cash provided by financing activities	4,190			8,739
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	3			(4		)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	437			69
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	818			1,030
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$	1,255		$	1,099
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Accrued asset purchases	$	801		$	848
Property acquired under capital lease	—			322
Unrealized gain on investments	70			4
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash received during the period for income taxes	$	34		$	32
Cash paid during the period for interest	(744		)	(628		)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

(In Thousands, Except Per Share Data)

Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Nature of Operations

U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. (including its subsidiaries) is a distributor of aftermarket auto parts and accessories and was established in 1995. The Company entered the e-commerce sector by launching its first website in 2000 and currently derives the majority of its revenues from online sales channels. The Company sells its products to individual consumers through a network of websites and online marketplaces. Our flagship websites are located at www.autopartswarehouse.com , www.jcwhitney.com , www.AutoMD.com and our corporate website is located at www.usautoparts.net. References to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

The Company’s products consist of body parts, engine parts, performance parts and accessories. The body parts category is primarily comprised of parts for the exterior of an automobile. Our parts in this category are typically replacement parts for original body parts that have been damaged as a result of a collision or through general wear and tear. The majority of these products are sold through our websites. In addition, we sell an extensive line of mirror products, including our own private-label brand called Kool-Vue™, which are marketed and sold as aftermarket replacement parts and as upgrades to existing parts. The engine parts category is comprised of engine components and other mechanical and electrical parts, which are often referred to as hard parts. These parts serve as replacement parts for existing engine parts and are generally used by professionals and do-it-yourselfers for engine and mechanical maintenance and repair. We offer performance versions of many parts sold in each of the above categories. Performance parts and accessories generally consist of parts that enhance the performance of the automobile, upgrade existing functionality of a specific part or improve the physical appearance or comfort of the automobile.

The Company is a Delaware C corporation and is headquartered in Carson, California. The Company has employees located in the United States of America (or the “United States”), and in the Philippines.

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Form 10-Q and Article 10 of SEC Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company as of September 27, 2014 and the consolidated results of operations for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, and cash flows for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013. The Company’s results of operations for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of those to be expected for the entire fiscal year. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2014. We refer to our fiscal year ending January 3, 2015 as fiscal year 2014 and our fiscal year ended December 28, 2013 as fiscal year 2013.

During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014, the Company incurred a net loss of $2,494 and $4,473, respectively, compared to a net loss of $1,399 and $14,309 during the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013. The Company believes that the increase in net revenues to $67,965 in the third quarter of 2014 from $61,724 in the third quarter of 2013, is part of a continuing positive trend, and based on our current operating plan, we expect to finish fiscal year 2014 with a substantially reduced net loss compared to the net loss for fiscal year 2013. As a result, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents, investments, cash flows from operations and available debt financing will be sufficient to finance our operational cash needs through at least the next twelve months. Should our results not meet our current operating plan and should revenues decline in 2014, it could negatively impact our liquidity as we may not be able to provide positive cash flows from operations in order to meet our working capital requirements. We may need to borrow additional funds from our credit facility, which under certain circumstances may not be available, sell additional assets or seek additional equity or debt financing in the future. There can be no assurance that we would be able to raise such additional financing or engage in such asset sales on acceptable terms, or at all. If revenues and/or gross profit were to decline and the net loss continues for longer than we expect because our strategies to return to sustained positive sales growth and profitability are not successful, and if we are not able to raise adequate additional financing or proceeds from additional asset sales to continue to fund our ongoing operations, we will need to defer, reduce or eliminate significant planned expenditures, restructure or significantly curtail our operations.

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Fiscal Periods

The Company’s fiscal year is based on a 52/53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to December 31. Quarterly periods are based on the thirteen weeks ending on the Saturday closest to the calendar quarter end date. Our fiscal year 2014 will be 53 weeks ending January 3, 2015.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. On October 8th, 2014, AutoMD sold 7,000,000 shares of AutoMD common stock to third-party investors. Following the sale, AutoMD ceased to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Company will continue to consolidate for reporting purposes. Refer to “Note 13 – Subsequent Events” for additional fair value information.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates made by management include, but are not limited to, those related to revenue recognition, uncollectible receivables, valuation of inventory, valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, valuation of intangible assets and other long-lived assets, recoverability of software development costs, contingencies and share-based compensation expense that results from estimated grant date fair values and vesting of issued equity awards based upon certain performance targets. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Statement of Cash Flows

The net change in the Company’s book overdraft is presented net of accounts payable in the operating activity of the consolidated statement of cash flows. The book overdraft represents a credit balance in the Company’s general ledger but the Company has a positive bank account balance.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all money market funds and short-term investments purchased with original maturities of ninety days or less to be cash equivalents.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Financial instruments that are not measured at fair value include accounts receivable, accounts payable and debt. Refer to “Note 3 – Fair Value Measurements” for additional fair value information. The Company’s revolving loan payable (see “Note 6 –Borrowings”) is categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, as the estimated value would be based on the quoted market prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rates available to the Company for debt of the same or similar terms. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013 due to their short-term maturities. Investments and derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value, as discussed below.

Accounts Receivable and Concentration of Credit Risk

Accounts receivable are stated net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is determined primarily on the basis of past collection experience and general economic conditions. The Company determines terms and conditions for its customers primarily based on the volume purchased by the customer, customer creditworthiness and past transaction history.

Concentrations of credit risk are limited to the customer base to which the Company’s products are sold. The Company does not believe significant concentrations of credit risk exist.

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Investments

Investments were comprised of closed-end funds primarily invested in mutual funds that hold government bonds, stock and short-term money market funds. Mutual funds are classified as short-term investments available-for-sale and recorded at fair market value, based on quoted prices of identical assets that are trading in active markets as of the end of the period for which the values are determined.

Other-Than-Temporary Impairment

All of the Company’s investments are subject to a periodic impairment review. The Company recognizes an impairment charge when a decline in the fair value of its investments below the cost basis is judged to be other-than-temporary. The Company considers various factors in determining whether to recognize an impairment charge, including the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than the Company’s cost basis, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the investee, and the Company’s intent and ability to hold the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in the market value. No other-than-temporary impairment charges were recorded on any investments during the thirty-nine week periods ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Cash flow hedges are hedges that use derivatives to partially offset the variability of future cash flows. The Company hedges a portion of its forecasted foreign currency exposure associated with operating expenses incurred in the Philippines, for up to 12 months. The Company records all derivatives on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value. The Company’s accounting treatment of these instruments is based on whether the instruments are designated as hedge or non-hedge instruments. For derivative instruments that hedge the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that are designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portions of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders’ equity and reclassified into income in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. To receive hedge accounting treatment, cash flow hedges must be highly effective in offsetting changes to expected future cash flows on hedged transactions. The Company did not have any non-hedge instruments as of September 27, 2014 or December 28, 2013. Refer to “Note 3 – Fair Value Measurements” for additional fair value information.

At September 27, 2014, the Company had $70 recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to derivatives which were designated as hedging instruments. The Company reclassified $11 of net losses from accumulated other comprehensive loss to operating expense during the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014. There was no ineffective portion recognized for the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014. The Company expects to reclassify $70 of net losses from accumulated other comprehensive loss to operating expense over the next twelve months. The notional value at September 27, 2014 was $1,959. The Company did not hedge foreign currency exposure prior to fiscal 2014.

Inventory

Inventories consist of finished goods available-for-sale and are stated at the lower of cost or market value, determined using the first-in first-out (“FIFO”) method. The Company purchases inventory from suppliers both domestically and internationally, and routinely enters into supply agreements with U.S.–based suppliers and its primary drop-ship vendors. The Company believes that its products are generally available from more than one supplier and seeks to maintain multiple sources for its products, both internationally and domestically. The Company primarily purchases products in bulk quantities to take advantage of quantity discounts and to ensure inventory availability. Inventory is reported at the lower of cost or market, adjusted for slow moving, or scrap product. The Company’s inventory, primarily aftermarket auto parts, including body parts, engine parts, and performance parts and accessories, are used on vehicles that have rather long lives; and therefore, the risk of obsolescence is minimal. Inventory at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013 was $44,816 and $36,986, respectively, which included items in-transit to our warehouses, in the amount of $11,672 and $6,750, respectively.

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Website and Software Development Costs

The Company capitalizes certain costs associated with website and software developed for internal use according to ASC 350-50 Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Website Development Costs and ASC 350-40 Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software, when both the preliminary project design and testing stage are completed and management has authorized further funding for the project, which it deems probable of completion and to be used for the function intended. Capitalized costs include amounts directly related to website and software development such as payroll and payroll-related costs for employees who are directly associated with, and who devote time to, the internal-use software project. Capitalization of such costs ceases when the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. These amounts are amortized on a straight-line basis over two years once the software is placed into service.

Long-Lived Assets and Intangibles Subject to Amortization

The Company accounts for the impairment and disposition of long-lived assets, including intangibles subject to amortization, in accordance with ASC 360 Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360”). Management assesses potential impairments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. An impairment loss will result when the carrying value exceeds the undiscounted cash flows estimated to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset or asset group. Impairment losses will be recognized in operating results to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the discounted future cash flows estimated to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset or asset group. The Company continually uses judgment when applying these impairment rules to determine the timing of the impairment tests, undiscounted cash flows used to assess impairments, and the fair value of a potentially impaired asset or asset group. The reasonableness of our judgments could significantly affect the carrying value of our long-lived assets. The Company has not recognized any impairment losses on property and equipment or intangible assets subject to amortization since the second quarter of 2013.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue from product sales and shipping revenues, net of promotional discounts and return allowances, when the following five revenue recognition criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, both title and risk of loss or damage have transferred, delivery has occurred, the selling price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company retains the risk of loss or damage during transit, therefore, revenue from product sales is recognized at the delivery date to customer, not upon shipment. Return allowances, which reduce product revenue by the Company’s best estimate of expected product returns, are estimated using historical experience.

