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The Michaels Companies, Inc.

mik · NASDAQ Consumer Cyclical
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FY2020 Annual Report · The Michaels Companies, Inc.
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Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended  January 30, 2021

Commission file number 001-36501

THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
A Delaware Corporation

IRS Employer Identification No. 37-1737959

3939 West John Carpenter Freeway
Irving, Texas 75063

(972) 409-1300

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class
Common Stock, $0.06775 par value

     Trading Symbol

MIK

Name of each exchange on which registered
Nasdaq Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

The Michaels Companies, Inc. is a  well-known seasoned issuer , as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  

The Michaels Companies, Inc. (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.  

The Michaels Companies, Inc. has submitted electronically every  Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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).

The Michaels Companies, Inc. is an accelerated filer.

The Michaels Companies, Inc. is not (1) a  shell company, (2) a  small reporting company or (3) an emerging growth company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the

Exchange Act).  

The aggregate market value of The Michaels Companies, Inc.’s common stock held by non-affiliates as of August 1, 2020 was approximately $ 530,710,971
based  upon  the  closing  sales  price  of  $7.18  quoted  on  The  Nasdaq  Global  Select  Market  as  of  July  31,  2020.  For  this  purpose,  directors  and  officers  have  been
assumed to be affiliates.

The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  has  filed  a  report  on  and  attestation  to  management’s  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  its  internal  control  over  financial

reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

As of February 25, 2021, 141,610,518 shares of The Michaels Companies, Inc.’s common stock were outstanding.

The registrant will incorporate by reference information required in response to Part III, items 10-14, from its definitive proxy statement for its annual meeting

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

of shareholders, to be held on June 9, 2021.

                       
    
THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Part I.

Item 1.     Business

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Item 2.     Properties

Item 3.     Legal Proceedings

Item 4.     Mine Safety Disclosures

Part II.

Item 5.     Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Item 6.     Selected Financial Data

Item 7.     Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Item 8.     Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Item 9.     Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Item 9A.  Controls and Procedures

Part III.

Item 10.   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Item 11.   Executive Compensation

Item 12.   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Item 13.   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Item 14.   Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Part IV.

Item 15.   Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Item 16.   Form 10-K Summary

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ITEM 1.  BUSINESS.

PART I

The following discussion, as well as other portions of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, contains forward-looking statements that
reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Any statements contained herein (including, but not limited to, statements to the effect that Michaels
or  its  management  “anticipates”,  “plans”,  “estimates”,  “expects”,  “believes”,  “intends”,  and  other  similar  expressions)  that  are  not
statements  of  historical  fact  should  be  considered  forward-looking  statements  and  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  our  consolidated
financial statements and related notes contained elsewhere in this report. Specific examples of forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, statements regarding our pending acquisition by Apollo and the expected timing of completion of the transaction, forecasts of
financial performance, store openings, capital expenditures and working capital requirements. Our actual results could materially  differ
from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not
limited  to,  those  discussed  below  and  elsewhere  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  and  particularly  in  “Item  1A.  Risk  Factors”  and
“Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. Unless the context otherwise indicates,
references  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  to  “we”,  “our”,  “us”,  “our  Company”,  “the  Company”,  and  “Michaels”  mean  The
Michaels Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries.

General

The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.,  with  $5.3  billion  in  sales  in  fiscal  2020,  is  the  largest  arts  and  crafts  specialty  retailer  in  North
America (based on store count) providing materials, project ideas and education for creative activities. Our mission is to inspire and enable
customer creativity, create a fun and rewarding place to work, foster meaningful connections with our communities and lead the industry in
growth and innovation. With crafting classes, store events, store displays, mobile applications and online videos, we offer an omnichannel
shopping experience that can inspire creativity and build confidence in our customers’ artistic abilities.

As  of  January  30,  2021,  we  operated  1,252  Michaels  retail  stores  in  49  states  and  Canada,  with  approximately  18,000  average

square feet of selling space per store.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In response to
the pandemic, many state and local jurisdictions ordered non-essential businesses closed and executed extensive stay-at-home orders. These
orders resulted in the temporary closure of over 900 of our 1,252 stores which had a material adverse impact on our results of operations
during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, we reopened all of our stores and experienced a significant
improvement in our business as net sales increased 12.4% during the preceding nine month period ending January 30, 2021 compared to the
same period in the prior year. Our liquidity position, which includes cash on hand and amounts available under our senior secured asset-
based revolving credit facility (“Amended Revolving Credit Facility”), increased from $1.2 billion as of February 1, 2020 to $1.7 billion as
of  January  30,  2021.  However,  there  remains  significant  uncertainty  surrounding  the  future  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  our
results of operations, and future waves of the pandemic could require us to close stores again if certain restrictions are reinstated by state
and local authorities. We intend to continue to manage our liquidity position closely and invest in our omnichannel capabilities to meet the
growing customer demand for a seamless omnichannel experience.

