Aerosoles International Inc.

• 9/15/17 Recap: Remember that once-popular trope that footwear was impervious to Amazon and e-commerce? People want to go to stores to try on shoes, we've been told. Lost in that, however, is that free returns make it THAT much easier to try/err with sizing via delivery. And, so, not-so-shockingly, another private equity (Palladin Partners LP) owned specialty retailer is in bankruptcy court. The New Jersey based company has "approximately 78 stores" (PETITION Note: how does it not know the exact number?) in the United States that cater towards providing women with "feel good" footwear. The stores are located in malls, lifestyle centers, street locations and outlet centers. This 78-count footprint is down dramatically: the company has already reduced its store count by over 30 stores in the last year or so. The company also generates revenue through its (i) direct e-commerce business (which, seemingly, is fairly well built out with 1.4mm visitors a month...note, pretty good sales right now!), (ii) wholesale business, (iii) "first cost business" (which sounds like a middleman situation where the company aids other companies in the design and production of their own separately branded footwear, and (iv) international licensing. The company blames a highly competitive women's footwear market, a large sourcing disruption (to the tune of $4mm of lost EBITDA), shifting trends from bricks to clicks and other operationally-specific reasons for the chapter 11 filing. Like what? Glad you asked. First, the company had a hard time servicing its debt while also making the significant cash outlays needed to inventory-up for the critical spring and fall seasons. Second, the company - in a showing of REALLY FRIKKEN HORRIBLE TIMING - expanded its retail store footprint considerably in 2012 and 2013, subjecting itself to onerous leases in the process. Third, the company lost its Asian sourcing agent in spring 2016 and has subsequently had difficulty restoring lost customer confidence and maintaining order load. MAGA! And so now what? Ready for this shocker? The company intends to refocus its efforts towards the non-brick-and-mortar aspects of its business. Remember those "approximately 78" stores we noted above? Well, the company is saying "PEACE" to 74 of them in bankruptcy. Finally, the company intends to use the bankruptcy process to find a buyer for the company (and its new business plan). 
• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware 
• Capital Structure: $72.3mm of total debt. $22.9mm ABL (Wells Fargo Bank NA), $19.7mm TL (THL Corporate Finance Inc.), $19.1mm senior notes, $8.9mm sub notes, and $1.7mm sub loan. 
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Ropes & Gray LLP (Gregg Galardi, Mark Somerstein, William Alex McGee) & Bayard PA (Scott Cousins, Erin Fay, Gregory Flasser)
  • Financial Advisor: Berkeley Research Group LLC (Mark Weinsten)
  • Investment Banker: Piper Jaffray & Co.
  • Liquidation Agent: Hilco Merchant Resources LLC 
  • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • ABL Agent: Wells Fargo Bank NA
    • Legal: Choate Hall & Stewart LLP (Kevin Simard, Jonathan Marshall) & (local) Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP (Mark Desgrosseilliers, Matthew Ward)
  • TL Agent: THL Corporate Finance Inc.
    • Legal: Paul Hastings LLP (Matthew Murphy) & Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (M. Blake Cleary)
  • Prepetition Senior Noteholders & Subordinated Noteholders (ORIX Funds Corp., Palladin Partners LP)
    • Legal: Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP (Jacqueline Marcus) & (local) Richards Layton & Finger PA (Mark Collins, Paul Heath, Joseph Barsalona II)
  • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (ICB Asia Co. Ltd., Rival Shoe Design Ltd., Moveon Componentes E Calcado SA, Simon Property Group, GGP Limited Partnership)
    • Legal: Cooley LLP (Michael Klein, Sarah Carnes) & (local) Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown LLC (Michael Busenkell, Ronald Gellert, Shannon Dougherty Humiston)

Updated 10/5/17 11:17 am CT