Revenue from sales of advertising is recorded when performance requirements of the related advertising program agreement are met.

The Company evaluates the criteria of ASC 605-45 Revenue Recognition Principal Agent Considerations in determining whether it is appropriate to record the gross amount of product sales and related costs or the net amount earned as commissions. Generally, when the Company is the primary party obligated in a transaction, the Company is subject to inventory risk, has latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, or has several but not all of these indicators, revenue is recorded at gross.

Payments received prior to the delivery of goods to customers are recorded as deferred revenue.

The Company periodically provides incentive offers to its customers to encourage purchases. Such offers include current discount offers, such as percentage discounts off current purchases and other similar offers. Current discount offers, when accepted by the Company’s customers, are treated as a reduction to the purchase price of the related transaction.

Sales discounts are recorded in the period in which the related sale is recognized. Sales return allowances are estimated based on historical amounts and are recorded upon recognizing the related sales. Credits are issued to customers for returned products.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consists of the direct costs associated with procuring parts from suppliers and delivering products to customers. These costs include direct product costs, outbound freight and shipping costs, warehouse supplies and warranty costs, partially offset by purchase discounts and cooperative advertising. Depreciation and amortization expenses are excluded from cost of sales and included in marketing, general and administrative and fulfillment expenses as noted below.

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Warranty Costs

The Company or the vendors supplying its products provide the Company’s customers limited warranties on certain products that range from 30 days to lifetime. In most cases, the Company’s vendors are the party primarily responsible for warranty claims. Standard product warranties sold separately by the Company are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized ratably over the life of the warranty, ranging from one to five years. The Company also offers extended warranties that are imbedded in the price of selected private label products we sell. The product brands that include the extended warranty coverage are offered at three different service levels: (a) a five year unlimited product replacement, (b) a five year one-time product replacement, and (c) a three year one-time product replacement. Warranty costs relating to merchandise sold under warranty not covered by vendors are estimated and recorded as warranty obligations at the time of sale based on each product’s historical return rate and historical warranty cost. The standard and extended warranty obligations are recorded as warranty liabilities and included in other current liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, the activity in our aggregate warranty liabilities was as follows (in thousands):



	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Warranty liabilities, beginning of period	$	297		$	282
Adjustments to preexisting warranty liabilities	(84		)	(79		)
Additions to warranty liabilities	102			148
Reductions to warranty liabilities	(54		)	(46		)
Warranty liabilities, end of period	$	261		$	305

Marketing Expense

Marketing costs, including advertising, are expensed as incurred. The majority of advertising expense is paid to internet search engine service providers and internet commerce facilitators. For the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, the Company recognized advertising costs of $4,458 and $4,000, respectively. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, the Company recognized advertising costs of $13,860 and $12,908, respectively. Marketing costs also include depreciation and amortization expense and share-based compensation expense.

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense consists primarily of administrative payroll and related expenses, merchant processing fees, legal and professional fees and other administrative costs. General and administrative expense also includes depreciation and amortization expense and share-based compensation expense.

Fulfillment Expense

Fulfillment expense consists primarily of payroll and related costs associated with warehouse employees and the Company’s purchasing group, facilities rent, building maintenance, depreciation and other costs associated with inventory management and wholesale operations. Fulfillment expense also includes share-based compensation expense.

Technology Expense

Technology expense consists primarily of payroll and related expenses of our information technology personnel, the cost of hosting the Company’s servers, communications expenses and Internet connectivity costs, computer support and software development amortization expense. Technology expense also includes share-based compensation expense.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for share-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718 Compensation – Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). All share-based payment awards to employees are recognized as share-based compensation expense in the financial statements based on their respective grant date fair values, and are recognized within the statement of comprehensive income or loss as marketing, general and administrative, fulfillment or technology expense, based on employee departmental classifications. Under this standard, compensation expense for both time-based and performance-based restricted stock units is based on the closing stock price of our common shares on the date of grant, and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Compensation expense for performance-based awards is measured based on the amount of shares

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ultimately expected to vest, estimated at each reporting date based on management’s expectations regarding the relevant performance criteria. Compensation expense for stock options is based on the fair value estimated on the date of grant using an option pricing model that meets certain requirements, and is recognized over the vesting period of three to four years. The Company currently uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards for such stock options, which is affected by the Company’s stock price and a number of assumptions, including expected volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends.

The Company incorporates its own historical volatility into the grant-date fair value calculations for the stock options. The expected term of an award is based on combining historical exercise data with expected weighted time outstanding. Expected weighted time outstanding is calculated by assuming the settlement of outstanding awards is at the midpoint between the remaining weighted average vesting date and the expiration date. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based on observed interest rates appropriate for the expected life of awards. The dividend yield assumption is based on the Company’s expectation of paying no dividends on its common stock. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures significantly differ from those estimates. The Company considers many factors when estimating expected forfeitures, including employee class, economic environment, and historical experience.

The Company accounts for equity instruments issued in exchange for the receipt of services from non-employee directors in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718. The Company accounts for equity instruments issued in exchange for the receipt of goods or services from other than employees in accordance with ASC 505-50 Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees. Costs are measured at the estimated fair market value of the consideration received or the estimated fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The value of equity instruments issued for consideration other than employee services is determined on the earlier of a performance commitment or completion of performance by the provider of goods or services. Equity instruments awarded to non-employees are periodically re-measured as the underlying awards vest unless the instruments are fully vested, immediately exercisable and non-forfeitable on the date of grant.

The Company accounts for modifications to its share-based payment awards in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718. Incremental compensation cost is measured as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before its terms are modified, measured based on the share price and other pertinent factors at that date, and is recognized as compensation cost on the date of modification (for vested awards) or over the remaining service (vesting) period (for unvested awards). Any unrecognized compensation cost remaining from the original award is recognized over the vesting period of the modified award.

Other Income, net

Other income, net consists of miscellaneous income or expense such as gains/losses from disposition of assets, and interest income comprised primarily of interest income on investments.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense on our outstanding loan balance, deferred financing cost amortization, and capital lease interest.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). Under ASC 740, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amount of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. 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. When appropriate, a valuation allowance is established to reduce deferred tax assets, which include tax credits and loss carry forwards, to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. In making such determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, taxable income in prior carryback years, tax planning strategies and recent financial operations.

The Company utilizes a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company considers many factors when evaluating and estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, which may require

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periodic adjustments and which may not accurately forecast actual outcomes. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties as income tax expense. During the periods presented, the Company had no material unrecognized tax benefits, interest or penalties related to federal and state income tax matters.

Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities

We present taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities on a net basis in accordance with the guidance on ASC 605-45-50-3 Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities.

Leases

The Company analyzes lease agreements for operating versus capital lease treatment in accordance with ASC 840 Leases. Rent expense for leases designated as an operating lease is expensed on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. For capital leases, the present value of future minimum lease payments at the inception of the lease is reflected as a capital lease asset and a capital lease payable in the consolidated balance sheets. Amounts due within one year are classified as current liabilities and the remaining balance as non-current liabilities.

Foreign Currency Translation

For each of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries, the functional currency is its local currency. Assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rates, and revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using average exchange rates. The effects of the foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Comprehensive Income

The Company reports comprehensive income or loss in accordance with ASC 220 Comprehensive Income. Accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, includes foreign currency translation adjustments related to the Company’s foreign operations, net deferred gains and losses on certain derivative instruments accounted for as cash flow hedges, and unrealized holding gains and losses from available-for-sale investments. The Company presents the components of net loss and other comprehensive income or loss, in its consolidated statements of comprehensive operations.

Segment Data

The Company operates in two reportable segments. The criteria the Company uses to identify its operating segments are primarily the nature of the products the Company sells and the consolidated operating results that are regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker to assess performance and make operating decisions. The two reporting units we identified are the core auto parts business (“Base USAP”) and an online automotive repair source of which the Company is a majority stockholder (“AutoMD”), in accordance with ASC 280 Segment Reporting (“ASC 280”).

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-9, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” (“ASU 2014-9”) which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. This guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-9 will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has the effect of the standard on ongoing financial reporting been determined.

On August 27, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, which provides guidance on determining when and how reporting entities must disclose going-concern uncertainties in their financial statements. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date of issuance of the entity’s financial statements (or within one year after the date on which the financial statements are available to be issued, when applicable). Further, an entity must provide certain disclosures if there is “substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern.” The ASU is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and interim

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periods thereafter; early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact the adoption of ASU 2014-15 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Note 2 – Investments

As of September 27, 2014, the Company held the following investments, recorded at fair value (in thousands):



	Amortized Cost		Unrealized				Fair Value
	Amortized Cost		Gains		Losses		Fair Value
Mutual funds (1)	$	39	$	—	$	—	$	39

As of December 28, 2013, the Company held the following investments, recorded at fair value (in thousands):



	Amortized Cost		Unrealized				Fair Value
	Amortized Cost		Gains		Losses		Fair Value
Mutual funds (1)	$	40	$	7	$	—	$	47


(1)	Mutual funds, consisting of government bonds, stocks and short-term money market funds, are classified as short-term investments available-for-sale and recorded at fair market value, based on quoted prices of identical assets that are trading in active markets as of the end of the period for which the values are determined.

Proceeds from the sale of available-for-sale securities are disclosed separately in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flow. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, there were no sales of available-for-sale securities.

Note 3 – Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.

Provisions of ASC 820 – Fair Value Measurement establish a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include:

Level 1 – Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;

Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore, requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

We measure our financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis using the following valuation techniques:


(a)	Market Approach – uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities.


(b)	Income Approach – uses valuation techniques to convert future estimated cash flows to a single present amount based on current market expectations about those future amounts, using present value techniques.