In  May  2020,  the  Company  adopted  a  plan  to  close  our  Darice  wholesale  operations  (“Darice”). As  a  result  of  the  closure,  we
recorded  a  charge  totaling  $45.2  million  in  fiscal  2020,  consisting  primarily  of  a  $37.3  million  charge  in  gross  profit  related  to  the
liquidation  of  inventory  and  $7.9  million  included  in  selling,  general  and  administrative  associated  with  the  write-off  of  indefinite-lived
intangible assets and employee-related expenses. The closure of Darice was completed in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. In fiscal 2020 and
fiscal 2019, Darice’s net sales totaled $37.6 million and $79.9 million, respectively. Excluding the charges, Darice did not have a material
impact on the Company’s operating income in the periods presented.

In  fiscal  2020,  we  recorded  impairment  charges  totaling  $28.8  million,  consisting  of  $19.4  million  related  to  the  closure  of  13
underperforming  stores  and  $9.4  million  primarily  related  to  the  relocation  of  our  corporate  offices  in  Irving,  Texas.  The  impairment
charges include $22.8 million related to operating lease assets and $6.0 million related to leasehold improvements and inventory.

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During fiscal 2019, we identified impairment indicators within Darice that were primarily due to a deterioration in sales associated
with  overall  declining  demand  from  customers.  These  indicators  led  us  to  revise  Darice’s  forecasted  sales  downward  and  resulted  in  a
significantly lower operating plan in fiscal 2019. As a result, we performed impairment tests on Darice’s goodwill, indefinite and definite-
lived  intangible  assets  and  long-lived  assets,  including  operating  lease  assets.  As  a  result  of  this  impairment  testing,  we  recorded  an
impairment  charge  of  $40.1  million  in  fiscal  2019,  consisting  of  $17.8  million  related  to  goodwill,  $14.4  million  related  to  long-lived
assets, including operating lease assets, and $7.9 million related to indefinite and definite-lived intangible assets.

In  November  2019,  the  Company  acquired  certain  intangible  assets  from A.C.  Moore  Incorporated  for  $61.9  million,  including
customer  relationships  and  tradenames  totaling  $55.9  million  and  $5.2  million,  respectively.  In  connection  with  the  transaction,  we  also
leased  a  distribution  facility  in  New  Jersey  and  17  store  locations.  The  store  locations  will  be  reopened  under  the  Michaels  brand  name
during fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2021, including the relocation of certain existing Michaels stores. We believe the transaction will enable us to
expand our presence in strategic markets and better serve our customers both online and in stores.

In  January  2019  and  March  2018,  we  closed  our  Pat  Catan’s  and Aaron  Brothers  stores,  respectively. As  a  result  of  the  store
closures,  we  recorded  restructure  charges  of  $8.2  million  and  $98.9  million  in  fiscal  2019  and  fiscal  2018,  respectively.  The  restructure
charges in fiscal 2019 are  primarily  related  to  employee-related  expenses  and  the  impairment  of  an  indefinite-lived  intangible  asset.  The
restructure charges in fiscal 2018 primarily related to the transfer of the rights to sell inventory and other assets to a third party to facilitate
the  store  closures  and  assist  with  the  disposition  of  our  remaining  lease  obligations,  the  impairment  of  goodwill  and  employee-related
expenses.

During fiscal 2018, Pat Catan’s net sales totaled $109.6 million and Aaron Brothers net sales totaled $12.9 million. Excluding the
restructure charges, Aaron Brothers and Pat Catan’s did not have a material impact on the Company’s operating income in all fiscal periods
presented in the consolidated financial statements.

In addition, we recorded $5.3 million of employee-related charges in fiscal 2018 as a result of certain organizational changes made

to streamline our operations at our corporate support center.

Pending Acquisition by Apollo

On March 2, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (“Merger Agreement”) with certain affiliates of
Apollo Global Management (such affiliates, “Apollo”), pursuant to which Apollo will acquire the Company. Under the Merger Agreement,
and upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, Apollo will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Michaels
for $22.00 per share in cash. If certain conditions are satisfied and the offer closes, Apollo will acquire all remaining shares not tendered in
the  tender  offer  through  a  second-step  merger  at  the  same  price.    The  tender  offer  will  initially  remain  open  for  twenty  business  days,
subject to possible extension on the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement. The parties currently expect the acquisition to be completed
during  the  first  half  of  fiscal  2021. Apollo’s  obligations  to  complete  the  acquisition  are  subject  to  certain  customary  closing  conditions,
including a majority of the outstanding shares of Michaels common stock having been tendered and not validly withdrawn, the expiration of
a twenty-five day go-shop period, compliance with certain antitrust requirements in the United States and Canada, and the completion of a
specified  marketing  period  for  Apollo’s  debt  financing  of  the  offer  price.  The  Merger  Agreement  also  provides  that  the  acquisition
agreement may be terminated by us or Apollo under certain circumstances, and in certain specified circumstances upon termination of the
Merger Agreement we will be required to pay Apollo a termination fee of up to $104 million. The anticipated acquisition of the Company by
Apollo  is  described  more  fully  in  our  Current  Report  on  Form  8-K  filed  with  the  SEC  on  March  3,  2021.  This  summary  of  the  Merger
Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement filed as
Exhibit 2.1 to this Annual Report.

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Merchandising

Michaels. Each  Michaels  store  offers  approximately  45,000  basic  and  seasonal  stock-keeping  units  (“SKUs”)  in  a  number  of

product categories. The following table shows a breakdown of sales for Michaels stores by department as a percentage of total net sales:

General crafts
Home décor and seasonal
Custom and ready-made framing
Papercrafting

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

 47 %
 22
 16
 15
 100 %

 47 %
 23
 16
 14
 100 %

 48 %
 24
 16
 12
 100 %

We have category merchant, product development, sourcing and design teams focused on quality, innovation and cost mitigation.
Our internal product development and global sourcing teams position us to deliver a differentiated level of innovation, quality and value to
our customers. Our global sourcing network allows us to control new product introductions, maintain quality standards, monitor delivery
times,  and  manage  product  costs  and  inventory  levels  to  enhance  profitability.  In  an  industry  with  few  well-known  national  brands,  our
private  brands  are  recognized  as  a  leader  in  many  categories.  We  continue  to  expand  our  private  brands  and  improve  the  selection  of
products we design, develop and deliver to our customers. Our Michaels’ private brands totaled approximately 59% of net sales in fiscal
2020  and  include,  among  others,  Recollections®,  Studio  Decor®,  Bead  Landing®,  Creatology®, Ashland®,  Celebrate  It®, ArtMinds®,
Artist’s Loft®, Craft Smart® and Loops & Threads®.

We  continue  to  search  for  ways  to  leverage  our  position  as  a  market  leader  by  establishing  strategic  partnerships  and  exclusive
product  relationships  to  provide  our  customers  with  exciting  merchandise.  We  have  partnerships  with  popular  brands  such  as  Crayola,
Elmer’s and Cricut. We will continue to explore opportunities to form future partnerships and exclusive product associations.

E-commerce. Our e-commerce business provides an important avenue to communicate with our customers in an interactive way
that reinforces the Michaels brand and drives traffic to our stores and websites. We continue to strengthen our omnichannel offering with the
expansion of our buy online, pick up in store capabilities and the introduction of curbside pick-up and same-day-delivery during fiscal 2020.
We also continue to enhance our existing platforms to improve discoverability, product content and personalization of customer messaging
that will deliver a superior customer experience. Our online platforms, which offer over 100,000 basic and seasonal SKUs, currently include
Michaels.com,  Canada.Michaels.com,  michaelscustomframing.com  (our  online  custom  framing  solution)  and  our  Michaels  app,  which
connects our store and online experiences.

Purchasing and Inventory Management

We  purchase  merchandise  from  a  variety  of  different  vendors  primarily  through  our  wholly-owned  subsidiary,  Michaels  Stores
Procurement  Company,  Inc.  We  believe  our  buying  power  and  ability  to  make  centralized  purchases  enable  us  to  acquire  products  on
favorable terms. Centralized merchandising management teams negotiate with vendors in an attempt to obtain the lowest merchandise costs
and  to  improve  product  mix  and  inventory  levels.  In  fiscal  2020,  there  were  no  vendors  who  accounted  for  more  than  10%  of  total
purchases.

We have also developed direct sourcing capabilities through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Darice International Sourcing Group.
We  believe  our  direct  sourcing  operation  allows  us  to  maintain  greater  control  over  the  manufacturing  process,  resulting  in  improved
product  quality  and  lower  costs.  In  addition,  our  stores  purchase  custom  frames,  framing  supplies  and  mats  from  our  wholly-owned
subsidiary, Artistree, Inc. (“Artistree”), which consists of a manufacturing facility and three regional processing centers.