Financial Assets and Liabilities Valued on a Recurring Basis

As of September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, the Company held certain assets and liabilities that are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. These included cash and cash equivalents, derivative instruments and investments.

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Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments

The following table represents our fair value hierarchy and the valuation techniques used for cash and cash equivalents and investments (in thousands):



	As of September 27, 2014
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Valuation Techniques
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents (1)	$	1,255	$	1,255	$	—	$	—	(a)
Investments – mutual funds (2)	39		39		—		—		(a)
	$	1,294	$	1,294	$	—	$	—



	As of December 28, 2013
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Valuation Techniques
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents (1)	$	818	$	818	$	—	$	—	(a)
Investments – mutual funds (2)	47		47		—		—		(a)
	$	865	$	865	$	—	$	—


(1)	Cash equivalents consist primarily of money market funds and short-term investments with original maturity dates of three months or less at the date of purchase, for which the Company determines fair value through quoted market prices.


(2)	Investments consist of mutual funds, classified as short-term investments available-for-sale and recorded at fair market value, based on quoted prices of identical assets that are trading in active markets as of the end of the period for which the values are determined. These mutual funds invest in government bonds, stocks and short-term money market funds,

During the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, there were no transfers into or out of Level 1 and Level 2 assets.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The following table represents our fair value hierarchy and the valuation techniques used for derivative financial instruments (in thousands):



	As of September 27, 2014
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Valuation Techniques
Assets:
Foreign exchange contracts (1)	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	(b)
Liabilities:
Foreign exchange contracts(1)	$	70	$	—	$	70	$	—	(b)


(1)	Foreign exchange contracts are valued using an income approach based on forward rates less the contract rate multiplied by the notional value.

During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014, there were no transfers into or out of Level 1 and Level 2 assets or liabilities. The Company did not hold any derivative financial instruments prior to the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014.

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Non-Financial Assets Valued on a Non-Recurring Basis

The Company’s long-lived assets, including intangible assets subject to amortization, are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. These assets are measured at cost but are written-down to fair value, if necessary, as a result of impairment. As of September 27, 2014, there were no indicators of potential impairment to the Company’s long-lived assets under the provisions of ASC 360, as such, they were not measured at fair value. If such non-financial assets had been measured at fair value, they would be categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, as the Company would be required to develop its own assumptions and analysis to determine if such non-financial assets were impaired.

During the second quarter of 2013, the Company identified adverse events related to the Company’s overall financial performance, including the continued downward trend in the Company’s revenues and gross margin, and a sustained decline in the Company’s share price, that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the Company’s long-lived assets below its carrying amount. The Company performed its impairment testing of long-lived assets, including intangible assets subject to amortization, in accordance with ASC 360 Property, Plant and Equipment. The Company used valuation techniques under the income approach, which converted future estimated cash flows to a single present amount based on current market expectations about those future amounts, using present value techniques. The fair value measurements are categorized as Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, as the Company developed its own assumptions and analysis to determine if such assets were impaired. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013, total impairment loss was $6,077. The Company recorded impairment losses on internally developed software and intangible assets of $4,832 and $1,245, respectively.

Note 4 – Property and Equipment, Net

The Company’s fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, amortization and impairment. Depreciation and amortization expense are provided for in amounts sufficient to relate the cost of depreciable and amortizable assets to operations over their estimated service lives. Depreciation and amortization expense for the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $2,213 and $2,472, respectively, including amortization expense of $119 and $119 for the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively, for capital leased assets related to the LaSalle, Illinois facility (see sale-leaseback discussion below for details). Depreciation and amortization expense for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $6,833 and $9,736, respectively, including amortization expense of $357 and $198 for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively, for capital leased assets related to the LaSalle, Illinois facility. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets retired or otherwise disposed of are removed from the accounts and the resultant gain or loss is reflected in earnings.

The Company accounts for the impairment of property and equipment in accordance with ASC 360– Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360’). During the second quarter of 2013, the Company identified adverse events related to the Company’s overall financial performance, including accelerating downward trend in the Company’s revenues and gross margin, which indicated that the carrying amount of certain property and equipment may not be recoverable. Given the indicators of impairment, the Company utilized the royalty savings method in determining the fair values, using a discount rate of 14.5% and royalty rate of 1.0%. Based on its analysis, the Company recognized an impairment loss on internally developed software of $4,832. Subsequent to the second quarter of 2013, there have not been events or circumstances that have resulted in an assessment by management of any indicators of further impairment. However, any future decline in the fair value of an asset group could result in future impairments.

Property and equipment consisted of the following at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013 (in thousands):

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	September 27, 2014			December 28, 2013
Land	$	630		$	630
Building	8,877			8,877
Machinery and equipment	10,329			12,163
Computer software (purchased and developed) and equipment	58,876			55,383
Vehicles	250			264
Leasehold improvements	1,758			1,767
Furniture and fixtures	1,035			1,057
Construction in process	1,621			2,066
	83,376			82,207
Less accumulated depreciation, amortization and impairment	(66,055		)	(62,544		)
Property and equipment, net	$	17,321		$	19,663

On April 17, 2013, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Whitney Automotive Group, Inc. (“WAG”) sold its facility in LaSalle, Illinois for $9,750 pursuant to a purchase and sale agreement dated April 17, 2013 between WAG and STORE Capital Acquisitions, LLC. The Company used the net proceeds of $9,507 from this sale to reduce its revolving loan payable. Under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, concurrently with the execution of the purchase and sale agreement and the closing of the sale of the property, the Company entered into a lease agreement with STORE Master Funding III, LLC (“STORE”) whereby the Company leased back the property for the continued use as an office, retail and warehouse facility for storage, sale and distribution of automotive parts, accessories and related items for 20 years commencing upon the execution of the lease and terminating on April 30, 2033. The related assets represent the amounts included in land and building in the summary above. The Company’s initial base annual rent is $853 for the first year (“Base Rent Amount”), after which the rental amount will increase annually on May 1 by the lesser of 1.5% or 1.25 times the change in the Consumer Price Index as published by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, except that in no event will the adjusted annual rental amount fall below the Base Rent Amount. The Company was not required to pay any security deposit. Under the terms of the lease, the Company is required to pay all taxes and required maintenance related to the LaSalle property, maintain certain levels of insurance and indemnify STORE for losses incurred that are related to the Company’s use or occupancy of the property. The lease was accounted for as a capital lease and the $376 excess of the net proceeds over the net carrying amount of the property is amortized in interest expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term of 20 years. As of September 27, 2014, the gross carrying value, the accumulated depreciation and the net carrying value of all capital leased assets included in property and equipment were $9,507, $673 and $8,834, respectively.

Construction in process primarily relates to the Company’s internally developed software (refer to caption “Website and Software Development Costs” in “Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Nature of Operations”). Certain of the Company’s net property and equipment were located in the Philippines as of September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013, in the amount of $254 and $508, respectively.

Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes, at rates based on the following estimated useful lives:



	Years
Facility subject to capital lease	20
Machinery and equipment	2 - 5
Computer software (purchased and developed)	2 - 3
Computer equipment	2 - 5
Vehicles	3 - 5
Leasehold improvements*	3 - 5
Furniture and fixtures	3 - 7

* The estimated useful life is the lesser of 3-5 years or the lease term.

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Note 5 –Intangible Assets, Net

Intangible assets consisted of the following at September 27, 2014 and December 28, 2013 (in thousands):



		September 27, 2014							December 28, 2013
	Useful Life	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amort. and Impairment			Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amort. and Impairment			Net Carrying Amount
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Product design intellectual property (1)	4 years	$	2,750	$	(2,037	)	$	713	$	2,750	$	(1,842	)	$	908
Patent license agreements	3 - 5 years	537		(64		)	$	473	—		—			$	—
Domain and trade names	10 years	1,199		(563		)	$	636	1,199		(506		)	$	693
Total		$	4,486	$	(2,664	)	$	1,822	$	3,949	$	(2,348	)	$	1,601


(1)	During the second quarter of 2013, based on the impairment analysis, the Company changed its estimated useful life for product design and intellectual property from 9 years to 4 years.

Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis. Amortization expense relating to intangible assets for the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $106 and $86, respectively. Amortization expense relating to intangible assets for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $316 and $299, respectively.

The following table summarizes the future estimated annual amortization expense for these assets over the next five years (in thousands):



2014	$	115
2015	458
2016	458
2017	320
2018	162
Thereafter	309
Total	$	1,822

Note 6 – Borrowings

In April 2012, the Company, certain of its wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”), as sole lender and administrative agent entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement provided for a revolving commitment in an aggregate principal amount of up to $40,000 (the “Credit Facility”), which is subject to a borrowing base derived from certain receivables, inventory and property and equipment. In August 2013, the Company, certain of its wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan entered into a third amendment to the Credit Agreement (“Third Amended Credit Agreement”) amending the Credit Agreement to, among other things, reduce the revolving commitment to $20,000 (which was subsequently increased to $25,000, see "Note 13 - Subsequent Events") and, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, provide that the Company has the right to increase the revolving commitment up to $40,000. On August 4, 2014, the Company, certain of its wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan entered into a fourth Amendment to the Credit Agreement (“Fourth Amended Credit Agreement”) amending the Credit Agreement to, among other things, amend certain definitions to allow for additional add-backs to adjusted EBITDA for fiscal quarters ended June 28, 2014 and September 27, 2014.

The Credit Facility matures on April 26, 2017. At September 27, 2014, our outstanding revolving loan balance was $10,869. The customary events of default under the Credit Facility (discussed below) include certain subjective acceleration clauses, which management has determined the likelihood of such acceleration is more than remote. However, considering the recurring losses experienced by the Company, a current classification of our revolving loan payable was required.