The majority of the products sold in our stores are manufactured in Asia. Goods manufactured in Asia generally require long lead
times  and  are  ordered  two  to  four  months  in  advance  of  delivery.  Those  products  are  either  imported  directly  by  us  or  acquired  from
distributors based in the U.S.

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Our automated replenishment system uses perpetual inventory records to analyze on-hand SKU quantities by store, as well as other
pertinent information such as sales forecasts, seasonal selling patterns, promotional events and vendor lead times, to generate recommended
merchandise  reorder  information.  These  recommended  orders  are  reviewed  daily  and  purchase  orders  are  delivered  electronically  to  our
vendors  and  our  distribution  centers.  In  addition  to  improving  our  store  in-stock  position,  these  systems  enable  us  to  better  forecast
merchandise  ordering  quantities  for  our  vendors  and  give  us  the  ability  to  identify,  order  and  replenish  the  stores’  merchandise.  These
systems  also  allow  us  to  react  more  quickly  to  sales  trends  and  allow  our  store  team  members  to  devote  more  time  to  customer  service,
thereby improving inventory productivity and sales opportunities.

Artistree

We  own  and  operate  Artistree,  a  vertically-integrated  framing  operation  which  supplies  precut  mats  and  high  quality  custom
framing merchandise in our stores and on michaelscustomframing.com. We believe Artistree provides a competitive advantage and gives us
quality  control  over  the  entire  framing  process.  Custom  framing  orders  are  processed  and  shipped  to  our  stores  where  the  custom  frame
order is completed for customer pick-up.

Our moulding manufacturing plant, located in Kernersville, North Carolina, converts lumber into finished frame moulding that is
used  at  our  regional  processing  centers  to  fulfill  custom  framing  orders  for  our  customers.  We  manufacture  approximately  38%  of  the
moulding  that  we  process  and  import  approximately  56%  from  quality  manufacturers  in  Indonesia,  Malaysia,  Spain  and  Italy.  The
remaining mouldings are purchased from domestic manufacturers.

We  operate  three  regional  processing  centers  located  in  DFW Airport,  Texas;  Kernersville,  North  Carolina;  and  Mississauga,
Ontario.  Combined,  these  facilities  occupy  approximately  489,000  square  feet  and,  in  fiscal  2020,  processed  18.7  million  linear  feet  of
frame moulding and 2.8 million individual custom cut mats and foam boards for our customers. Our precut mats and custom frame supplies
are packaged and distributed out of our DFW Airport regional processing center.

Distribution

We  currently  operate  eight  distribution  centers  to  supply  our  stores  with  merchandise.  Approximately  94%  of  our  stores’
merchandise  receipts  are  shipped  through  the  distribution  network  with  the  remainder  shipped  directly  from  vendors  to  stores.  Our
distribution centers are located in California, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. In fiscal 2020, we began work on
additional distribution centers in California and New Jersey which are expected to begin operations in the second half of fiscal 2021. We
also began to wind down operations in our Ohio distribution centers which were primarily used for our discontinued wholesale business. In
fiscal 2021, we plan to operate eight distribution centers in direct support of Michaels sales channels, and sublease our Ohio distribution
centers.

Our  distribution  facilities  use  warehouse  management  and  control  software  systems  to  maintain  and  support  the  efficient
movement  of  product  through  our  supply  chain.  Store  replenishment  is  performed  using  pick-to-light  and  radio  frequency  processing
technologies as well as other common material handling equipment. Product is delivered to stores using both a dedicated fleet of trucks and
contract carriers.

Marketing

We employ a multi-faceted marketing strategy to increase brand awareness, acquire new customers, improve customer retention
and  increase  frequency  of  shopping.  We  communicate  with  our  current  and  prospective  customers  through  multiple  channels,  including
direct mail, email, newspaper inserts, television and digital advertising.

We  continue  to  develop  and  leverage  our  customer  data  analytic  capabilities  to  drive  a  more  customer-centric  strategy  through
targeted marketing and promotions. We believe that targeted marketing and promotions play an important role in today’s retail environment
by  improving  the  impact  of  digital  media,  email,  coupons  and  promotional  events.  In  fiscal  2020,  we  expanded  our  loyalty  program,
Michaels  Rewards,  enabling  customers  to  earn  rewards  on  purchases  that  can  be  redeemed  for  discounts  on  future  purchases.  Michaels
Rewards  also  offers  customers  tailored,  exclusive  offers  and  events  such  as  sneak  peeks  for  new  product,  early  alerts  for  big  sales  and
receipt-free  returns.  Michaels  Rewards  continues  to  grow  and  has  surpassed  46  million  customers.  The  program  adds  to  our  customer
database and, we believe, will allow

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us to further target our marketing and promotions more effectively. We believe the expansion of our rewards program is an important tool to
increase retention of existing customers and enhance their loyalty to the Michaels brand.

Seasonality

Our  business  is  highly  seasonal,  with  higher  sales  in  the  third  and  fourth  fiscal  quarters.  Our  fourth  quarter,  which  includes  the

Holiday selling season, has on average accounted for approximately 34% of our net sales and approximately 48% of our operating income.

Our Industry

According to internal market research, approximately 53% of U.S. households participated in at least one crafting project during
2018, which represented approximately 67 million households. This research indicated that crafting activities continue to enjoy broad based
popularity  and  market  size  has  been  stable,  valued  at  approximately  $36  billion.  We  believe  the  broad,  multi-generational  appeal,  high
personal attachment and the low-cost, project-based nature of crafting creates a loyal, resilient following.

Store Expansion and Relocation

The following table shows the number of stores open during each of the last five years:

Michaels stores:

Open at beginning of period
New stores
Relocated stores opened
Closed stores
Relocated stores closed
Open at end of period

Aaron Brothers stores:

Open at beginning of period
New stores
Closed stores
Open at end of period

Pat Catan's stores:

Open at beginning of period
Acquired stores
New stores
Relocated stores opened
Closed stores
Relocated stores closed
Open at end of period

Total store count at end of period

2020

2019

Fiscal Year
2018

2017

2016

 1,274
 6
 8
 (25)
 (11)
 1,252

 —
 —
 —
 —

 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 1,252

 1,258
 21
 13
 (5)
 (13)
 1,274

 —
 —
 —
 —

 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 —
 1,274

 1,238
 24
 21
 (4)
 (21)
 1,258

 97
 —
 (97)
 —

 36
 —
 —
 —
 (36)
 —
 —
 1,258

 1,223
 17
 12
 (2)
 (12)
 1,238

 109
 —
 (12)
 97

 35
 —
 1
 —
 —
 —
 36
 1,371

 1,196
 32
 14
 (5)
 (14)
 1,223

 117
 1
 (9)
 109

 —
 32
 3
 1
 —
 (1)
 35
 1,367

We believe, based on an internal real estate and market penetration study of Michaels stores, that the combined U.S. and Canadian
markets can support between 1,300 and 1,400 Michaels stores. We plan to open approximately 33 Michaels stores, including approximately
10 relocations, in fiscal 2021. We continue to pursue a store relocation program to improve the real estate location quality and performance
of our store base. During fiscal 2021, we plan to close up to 15 Michaels stores. Many of our store closings are stores that have reached the
end of their lease term. We believe our ongoing store evaluation process results in strong performance across our store base.

Our store operating model, which is based on historical store performance, assumes an average store size of approximately 18,000

square feet of selling space. Our fiscal 2020 average initial net investment, which varies by site and

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specific  store  characteristics,  was  $0.5  million  per  store,  including  store  build-out  costs,  pre-opening  expenses  and  average  first  year
inventory.

Human Capital

As  of  January  30,  2021,  we  employed  approximately  45,000  team  members,  including  approximately  41,000  who  work  in  the
United States with the remaining working in Canada and China. We employ approximately 34,000 team members on a part-time basis. Due
to  the  seasonal  nature  of  the  retail  business,  the  number  of  part-time  team  members  substantially  increases  during  the  Holiday  selling
season. Of our full-time team members, approximately 4,000 are engaged in various executive, operating, administrative functions in our
support center, division offices and distribution centers and the remainder are engaged in store operations. None of our team members are
subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We offer a broad range of company paid benefits to our team members including medical and
dental  plans,  paid  vacation,  a  401(k)  plan,  disability  insurance,  team  member  assistance  programs,  life  insurance  and  a  team  member
discount.  The  level  of  benefits  and  eligibility  vary  depending  on  the  team  members’  full-time  or  part-time  status,  date  of  hire,  length  of
service  or  level  of  pay.  We  believe  that  to  succeed  as  a  business  we  must  maintain  an  inclusive  culture  that  fosters  high  team  member
engagement and standards of ethical conduct, provides ongoing development opportunities, and provides a safe working environment. We
have  taken  numerous  measures  to  meet  these  objectives  including  providing  ongoing  learning  and  mentoring  programs,  establishing
Michaels  Resource  Groups  to  raise  awareness  and  promote  education  of  different  cultures  and  lifestyles,  and  regularly  updating  and
distributing  our  Code  of  Business  Conduct  and  Ethics  policies  to  all  team  members.  We  also  perform  ongoing  reviews  of  our  safety
protocols, including extensive efforts undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety of our team members by
performing frequent cleanings, ensuring social distancing and providing masks for all of our stores.