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Loans drawn under the Credit Facility bear interest, at the Company’s option, at a per annum rate equal to either (a) LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 1.50%, or (b) an “alternate base rate” minus an applicable margin of 0.50%. Each applicable margin as set forth in the prior sentence is subject to increase or decrease by 0.25% per annum based upon the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio. At September 27, 2014, the Company’s LIBOR based interest rate was 1.69% (on $10,350 principal) and the Company’s prime based rate was 2.75% (on $519 principal). A commitment fee, based upon undrawn availability under the Credit Facility bearing interest at a rate of 0.20% per annum, is payable monthly. Under the terms of the Credit Agreement, cash receipts are deposited into a lock-box, which are at the Company’s discretion unless the “cash dominion period” is in effect, during which cash receipts will be used to reduce amounts owing under the Credit Agreement. The cash dominion period is triggered in an event of default or if excess availability is less than $6,000, as defined. The dominion period will continue until, during the preceding 60 consecutive days, no event of default existed and, excess availability has to be greater than $7,000 at all times. The Company’s excess availability was $7,149 at September 27, 2014. As of the date hereof, the cash dominion period has not been in effect; accordingly no principal payments are currently due.

Certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries are co-borrowers (together with the Company, the “Borrowers”) under the Credit Agreement, and certain other domestic subsidiaries are guarantors (the “Guarantors” and, together with the Borrowers, the “Loan Parties”) under the Credit Agreement. The Borrowers and the Guarantors are jointly and severally liable for the Borrowers’ obligations under the Credit Agreement. The Loan Parties’ obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured, subject to customary permitted liens and certain exclusions, by a perfected security interest in (a) all tangible and intangible assets and (b) all of the capital stock owned by the Loan Parties (limited, in the case of foreign subsidiaries, to 65% of the capital stock of such foreign subsidiaries). The Borrowers may voluntarily prepay the loans at any time without payment of a premium. The Borrowers are required to make mandatory prepayments of the loans (without payment of a premium) with net cash proceeds received upon the occurrence of certain “prepayment events,” which include certain sales or other dispositions of collateral, certain casualty or condemnation events, certain equity issuances or capital contributions, and the incurrence of certain debt.

The Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and customary affirmative and negative covenants applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries, including, among other things, restrictions on indebtedness, liens, fundamental changes, investments, dispositions, prepayment of other indebtedness, mergers, and dividends and other distributions. Concurrent with the Company’s issuance of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred”), the Company, certain of its domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan entered into a second amendment to the Credit Agreement (“Second Amended Credit Agreement”) amending the Credit Agreement to, among other things, allow the Company to pay cash dividends on the Series A Preferred in an aggregate amount of up to $400 per year and pay cash in lieu of issuing fractional shares upon conversion of or in payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred, each subject to certain restrictions set forth in the Second Amended Credit Agreement but without having to satisfy certain other conditions that would have otherwise applied to the payment of such dividends.

Under the Credit Agreement, the Company is not required to maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, unless excess availability is less than $6,000, as defined, whereby a ratio of 1.0 to 1.0 will be required (See also "Note 13 - Subsequent Events," which describes instances where other minimum fixed charges may apply). Events of default under the Credit Agreement include: failure to timely make payments due under the Credit Agreement; material misrepresentations or misstatements under the Credit Agreement and other related agreements; failure to comply with covenants under the Credit Agreement and other related agreements; certain defaults in respect of other material indebtedness; insolvency or other related events; certain defaulted judgments; certain ERISA-related events; certain security interests or liens under the loan documents cease to be, or are challenged by the Company or any of its subsidiaries as not being, in full force and effect; any loan document or any material provision of the same ceases to be in full force and effect; and certain criminal indictments or convictions of any Loan Party. As of September 27, 2014, the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Credit Agreement.

As of September 27, 2014, the Company had total capital leases payable of $9,601. The present value of the net minimum payments on capital leases as of September 27, 2014 was as follows (in thousands):



Total minimum lease payments	$	18,771
Less amount representing interest	(9,170		)
Present value of net minimum lease payments	9,601
Current portion of capital leases payable	(209		)
Capital leases payable, net of current portion	$	9,392

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Note 7 – Stockholders’ Equity and Share-Based Compensation

Common Stock

The Company has 100,000,000 shares of common stock authorized. We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. The following issuances of common stock were made during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014:


•	The Company issued 129 shares of common stock from option exercises under its various share-based compensation plans, as discussed below.


•	The Company issued 24 shares of common stock in payment of the quarterly dividend on the Series A Preferred on the dividend payment date of December 31, 2013 in the aggregate amount of $60.


•	The Company issued 19 shares of common stock in payment of the quarterly dividend on the Series A Preferred on the dividend payment date of March 31, 2014 in the aggregate amount of $59.


•	The Company issued 16 shares of common stock in payment of the quarterly dividend on the Series A Preferred on the dividend payment date of June 30, 2014 in the aggregate amount of $60.

Share-Based Compensation Plan Information

The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014, and details regarding the options outstanding and exercisable at September 27, 2014:



	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (1)
Options outstanding, December 28, 2013	5,320		$	2.97
Granted	840		$	2.32
Exercised	(129	)	$	2.06
Expired	(204	)	$	7.20
Forfeited	(383	)	$	1.80
Options outstanding, September 27, 2014	5,444		$	2.81	6.52	$	3,320
Vested and expected to vest at September 27, 2014	4,871		$	2.91	6.21	$	2,876
Options exercisable, September 27, 2014	3,242		$	3.36	4.79	$	1,592


(1)	These amounts represent the difference between the exercise price and the closing price of U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. stock on September 27, 2014 as reported on the NASDAQ National Market, for all options outstanding that have an exercise price currently below the closing price.

The weighted-average fair value of options granted during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $1.34 and $0.68, respectively. The intrinsic value of stock options at the date of the exercise is the difference between the fair value of the stock at the date of exercise and the exercise price. During the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, the total intrinsic value of the exercised options was $147 and $4, respectively. The Company had $1,866 of unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to stock options outstanding as of September 27, 2014, which expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.91 years.

Restricted Stock Units

During 2014, we granted an aggregate of 1,015 RSUs to certain employees of the Company. The RSUs were granted under the 2007 Omnibus Plan, and reduced the pool of equity instruments available under that plan.

Of the 1,015 RSU’s, 738 are time-based, which vest upon the completion of a pre-defined period of employment, ranging from one- to- two years. The remaining 277 RSUs are performance-based RSUs, the number of which that vest, if any, will be determined upon the achievement of certain pre-defined financial goals in fiscal year 2014. All awards are subject to the employee’s continued employment through applicable vesting dates. Some awards granted to certain executives may vest on an accelerated basis in part or in full upon the occurrence of certain events. The RSUs are accounted for as equity awards and are

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measured at fair value based upon the grant date price of our common stock. The closing price of our common stock on February 14, 2014, April 3, 2014 and August 1, 2014, the date of each grant, was $2.03, $2.93 and $3.17 per share, respectively. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of one-to-two years. Compensation expense for performance-based awards is measured based on the amount of shares ultimately expected to vest, estimated at each reporting date based on management’s expectations regarding the relevant performance criteria. As of September 27, 2014, the Company believes that it is probable that the performance criteria will be met on 171 RSUs of the 277 RSUs that are performance-based RSUs. As of September 27, 2014, 94 performance based RSUs were forfeited, resulting in a reduction in compensation expense by $107 for each of the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014.

For the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014, we recorded compensation expense of $382 and $926, respectively. As of September 27, 2014, there was unrecognized compensation expense of $1,205 related to unvested RSUs based on awards that are expected to vest. The unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.0 years.

Stock Option Exchange Program

In July 2013, the Company’s stockholders approved a proposed stock option exchange program for the exchange of certain outstanding stock options held by eligible employees for new options to purchase fewer shares. In August 2013, the Company commenced an offering to eligible employees to voluntarily exchange certain vested and unvested stock options with exercise prices above $4.00 per share at an exchange ratio of 3.5 to 1 to be granted following the expiration of the tender offer with exercise prices equal to the fair market value of one share of the Company’s common stock on the day the new options were issued. Stock options to purchase an aggregate of 3,733 shares with exercise prices ranging from $4.01 to $11.68 were eligible for tender at the commencement of the program. The Company’s non-employee directors were not eligible to participate in the program. The terms and conditions of the new options are subject to an entirely new four year vesting schedule where 25% will vest on the first anniversary, and the remaining 75% will vest monthly over the following 36 months. All new options have a ten years contractual term. The offer period for the stock option exchange ended in September 2013.

In September 2013, the Company accepted for exchange 3,475 eligible options to purchase common stock, with a weighted average exercise price of $6.65 for 45 eligible employees, and issued 993 unvested options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $0.9866, the closing price of the Company’s common stock on that day. Using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, the Company determined that the fair value of the surrendered stock options on a grant-by-grant basis was lower than the fair value of the new stock options, as of the date of the exchange, resulting in incremental fair value of $422. The incremental fair value as a result of the stock option exchange and the remaining compensation expense associated with the surrendered stock options will be recorded as compensation expense over the 4 years vesting period of the new options.

The fair value of the surrendered stock options and the new stock options was estimated on the date of the exchange using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:



	Surrendered Stock Options		New Stock Options
Expected life	1.93 – 6.87 years		5.84 years
Risk-free interest rate	0.5% – 2.4%		2.0	%
Expected volatility	55% – 73%		72	%
Expected dividend yield	—	%	—	%

Warrants

As of September 27, 2014, warrants to purchase 50 shares of common stock were outstanding and exercisable, 30 of which have an exercise price of $2.14 per share and expire on May 5, 2016, and 20 of which have an exercise price of $8.32 per share and expire on April 27, 2017. The warrants were issued in connection with the financial advisory services provided by a consultant to the Company. All warrants became fully vested in fiscal year 2012, and no warrants were exercised during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014. The aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding and exercisable warrants was $15 as of September 27, 2014, which was calculated as the difference between the exercise price of underlying awards and the closing price of the Company’s common stock for warrants that were in-the-money.

Share-Based Compensation Expense

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The fair value of each option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions for each of the periods ended:



	Thirteen Weeks Ended		Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014	September 28, 2013	September 27, 2014	September 28, 2013
Expected life	5.37 years	5.21 – 5.73 years	5.30 – 5.37 years	5.21 – 5.73 years
Risk-free interest rate	1.7%	1.4% – 1.8%	1.5% – 1.8%	1.0% – 1.8%
Expected volatility	62%	67% – 73%	62% – 68%	67% – 73%
Expected dividend yield	—%	—%	—%	—%

Share-based compensation from options, warrants and stock awards, is included in our consolidated statements of comprehensive operations, as follows (in thousands):



	Thirteen Weeks Ended				Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014		September 28, 2013		September 27, 2014		September 28, 2013
Marketing expense	$	157	$	77	$	374	$	230
General and administrative expense	424		191		1,051		693
Fulfillment expense	72		25		170		81
Technology expense	34		22		96		61
Total share-based compensation expense	$	687	$	315	$	1,691	$	1,065

The share-based compensation expense is net of amounts capitalized to internally-developed software of $65 and $40 during the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively, and $142 and $188 during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively.

Under ASC 718, forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures significantly differ from those estimates. The Company’s estimated forfeiture rates are calculated based on actual historical forfeitures experienced under our equity plans. The Company’s forfeiture rates were 16% to 34% for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013, respectively.

Note 8 – Net Loss Per Share

Net loss per share has been computed in accordance with ASC 260 Earnings per Share. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share (in thousands, except per share data):

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	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013			September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Net loss per share:
Numerator:
Net loss	$	(2,494	)	$	(1,399	)	$	(4,473	)	$	(14,309	)
Dividends on Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	61			60			180			124
Net loss available to common shares	$	(2,555	)	$	(1,459	)	$	(4,653	)	$	(14,433	)
Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding (basic)	33,532			33,218			33,459			32,493
Common equivalent shares from common stock options and warrants	—			—			—			—
Weighted-average common shares outstanding (diluted)	33,532			33,218			33,459			32,493
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.04	)	$	(0.14	)	$	(0.44	)

The weighted-average anti-dilutive securities, which are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share due to the Company’s net loss position for the periods then ended (including securities that would otherwise be excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share due to the Company’s stock price), are as follows (in thousands):



	Thirteen Weeks Ended		Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014	September 28, 2013	September 27, 2014	September 28, 2013
Common stock warrants	50	50	50	50
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	4,150	4,150	4,150	2,110
Restricted stock units	815	—	760	—
Options to purchase common stock	5,694	6,619	5,681	7,079
Total	10,709	10,819	10,641	9,239

Common shares issued for nominal consideration, if any, would be included in the per share calculations as if they were outstanding for all periods presented.

Note 9 – Income Taxes

As discussed in “Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Nature of Operations”, the Company applies the current U.S. GAAP on accounting for uncertain tax positions, which prescribe a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We consider many factors when evaluating and estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, which may require periodic adjustments and which may not accurately forecast actual outcomes. As of September 27, 2014, the Company had no material unrecognized tax benefits, interest or penalties related to federal and state income tax matters. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties as income tax expense. The Company does not anticipate a significant change to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.

The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax of foreign and state tax jurisdictions. The tax years 2010-2013 remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject, except the Internal Revenue Service for which the tax years 2011-2013 remain open.

For the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014, the effective tax rate for the Company was (0.6)% and (1.6)% respectively. The Company’s effective tax rate for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily as a result of the recording of valuation allowance against the pre-tax losses. For the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013, the effective tax rate for the Company was (0.1)% and (0.6)%, respectively. The Company’s effective tax rate for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013 differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily as a result of the recording of valuation allowance against the pre-tax losses.

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Note 10 – Commitments and Contingencies

Facilities Leases

The Company’s corporate headquarters are located in Carson, California. The Company’s corporate headquarters has an initial lease term of five years through October 2016, and optional renewals through January 2020. The Company also leased a warehouse in Carson, California, under a month to month agreement until July 29, 2014, when the warehouse was permanently closed as discussed in “Note 11 – Restructuring Costs”. The Company leases warehouse space in Chesapeake, Virginia under an agreement scheduled to expire in June 2016, renewable for an additional thirty-six months through June 2019. The Company’s Philippines subsidiary leases office space under a sixty-three months agreement through May 2015, renewable for an additional sixty months through April 2020. As of the date hereof, the Company has not committed to any facilities lease renewals.

Facility rent expense for the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $457 and $496, respectively. The Company’s facility rent expense was inclusive of amounts charged from a related party during the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 of $97 and $94, respectively. Facility rent expense for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 was $1,532 and $1,670, respectively. The Company’s facility rent expense was inclusive of amounts charged from a related party in connection with the Company’s Carson Warehouse during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 and September 28, 2013 of $428 and $281, respectively.

The following table summarizes the future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as of September 27, 2014 (in thousands):



2014	$	378
2015	1,273
2016	785
Total	$	2,436

Capital lease commitments as of September 27, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):



2014	$	252
2015	1,010
2016	968
2017	909
2018	915
2019 onwards	14,717
Total minimum payments required	18,771
Less amount representing interest	(9,170		)
Present value of minimum capital lease payments	$	9,601

Legal Matters

Asbestos. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, Automotive Specialty Accessories and Parts, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary WAG, are named defendants in several lawsuits involving claims for damages caused by installation of brakes during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that contained asbestos. WAG marketed certain brakes, but did not manufacture any brakes. WAG maintains liability insurance coverage to protect its and the Company’s assets from losses arising from the litigation and coverage is provided on an occurrence rather than a claims made basis, and the Company is not expected to incur significant out-of-pocket costs in connection with this matter that would be material to its consolidated financial statements.

The Company is subject to legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of its business. As of the date hereof, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial

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position, results of operations or cash flow of the Company. The Company maintains liability insurance coverage to protect the Company’s assets from losses arising out of or involving activities associated with ongoing and normal business operations.

Note 11 – Restructuring Costs

Fiscal 2014

On June 25, 2014, the Company committed to a plan to permanently close its distribution facility located in Carson, California (the “Carson Distribution Facility”) on July 25, 2014. The Company consolidated the Carson Distribution Facility’s distribution and warehousing operations into the Company’s existing distribution facilities located in LaSalle, Illinois and Chesapeake, Virginia. This consolidation was part of the Company’s continued efforts for simplification and improved efficiencies. The closure of the Carson Distribution Facility resulted in a head count reduction of approximately 77 employees.

The following table summarizes the charges related to the restructure recognized during the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014 (in thousands):



	Thirteen Weeks Ended		Thirty-nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014		September 27, 2014
Employee severance	$	—	$	552
Accounts receivable allowance	—		73
Relocation costs (employee and equipment)	127		127
Inventory transfers	283		283
Total restructuring costs	$	410	$	1,035

The severance costs were included in fulfillment expense in the second quarter of fiscal 2014. As of September 27, 2014, $260 of severance liability was included in accrued expenses. The Company expects to pay the remaining severance during the fourth quarter of 2014. All relocation and inventory transfer costs were expensed and paid during the thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014.

Substantially all of the unsold inventory in the Carson warehouse on the date of closure was moved to the remaining two warehouses. A charge for $130 was taken for inventory that was not deemed economical to transfer. Additionally, due to expected future capacity constraints, the Company reduced the sales price of certain inventory resulting in a charge of $348. The aggregate charge of $478 was recorded to cost of sales during the second quarter of 2014.

The timing and costs of the consolidation plan may vary from the Company’s current estimates based on many factors. The Company anticipates additional reductions in sales price of certain inventory in the fourth of 2014, however, the Company cannot reasonably estimate whether the reduction of such sales prices will result in additional inventory write downs. The Company may incur other charges not currently anticipated due to events that may occur as a result of, or associated with, the consolidation plan and related activities. All restructuring costs incurred in connection with the closure of the Carson Distribution Facility are included in the Base USAP reportable segment.

Fiscal 2013

As part of the Company’s initiatives to reduce labor costs and improve operating efficiencies in response to the challenges in the marketplace and general market conditions, we reduced our workforce in the first quarter and second quarter of 2013. We laid off 13 employees in the United States and 163 employees in the Philippines reducing our workforce by a total of 176 employees in the first quarter of 2013 and 15 employees in the second quarter of 2013. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013, severance charges of approximately $723 were recorded in marketing expense, general and administrative expense, fulfillment expense and technology expense for $394, $109, $58 and $162, respectively.

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Note 12 – Segment information

As described in Note 1 above, the Company operates in two reportable segments identified as Base USAP, which is the core auto parts business, and AutoMD, an online automotive repair source of which the Company is a majority stockholder. Summarized segment information for our continuing operations from the two reportable segments for the periods presented is as follows (in thousands):



	Base USAP			AutoMD			Consolidated
Thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014
Net sales	$	67,885		$	80		$	67,965
Gross profit	18,334			80			18,414
Operating costs (1)	20,016			614			20,630
Loss from operations	(1,682		)	(534		)	(2,216		)
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	71,856			1,828			73,684
Thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2013
Net sales	$	61,655		$	69		$	61,724
Gross profit	17,838			69			17,907
Operating costs (1)	18,647			506			19,153
Loss from operations	(809		)	(437		)	(1,246		)
Thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014
Net sales	$	212,717		$	223		$	212,940
Gross profit	59,312			223			59,535
Operating costs (1)	61,396			1,799			63,195
Loss from operations	(2,084		)	(1,576		)	(3,660		)
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	71,856			1,828			73,684
Thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013
Net sales	$	194,756		$	262		$	195,018
Gross profit	56,396			262			56,658
Operating costs (1)	68,651			1,737			70,388
Loss from operations	(12,255		)	(1,475		)	(13,730		)
Fifty-two weeks as of December 28, 2013
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	$	67,039		$	2,143		$	69,182


(1)	Operating costs for AutoMD primarily consist of depreciation on fixed assets.