Competition

We are the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America based on store count. The market in which we compete is
highly  fragmented  and  includes  stores  across  the  U.S.  and  Canada  operated  primarily  by  small,  independent  retailers  along  with  a  few
regional and national chains. We believe customers choose where to shop based upon store location, breadth of selection, price, quality of
merchandise, availability of product and customer service. We compete with many different types of retailers and classify our competition
within the following categories:

● Multi-store  chains.  This  category  consists  of  several  multi-store  chains,  each  operating  more  than 100  stores,  including:  Hobby
Lobby Stores, Inc., which operates approximately 930 stores in 47 states and Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., which operates approximately 870
stores in 49 states. We believe these chains are smaller than Michaels with respect to net sales.

● Mass merchandisers.  This  category  of  retailers  typically  dedicate  a  portion  of  their  selling  space  to  a  limited  selection  of  home
décor, arts and crafts supplies and seasonal merchandise, but they do seek to capitalize on the latest trends by stocking products that
are  complementary  to  those  trends  and  their  current  merchandise  offerings.  These  mass  merchandisers  generally  have  limited
customer service staffs with minimal experience in crafting projects.

●

●

Small,  local  specialty  retailers.  This  category  includes  local  independent  arts  and  crafts  retailers  and  custom  framing  shops.
Typically,  these  stores  are  single-store  operations  managed  by  the  owner.  These  stores  generally  have  limited  resources  for
advertising, purchasing and distribution. Many of these stores have established a loyal customer base within a given community and
compete based on relationships and customer service.

Internet. This  category  includes  all  internet-based  retailers  that  sell  arts  and  crafts  merchandise,  completed  projects  and  online
custom framing. Our internet competition is inclusive of those companies discussed in the categories above, as well as others that
may only sell products online. These retailers provide consumers with the ability to search and compare products and prices without
having to visit a physical store. These sellers generally offer a wide variety of products but do not offer product expertise or project
advice.

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Trademarks and Service Marks

As  of  January  30,  2021,  we  own  or  have  rights  to  trademarks,  service  marks  or  trade  names  we  use  in  connection  with  the
operation  of  our  business,  including  “Aaron  Brothers”,  “Artistree”,  “Darice”,  “Michaels”,  “Michaels  the  Arts  and  Crafts  Store”,  “Pat
Catan’s”,  “Recollections”,  “Make  Creativity  Happen”,  “Where  Creativity  Happens”,  and  the  stylized  Michaels  logo.  We  have  registered
our primary private brands including Recollections®, Studio Decor®, Bead Landing®, Creatology®, Ashland®, Celebrate It®, ArtMinds®,
Artist’s Loft®, Craft Smart®, Loops & Threads®, Simply Tidy, Make Market®, Foamies®, LockerLookz®, Imagin8® and various sub-
brands associated with these primary marks. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in
this Annual Report on Form 10-K are listed without the copyright, trademark and registered trademark symbols, but we will assert, to the
fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names and domain names.

Available Information

We  provide  links  to  our Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K,  Quarterly  Reports  on  Form  10-Q,  Current  Reports  on  Form  8-K,  and
amendments to those reports, and other documents filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934,  as  amended  (the  “Exchange  Act”),  on  our  internet  website,  free  of  charge,  at   www.michaels.com  under  the  heading  “Investor
Relations”. These reports are available after we electronically file them with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) through the
SEC’s EDGAR system at www.sec.gov.

We  use  our  website (www.michaels.com)  as  a  means  of  disclosing  material  non-public  information  and  for  complying  with  our
disclosure  obligations  under  Regulation  Fair  Disclosure  promulgated  by  the  SEC.  These  disclosures  are  included  on  our  website  in  the
“Investor Relations” section. Accordingly, investors should monitor this portion of our website, in addition to following our press releases,
SEC filings, public conference calls and webcasts.

We  webcast  our  earnings  calls  and  certain  events  we  participate  in  or  host  with  members  of  the  investment  community  on  the
investor  relations  section  of  our  website. Additionally,  we  provide  notifications  of  news  or  announcements  regarding  press  and  earnings
releases as part of the investor relations section of our website. The contents of our website are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-
K, or any other report we file with, or furnish to, the SEC.

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS.

Our business is subject to various risks and uncertainties. The risks described below are those we believe are the material risks we
face.  Any  of  the  risk  factors  described  below,  as  well  as  risks  not  currently  known  to  us,  could  significantly  and  adversely  affect  our
business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or access to sources of financing.

Risks related to our business and industry

We face risks related to the effect of economic uncertainty.

In  the  event  of  an  economic  downturn  or  slow  recovery,  our  growth  prospects,  results  of  operations,  cash  flows  and  financial
condition could be adversely impacted. Our stores offer arts and crafts supplies and products for the crafter and custom framing for the do-
it-yourself home decorator, which are viewed as discretionary items. Pressure on discretionary income brought on by economic downturns
and slow recoveries, including housing market declines, rising energy prices and weak labor markets, may cause consumers to reduce the
amount they spend on discretionary items. The inherent uncertainty related to predicting economic conditions makes it difficult for us to
accurately  forecast  future  demand  trends,  which  could  cause  us  to  purchase  excess  inventories,  resulting  in  increases  in  our  inventory
carrying cost, or limit our ability to satisfy customer demand and potentially lose market share.

Changes in customer demand could materially adversely affect our sales, results of operations and cash flow.

Our success depends on our ability to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing customer demands and preferences for
products  and  supplies  used  in  creative  activities.  If  we  misjudge  the  market,  we  may  significantly  overstock  unpopular  products  and  be
forced to take significant inventory markdowns, or experience shortages of key items, either of which could have a material adverse impact
on our operating results and cash flow. In addition, adverse weather

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conditions, economic instability and consumer confidence volatility could have material adverse impacts on our sales and operating results.

Competition, including internet-based competition, could negatively impact our business.

The retail arts and crafts industry, including custom framing, is competitive, which could result in pressure to reduce prices and
losses  in  our  market  share.  We  must  remain  competitive  in  the  areas  of  quality,  price,  breadth  of  selection,  customer  service  and
convenience to retain and grow our market share. We compete with mass merchants, which dedicate a portion of their selling space to a
limited selection of craft supplies and seasonal and holiday merchandise, along with national and regional chains and local merchants. We
also  compete  with  specialty  retailers,  which  include  Hobby  Lobby  Stores,  Inc.  and  Jo-Ann  Stores,  Inc.,  among  others.  Some  of  our
competitors,  particularly  the  mass  merchants,  are  larger  and  have  greater  financial  resources  than  we  do.  We  also  face  competition  from
internet-based retailers, such as Amazon.com, Inc., among others, in addition to traditional store-based retailers, who may be larger, more
experienced and able to offer products we cannot. This could result in increased price competition since our customers could more readily
search and compare non-private brand products. Furthermore, we ultimately compete with alternative sources of entertainment and leisure
for our customers.

A weak fourth quarter would materially adversely affect our result of operations.

Our business is highly seasonal. Our inventories and short-term borrowings may grow in the third fiscal quarter as we prepare for
our peak selling season in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. Our most important quarter in terms of sales, profitability and cash flow has
historically  been  the  fourth  fiscal  quarter.  If  for  any  reason  our  fourth  fiscal  quarter  results  were  substantially  below  expectations,  our
operating  results  for  the  full  year  would  be  materially  adversely  affected,  and  we  could  have  substantial  excess  inventory,  especially  in
seasonal merchandise, that is difficult to liquidate.

Unexpected or unfavorable consumer responses to our promotional or merchandising programs could have a materially adverse effect
on our sales, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

Brand recognition, quality and price have a significant influence on consumers’ choices among competing products and brands.
Advertising, promotion, merchandising and the cadence of new product introductions also have a significant impact on consumers’ buying
decisions. If we misjudge consumer responses to our existing or future promotional activities, this could have a material adverse impact on
our sales, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

We believe improvements in our merchandise offering help drive sales at our stores. If we experience poor execution of changes to
our  merchandise  offering  or  experience  unexpected  consumer  responses  to  changes  in  our  merchandise  offering,  our  sales,  results  of
operations and cash flow could be materially adversely affected.

We  increasingly  depend  on  e-commerce,  and  our  failure  to  successfully  manage  this  business  and  deliver  a  convenient  omnichannel
shopping experience to our customers could have an adverse effect on our growth strategy and our sales, results of operations, cash flow
and financial condition.