Note 13 – Subsequent Events

On October 8, 2014, AutoMD entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “ Purchase Agreement”) to sell an aggregate of 7,000,000 shares of AutoMD common stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share to four third-party investors. Following the sale, AutoMD ceased to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, with the Company now holding approximately 64.1% of AutoMD's outstanding common stock. The Company will continue to consolidate AutoMD for reporting purposes. Additionally, pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the Company may be required to purchase 2,000,000 shares of AutoMD common stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share, with such purchase to be triggered, if applicable, if during the two years following the closing date AutoMD fails to meet specified cash balances and numbers of approved auto repair shops submitting a quotation on AutoMD’s website.

In order to effect the transaction contemplated above, on October 8, 2014, the Company, certain of its domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan entered into a Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement and First Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, which amended the Credit Agreement previously entered into by the Company, certain of its domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan on April 26, 2012 (as amended, the “ Credit Agreement ”) and the Pledge and Security Agreement previously entered into by the Company, certain of its domestic subsidiaries and JPMorgan on April 26, 2012. Pursuant to the Amendment, JPMorgan increased its revolving commitment from $20,000,000 to $25,000,000, which is subject to a borrowing base derived

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from certain receivables, inventory, property and pledged cash. In addition, the Company’s ability to perform certain contingent obligations set forth in the documents executed in connection with the Purchase Agreement is dependent on the Company satisfying certain contractual and financial tests, including, without limitation, (i) with respect to the purchase of 2,000,000 shares of AutoMD common stock described above, the Company having excess availability to borrow under the Credit Agreement of at least $4 million and the satisfaction of a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25:1.0, (ii) with respect to the reimbursement of certain intellectual property litigation expenses incurred by AutoMD, which the Company could be required to do for a period of 3 years, the Company having excess availability to borrow under the Credit Agreement of at least $4 million, and (iii) with respect to the Company electing to purchase AutoMD common stock in connection with certain transfers not permitted under an investor rights agreement entered into by the Company or AutoMD electing to exercise its option to repurchase shares of its common stock under specific circumstances as contemplated by such investor rights agreement, the Company having excess availability to borrow under the Credit Agreement of at least $6 million and the satisfaction of a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25:1.0. In addition, certain definitions were amended to allow for additional add-backs to adjusted EBITDA for fiscal quarters ended September 27, 2014 and January 5, 2014.

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Cautionary Statement

You should read the following discussion and analysis in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto contained in Part I, Item 1 of this report. Certain statements in this report, including statements regarding our business strategies, operations, financial condition, and prospects are forward-looking statements. Use of the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would”, “will likely continue,” “will likely result” and similar expressions that contemplate future events may identify forward-looking statements.

The information contained in this section is not a complete description of our business or the risks associated with an investment in our common stock. We urge you to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and in our other reports filed with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The section entitled “Risk Factors” set forth in Part II, Item 1A of this report, and similar discussions in our other SEC filings, describe some of the important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these or any other forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and reflect management’s opinions only as of the date thereof. We do not assume any obligation to revise or update forward-looking statements. Finally, our historic results should not be viewed as indicative of future performance.

Overview

We are one of the largest online providers of aftermarket auto parts, including body parts, engine parts, and performance parts and accessories. Our user-friendly websites provide customers with a broad selection of stock keeping units (“SKUs”), with detailed product descriptions and photographs. Our proprietary product database maps our SKUs to product applications based on vehicle makes, models and years. We principally sell our products to individual consumers through our network of websites and online marketplaces. Our flagship websites are located at www.autopartswarehouse.com, www.jcwhitney.com and www.AutoMD.com and our corporate website is located at www.usautoparts.net. We believe our strategy of disintermediating the traditional auto parts supply chain and selling products directly to customers over the Internet allows us to more efficiently deliver products to our customers while generating higher margins.

Our History. We were formed in Delaware in 1995 as a distributor of aftermarket auto parts and launched our first website in 2000. We rapidly expanded our online operations, increasing the number of SKUs sold through our e-commerce network, adding additional websites, improving our Internet marketing proficiency and commencing sales in online marketplaces. As a result, our business has grown since 2000. Additionally, in August 2010, through our acquisition of Whitney Automotive Group, Inc. (referred to herein as “WAG”), we expanded our product-lines and increased our customer reach in the do-it-yourself (“DIY”) automobile and off-road accessories market.

International Operations. In April 2007, we established offshore operations in the Philippines. Our offshore operations allow us to access a workforce with the necessary technical skills at a significantly lower cost than comparably experienced U.S.-based professionals. Our offshore operations are responsible for a majority of our website development, catalog management, and back office support. Our offshore operations also house our main call center. We believe that the cost advantages of our offshore operations provide us with the ability to grow our business in a cost-effective manner.

Acquisitions. From time to time, we have acquired and may in the future acquire businesses, websites, domain names, or other assets. We currently have no plans to pursue any acquisition opportunities in the near future. Our Credit Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”) currently restricts our ability to enter into any acquisitions without prior permission from JPMorgan.

To understand revenue generation through our network of e-commerce websites and online market places, we monitor several key business metrics, including the following:

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	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013			September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Unique Visitors (millions) 1	29.4			32.3			90.5			104.1
E-commerce Orders (thousands)	491			459			1,520			1,501
Online Marketplace Orders (thousands)	243			188			799			542
Total Online Orders (thousands)	734			647			2,319			2,043
E-commerce Average Order Value	$	113		$	114		$	111		$	113
Online Marketplace Average Order Value	$	65		$	65		$	65		$	68
Total Online Average Order Value	$	97		$	100		$	95		$	101
Revenue Capture 1	83.9		%	83.2		%	84.9		%	82.9		%
Conversion 1	1.67		%	1.42		%	1.68		%	1.45		%

1 Excludes online marketplaces and media properties (e.g. AutoMD).

Unique Visitors: A unique visitor to a particular website represents a user with a distinct IP address that visits that particular website. We define the total number of unique visitors in a given month as the sum of unique visitors to each of our websites during that month. We measure unique visitors to understand the volume of traffic to our websites and to track the effectiveness of our online marketing efforts. The number of unique visitors has historically varied based on a number of factors, including our marketing activities and seasonality. Included in the unique visitors are mobile device based customers, who are becoming an increasing part of our business. Shifting consumer behavior and technology enhancements indicates that customers are becoming more inclined to purchase auto parts through their mobile devices. User sophistication and technological advances have increased consumer expectations around the user experience on mobile devices, including speed of response, functionality, product availability, security, and ease of use. We believe enhancements to online solutions specifically catering to mobile based shopping can result in an increase in the number of orders and revenues. We believe an increase in unique visitors to our websites can result in an increase in the number of orders. We seek to increase the number of unique visitors to our websites by attracting repeat customers and improving search engine marketing and other internet marketing activities. During the third quarter of 2014, our unique visitors decreased by 9.0% compared to the third quarter of 2013. We expect the total number of unique visitors to marginally improve during the fourth quarter of 2014, as we continue to address the challenges we are experiencing from changes search engines have made to the formulas, or algorithms, that they use to optimize their search results, as described in further detail under “Executive Summary” below.

Total Number of Orders: We monitor the total number of orders as an indicator of future revenue trends. Total orders were up by 13.4% in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013, with e-commerce and online marketplace orders improving by 7.0% and 29.3%, respectively. E-commerce orders improved through an increased conversion rate of our visitors to customers. The increase in online marketplace orders was primarily due to competitive pricing strategies. We expect the total number of orders to marginally improve in the fourth quarter of 2014 when compared to the same period in 2013. We recognize revenue associated with an order when the products have been delivered, consistent with our revenue recognition policy.

Average Order Value: Average order value represents our net sales on a placed orders basis for a given period of time divided by the total number of orders recorded during the same period of time. Average order value decreased by 3.0% in the third quarter of 2014, compared to the third quarter of 2013, with e-commerce and online marketplace orders decreasing by 0.9% and 0.0%, respectively. We expect this trend to continue in the fourth quarter of 2014 primarily due to increased competition, as described in further detail under “Executive Summary” below. We seek to increase the average order value as a means of increasing net sales. Average order values vary depending upon a number of factors, including the components of our product offering, the pricing, discounts offered, the order volume in certain online sales channels, macro-economic conditions, and the competition online.

Revenue Capture: Revenue capture is the amount of actual dollars retained after taking into consideration returns, credit card declines and product fulfillment. During the third quarter of 2014, our revenue capture increased by 0.7% to 83.9% compared to 83.2% in the third quarter of 2013. The increase in revenue capture was due to lower returns and credit card declines and improved product fulfillment in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013. We expect our revenue capture level to remain approximately the same in the fourth quarter of 2014 as we continue to improve our customers’ purchase experience.

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Conversion: Conversion is the number of orders as a rate to the total number of unique visitors. This rate indicates how well we convert a visitor to a customer sales order. During the third quarter of 2014, our conversion improved by 17.6% to 1.67% compared to 1.42% in the third quarter of 2013.

Executive Summary

For the third quarter of 2014, the Company generated net sales of $67,965, compared with $61,724 for the third quarter of 2013, representing an increase of 10.1%. Net loss for the third quarter of 2014 was $2,494, or $0.08 per share. This compares to a net loss of $1,399, or $0.04 per share, for the third quarter of 2013. We generated income before interest expense, net, income tax provision, depreciation and amortization expense, amortization of intangible assets, plus share-based compensation expense, impairment losses and restructuring costs (“Adjusted EBITDA”) of $1,219 in the third quarter of 2014 compared to $1,760 in the third quarter of 2013. Adjusted EBITDA is presented because such measure is used by rating agencies, securities analysts, investors and other parties in evaluating the Company. It should not be considered, however, as an alternative to operating income, as an indicator of the Company’s operating performance, or as an alternative to cash flows, as measures of the Company’s overall liquidity, as presented in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Further, the Adjusted EBITDA measure shown for the Company may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Refer to the table presented below for reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA.

Our Q3 2014 net sales consisted of online sales, representing 91.4% of the total (compared to 90.1% in Q3 2013), and offline sales, representing 8.6% of the total (compared to 9.9% in Q3 2013). The net sales increase was due to an increase of $6,512, or 11.7%, in online sales partially offset by a $270, or 4.4%, decrease in offline sales. The online sales channels growth is primarily the result of a $2,943, or 6.7%, increase in our e-commerce sales channels and a $3,366, or 30.8%, increase in our online marketplaces. The $2,943 increase in our e-commerce sales channels was driven by a 17.6% increase in conversion and partially offset by a 9.0% decrease in traffic and 0.9% decline in average order value. The $3,366 increase in our online marketplaces was driven by a 29.3% increase in orders. Our offline sales for the third quarter of 2014 decreased by $270, or 4.4%, to $5,829 compared to the third quarter of 2013. Going forward we anticipate the closure of the Carson Distribution Facility will have a negative impact on offline sales as we adjust to operating in Southern California without a warehouse. We estimate sales could drop by between $1.5 to $2.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2014. For additional details related to the Carson Distribution Facility closure, refer to “Note 11-Restructuring Costs” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.

Prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2014, year-over-year quarterly revenue declined for six consecutive quarters beginning in the third quarter of 2012. The highest decline occurred during the first quarter of 2013 (25%) as compared to the first quarter of 2012, and the least in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the fourth quarter of 2012 (5%). Quarterly revenue has increased year-over-year in each quarter of 2014. The table below presents quarterly revenues (in thousands) and the change in quarterly year-over-year revenues.



Thirteen weeks ended	Net sales		Year over year quarterly sales Thirteen weeks ended	Net sales		% increase (decline)
Mar 30, 2013	$	65,405	Mar 31, 2012	$	87,436	(25.2	)%
Jun 29, 2013	$	67,889	Jun 30, 2012	$	80,719	(15.9	)%
Sept 28, 2013	$	61,724	Sept 29, 2012	$	73,014	(15.5	)%
Dec 28, 2013	$	59,735	Dec 29, 2012	$	62,848	(5.0	)%
Mar 29, 2014	$	68,028	Mar 30, 2013	$	65,405	4.0	%
Jun 28, 2014	$	76,947	Jun 29, 2013	$	67,889	13.3	%
Sept 27, 2014	$	67,965	Sept 28, 2013	$	61,724	10.1	%

Like most e-commerce retailers, our success depends on our ability to attract online consumers to our websites and convert them into customers in a cost-effective manner. Historically, marketing through search engines provided the most efficient opportunity to reach millions of on-line auto part buyers. We are included in search results through paid search listings, where we purchase specific search terms that will result in the inclusion of our listing, and algorithmic searches that depend upon the searchable content on our websites. Since 2013, we have decreased the amount we spent on paid search listings, as we have determined that it does not generate a sufficient amount of revenues to justify the expense. Algorithmic listings cannot be purchased and instead are determined and displayed solely by a set of formulas utilized by the search engine. We have had a history of success with our search engine marketing techniques, which gave our different websites preferred positions in search results. But search engines, like Google, revise their algorithms from time to time in an attempt to optimize

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their search results. Since 2011, Google has released changes to Google’s search results ranking algorithm aimed to lower the rank of certain sites and return other sites near the top of the search results based upon the quality of the particular site as determined by Google. Google made additional updates throughout fiscal year 2012 and 2013. We were negatively impacted by the changes in methodology for how Google displayed or selected our different websites for customer search results. This reduced our unique visitor count which adversely affected our financial results. Our unique visitor count decreased by 2.9 million, or 9.0%, for the third quarter of 2014 to 29.4 million unique visitors compared to 32.3 million unique visitors in the third quarter of 2013. We believe we were affected by these search engine algorithm changes due to the use of our product catalog across multiple websites. To address this issue we consolidated to a significantly smaller number of websites to ensure unique catalog content. As we are significantly dependent upon search engines for our website traffic, if we are unable to attract unique visitors, our business and results of operations will be harmed.

Barriers to entry in the automotive aftermarket industry are low, and current and new competitors can launch websites at a relatively low cost. We experienced significant competitive pressure from certain of our suppliers as they are now selling their products online. Since our suppliers have access to merchandise at very low costs, they were able to sell products at lower prices and maintain higher gross margins, thus our gross margin percentage was negatively impacted by the increased level of competition. Total orders for the third quarter of 2014 went up by 13.4% compared to the third quarter of 2013 while our average order value decreased by $3, or 3.0%, for the third quarter of 2014 to $97 compared to $100 in the third quarter of 2013 as a result of increased pricing competition. Our current and potential customers may decide to purchase directly from our suppliers. Continuing increased competition from our suppliers that have access to products at lower prices than us could result in reduced sales, lower operating margins, reduced profitability, loss of market share and diminished brand recognition. In addition, some of our competitors have used and may continue to use aggressive pricing tactics. We expect that competition will further intensify in the future as Internet use and online commerce continue to grow worldwide.

Total expenses, which primarily consisted of cost of sales and operating costs, increased during the third quarter of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. Components of our cost of sales and operating costs are described in further detail under — “Basis of Presentation” below. Going forward we anticipate the closure of the Carson Distribution Facility will reduce cost of sales and certain operating expenses, specifically fulfillment which includes rent and personnel costs. We estimate expenses could drop by between $1.5 to $2.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2014. For additional details related to the Carson Distribution Facility closure, refer to “Note 11-Restructuring Costs” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.

Our personnel costs declined in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013. Our employees at the end of the third quarter of 2014 decreased to 1,028 as compared to 1,074 at the end of the third quarter of 2013. In 2014 and 2013, as part of the Company’s initiatives to reduce labor costs and improve operating efficiencies in response to the challenges in the marketplace and general market conditions, we reduced our workforce by 77 and 176 employees, respectively (for additional details, refer to “Note 11-Restructuring Costs” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part I, Item 1 of this report). While we have and continue to undertake several initiatives to improve revenues and reduce the losses in 2014, if the downward revenue and loss trend observed in 2012 and 2013 occur in the final quarter of 2014, we may be required to further reduce our labor costs.

Revenues increased during the third quarter of 2014, when compared to the third quarter of 2013, and we expect our revenues to continue to improve for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014 when compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013. We expect to incur a net loss in fiscal year 2014 that is substantially less than the net losses incurred in fiscal year 2013 and 2012. If a downward trend experienced in 2012 and 2013 recurs and is more negative than we expect, it could severely impact our liquidity as we may not be able to provide positive cash flows from operations in order to meet our working capital requirements. We may need to borrow additional funds from our credit facility, which under certain circumstances may not be available, sell additional assets or seek additional equity or additional debt financing in the future. Refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below for additional details. There can be no assurance that we would be able to raise such additional financing or engage in such asset sales on acceptable terms, or at all. If we do experience the downward trend in revenues and the net loss we experienced in 2012 and 2013 recurs because our strategies to return to positive sales growth and profitability are not successful or otherwise, and if we are not able to raise adequate additional financing or proceeds from additional asset sales to continue to fund our ongoing operations, we will need to defer, reduce or eliminate significant planned expenditures, restructure or significantly curtail our operations.

During the third quarter of 2014 we continued to make positive strides to pursue strategies to return to positive sales growth and profitability that we initiated during 2013:


•	We continue to work to return to positive e-commerce growth by providing unique catalog content and providing better content on our websites thereby improving our ranking on the search results. We expect this to increase unique visitors to

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our website and help us grow our revenues. We expect revenue trends to continue to improve for the final quarter of 2014 as compared to the final quarter of 2013.

•

We continue to work to improve the website purchase experience for our customers by (1) helping our customers find the parts they want to buy by reducing failed searches and increasing user purchase confidence; (2) selling more highly customized accessories by partnering with manufacturers to build custom shopping experiences; (3) increasing order size across our sites through improved recommendation engines; and (4) completing the roll out of high quality images and videos with emphasis on accessory product lines. In addition, we intend to build mobile enabled websites to take advantage of shifting consumer behaviors. These efforts may increase the conversion rate of our visitors to customers, total number of orders and average order value, and contribute to our revenue growth.

•

We continue to work to becoming one of the best lowest priced options in the market. We expect this to help improve the conversion rate for our visitors to our website and grow our revenues. While revenues are expected to grow, based on our pricing strategy, we expect our gross margin percentage for the rest of fiscal 2014 to remain consistent with the third quarter of 2014, excluding the impact of the Carson closure. We expect to see improvements in our overall branded business due to our pricing strategy described above.


•	Increase product selection by being the first to market with new SKUs. We will seek to add new categories and expand our existing specialty categories. We expect this to increase the total number of orders and contribute to our revenue growth.


•	Be the consumer advocate for auto repair through AutoMD.com. We will continue to devote resources to AutoMD.com and its system development. We expect this to improve our brand recognition and contribute to our revenue growth.


•	Continue to implement cost saving measures.

As we redesign our approach to attracting customers through search engines, we hope to offset much of the revenue loss by pursuing revenue opportunities in third-party online marketplaces, a number of which are growing significantly. Auto parts buyers are finding third-party online marketplaces to be a very attractive environment, for many reasons, the top four being: (1) the security of their personal information; (2) the ability to easily compare product offerings from multiple sellers; (3) transparency (consumers can leave positive or negative feedback about their experience); and (4) favorable pricing. Successful selling in these third-party online marketplaces depends on product innovation, and strong relationships with suppliers, both of which we believe to be our core competencies.

There are various macro-economic conditions may have a negative impact on our customers’ net worth, financial resources and disposable income. While macro-economic conditions have improved since 2008 and 2009, consumer confidence continues to fluctuate. These factors decrease the overall discretionary spending of our customers and we believe it becomes more likely that consumers will keep their current vehicles longer, thus will need replacement parts as a result of general wear and tear, and perform repair and maintenance in order to keep those vehicles well maintained. Although gas prices have been declining since July 2014, if gas prices begin to rise it could negatively impact the industry as consumers drive less and reduce the wear and tear on their vehicles. Given the nature of these factors, and the volatility of the overall economic environment, we cannot predict whether or for how long these trends will continue, nor can we predict to what degree these trends will impact us in the future.

Non-GAAP measures

Regulation G, “Conditions for Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures,” and other provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, define and prescribe the conditions for use of certain non-GAAP financial information. We provide “Adjusted EBITDA,” which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA consists of net income before (a) interest expense, net; (b) income tax provision; (c) depreciation and amortization expense; (d) amortization of intangible assets; (e) share-based compensation expense; and (f) restructuring costs.

The Company believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides important supplemental information to management and investors. This non-GAAP financial measure reflects an additional way of viewing aspects of the Company’s operations that, when viewed with the GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Company’s business and results of operations.

Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of the Company’s operating performance because it assists in comparing the Company’s operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of items not directly resulting from core operations. Internally, this non-GAAP measure is also used by management for planning purposes, including the preparation of

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internal budgets; for allocating resources to enhance financial performance; for evaluating the effectiveness of operational strategies; and for evaluating the Company’s capacity to fund capital expenditures and expand its business. The Company also believes that analysts and investors use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to evaluate the overall operating performance of companies in our industry. Additionally, lenders or potential lenders use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate the Company’s ability to repay loans.

This non-GAAP financial measure is used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management strongly encourages investors to review the Company’s consolidated financial statements in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. In addition, the Company expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments described above, and exclusion of these items from the Company’s non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring.

The table below reconciles net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (in thousands):



	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013			September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
Consolidated
Net loss	$	(2,494	)	$	(1,399	)	$	(4,473	)	$	(14,309	)
Interest expense, net	283			285			774			696
Income tax provision	15			1			68			91
Amortization of intangibles	106			86			316			299
Depreciation and amortization	2,213			2,472			6,833			9,736
EBITDA	123			1,445			3,518			(3,487		)
Share-based compensation	686			315			1,691			1,065
Impairment loss on property and equipment	—			—			—			4,832
Impairment loss on intangible assets	—			—			—			1,245
Inventory write-down related to Carson closure (2)	—			—			478			—
Restructuring costs (1)	410			—			1,035			723
Adjusted EBITDA	$	1,219		$	1,760		$	6,722		$	4,378


(1)	We incurred restructuring costs in the first quarter of 2013 and the second quarter 2014, related to the Company’s initiatives to reduce labor costs and improve operating efficiencies in response to the challenges in the marketplace and general market conditions. Refer to “Note 11 – Restructuring Costs” of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details.

(2)

As a result of the closure of the Carson warehouse, the Company expects that the remaining warehouses may reach capacity constraints when inventory levels peak in late winter/early spring. To mitigate this risk, the Company has reduced the sales price of certain inventory in an effort to reduce inventory levels. Additional charges were incurred related to inventory that was not deemed economical to transfer to the remaining warehouses. Refer to “Note 11 – Restructuring Costs” of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details.

Basis of Presentation

Net Sales. Online and offline sales represent two different sales channels for our products. We generate online net sales primarily through the sale of auto parts to individual consumers through our network of e-commerce websites, including mobile based online sales, and online marketplaces, including online advertising. E-commerce sales are derived from our network of websites, which we own and operate. E-commerce and online marketplace sales also include inbound telephone sales through our call center that supports these sales channels. Online marketplaces consist primarily of sales of our products on online auction websites, where we sell through auctions as well as through storefronts that we maintain on third-party owned websites. We sell advertising and sponsorship positions on our e-commerce websites to highlight vendor brands and offer complementary products and services that benefit our customers. Advertising is targeted to specific sections of the websites and can also be targeted to specific users based on the vehicles they drive. Advertising partners primarily include part

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vendors, national automotive aftermarket brands and automobile manufacturers. Our offline sales channel represents our distribution of products directly to commercial customers by selling auto parts to collision repair shops located in Southern California and Virginia. Our offline sales channel also includes the distribution of our Kool-Vue™ mirror line to auto parts distributors nationwide. We also serve consumers by operating a retail outlet store in LaSalle, Illinois.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales consists of the direct costs associated with procuring parts from suppliers and delivering products to customers. These costs include product costs, outbound freight and shipping costs, warehouse supplies and warranty costs, partially offset by purchase discounts and cooperative advertising. Depreciation and amortization expenses are excluded from cost of sales and included in marketing, general and administrative and fulfillment expenses as noted below.

Marketing Expense. Marketing expense consists of online advertising spend, internet commerce facilitator fees and other advertising costs, as well as payroll and related expenses associated with our marketing catalog, customer service and sales personnel. These costs are generally variable and are typically a function of net sales. Marketing expense also includes depreciation and amortization expense and share-based compensation expense.

General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expense consists primarily of administrative payroll and related expenses, payment processing fees, legal and professional fees, amortization of software and other administrative costs. General and administrative expense also includes depreciation and amortization expense and share-based compensation expense.

Fulfillment Expense. Fulfillment expense consists primarily of payroll and related costs associated with our warehouse employees and our purchasing group, facilities rent, building maintenance, depreciation and other costs associated with inventory management and our wholesale operations. Fulfillment expense also includes share-based compensation expense.

Technology Expense. Technology expense consists primarily of payroll and related expenses of our information technology personnel, the cost of hosting our servers, communications expenses and Internet connectivity costs, computer support and software development amortization expense. Technology expense also includes share-based compensation expense.

Amortization of Intangible Assets. Amortization of intangibles consists of the amortization expense associated with our definite-lived intangible assets.

Other Income, Net. Other income, net consists of miscellaneous income or expense such as gains/losses from disposition of assets, and interest income comprised primarily of interest income on investments.

Interest Expense . Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense on our outstanding loan balances, deferred financing cost amortization and capital lease interest.

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Segment Data

The Company operates in two reportable segments identified as Base USAP, which is the core auto parts business, and AutoMD, an online automotive repair source of which the Company is a majority stockholder. Summarized segment information for our continuing operations from the two reportable segments for the periods presented is as follows (in thousands):



	Base USAP			AutoMD			Consolidated
Thirteen weeks ended September 27, 2014
Net sales	$	67,885		$	80		$	67,965
Gross profit	18,334			80			18,414
Operating costs (1)	20,016			614			20,630
Loss from operations	(1,682		)	(534		)	(2,216		)
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	71,856			1,828			73,684
Thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2013
Net sales	$	61,655		$	69		$	61,724
Gross profit	17,838			69			17,907
Operating costs (1)	18,647			506			19,153
Loss from operations	(809		)	(437		)	(1,246		)
Thirty-nine weeks ended September 27, 2014
Net sales	$	212,717		$	223		$	212,940
Gross profit	59,312			223			59,535
Operating costs (1)	61,396			1,799			63,195
Loss from operations	(2,084		)	(1,576		)	(3,660		)
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	71,856			1,828			73,684
Thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2013
Net sales	$	194,756		$	262		$	195,018
Gross profit	56,396			262			56,658
Operating costs (1)	68,651			1,737			70,388
Loss from operations	(12,255		)	(1,475		)	(13,730		)
Fifty-two weeks as of December 28, 2013
Total assets, net of accumulated depreciation	$	67,039		$	2,143		$	69,182


(1)	Operating costs for AutoMD primarily consist of depreciation on fixed assets.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth selected statement of operations data for the periods indicated, expressed as a percentage of net sales:



	Thirteen Weeks Ended				Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014		September 28, 2013		September 27, 2014		September 28, 2013
Net sales	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%
Cost of sales	72.9		71.0		72.0		70.9
Gross profit	27.1		29.0		28.0		29.1
Operating expenses:
Marketing	15.1		15.2		14.7		16.3
General and administrative	5.5		6.9		5.9		7.0
Fulfillment	7.7		6.8		7.2		7.5
Technology	1.8		2.0		1.7		2.1
Amortization of intangible assets	0.2		0.1		0.1		0.1
Impairment loss on property and equipment	—		—		—		2.5
Impairment loss on intangible assets	—		—		—		0.6
Total operating expenses	30.3		31.0		29.6		36.1
Loss from operations	(3.2	)	(2.0	)	(1.6	)	(7.0	)
Other income (expense):
Other income, net	—		0.2		—		0.1
Interest expense	(0.4	)	(0.5	)	(0.4	)	(0.4	)
Total other expense, net	(0.4	)	(0.3	)	(0.4	)	(0.3	)
Loss before income taxes	(3.6	)	(2.3	)	(2.0	)	(7.3	)
Income tax provision	—		—		—		—
Net loss	(3.6	)%	(2.3	)%	(2.0	)%	(7.3	)%

Thirteen and Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2014 Compared to the Thirteen and Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended September 28, 2013

Net Sales and Gross Margin



	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013			September 27, 2014			September 28, 2013
	(in thousands)
Net sales	$	67,965		$	61,724		$	212,940		$	195,018
Cost of sales	49,551			43,817			153,405			138,360
Gross profit	$	18,414		$	17,907		$	59,535		$	56,658
Gross margin	27.1		%	29.0		%	28.0		%	29.1		%

Net sales increased $6,241, or 10.1%, for the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013. Our net sales consisted of online sales, r