Expanding our e-commerce business, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is an important part of our strategy
to  grow  through  our  omnichannel  operations.  As  a  result  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and  the  related  stay-at-home  orders,  we  have
experienced a significant increase in demand through our e-commerce channels. There can be no assurances that this increase in demand
will  be  sustained  through  the  remainder  of  the  pandemic  or  in  subsequent  periods.  In  addition,  dependence  on  our  e-commerce  business
subjects us to certain other risks, including:

●

●

●

●

the failure to successfully implement new systems, system enhancements and internet platforms;

the  failure  of  our  technology  infrastructure  or  the  computer  systems  that  operate  our  website,  causing,  among  other  things,
website downtimes, telecommunications issues or other technical failures;

over-reliance on third-parties; and

an increase in credit card fraud.

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Our  failure  to  successfully  address  and  respond  to  these  risks  and  uncertainties  could  negatively  impact  sales,  increase  costs,
diminish our growth prospects and damage the reputation of our brand, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our sales,
results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

Evolving foreign trade policy (including tariffs imposed on certain foreign-made goods) may adversely affect our business.

Our products are sourced from a wide variety of suppliers, including from suppliers overseas, particularly in China. In addition,
some of the products that we purchase from vendors in the U.S. also depend, in whole or in part, on suppliers located outside the U.S. In
2018 and 2019, the U.S. imposed significant tariffs on various products imported from China, including certain products we source from
China. If additional tariffs are imposed on our products, or other retaliatory trade measures are taken, our costs could increase and we may
be required to raise our prices. Further, efforts to mitigate this tariff risk, including a shift of production to outside of China, could result in
increased  costs  and  disruption  to  our  operations.  These  potential  outcomes  could  result  in  the  loss  of  customers  and  adversely  affect  our
operating  performance.  To  mitigate  tariff  risks  with  China,  we  may  also  seek  to  shift  production  outside  of  China,  which  could  result  in
increased costs and disruption to our operations.

Our reliance on foreign suppliers increases our risk of not obtaining adequate, timely and cost-effective product supplies.

To  a  significant  extent,  we  rely  on  foreign  manufacturers  for  our  merchandise,  particularly  manufacturers  located  in  China.  In
addition, many of our domestic suppliers purchase a portion of their products from foreign sources. This reliance increases the risk that we
will  not  have  adequate  and  timely  supplies  of  various  products  due  to  local  political,  economic,  social  or  environmental  conditions
(including acts of terrorism, the outbreak of war or the occurrence of a natural disaster), transportation delays (including dock strikes and
other work stoppages), restrictive actions by foreign governments, or changes in U.S. laws and regulations affecting imports or domestic
distribution. Reliance on foreign manufacturers also increases our exposure to trade infringement claims and reduces our ability to return
product for various reasons.

We are at a risk for higher costs associated with goods manufactured in China. Significant increases in wages or wage taxes paid
by contract facilities may increase the cost of goods manufactured, which could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and
profitability.

All of our products manufactured overseas and imported into the U.S. are subject to duties collected by the U.S. Customs Service.
We  may  be  subjected  to  additional  duties  or  tariffs,  significant  monetary  penalties,  the  seizure  and  forfeiture  of  the  products  we  are
attempting  to  import,  or  the  loss  of  import  privileges  if  we  or  our  suppliers  are  found  to  be  in  violation  of  U.S.  laws  and  regulations
applicable to the importation of our products.

Our results have been, and the future, may be adversely affected by serious disruptions or catastrophic events, including public health
issues, geo-political events and weather.

Unforeseen public health issues, such as pandemics and epidemics, and geo-political events, such as civil unrest in a country in
which  our  suppliers  are  located  or  terrorist  or  military  activities  disrupting  transportation,  communication  or  utility  systems,  as  well  as
natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and other adverse weather and climate conditions, whether occurring in
the U.S. or abroad, particularly during peak seasonal periods, could disrupt our operations or the operations of one or more of our vendors,
or could severely damage or destroy one or more of our stores or distribution facilities located in the affected areas. For example, day-to-
day operations, particularly our ability to receive products from our vendors or transport products to our stores, could be adversely affected,
or  we  could  be  required  to  close  stores  or  distribution  centers  in  the  affected  areas  or  in  areas  served  by  the  affected  distribution  center.
These factors could also cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the U.S. and global financial
markets and economy. These or other occurrences could significantly impact our operating results and financial performance.

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Our business has been, and could be in the future, adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In late 2019, a new strain of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) was detected in Wuhan, China and other jurisdictions and has since
spread  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  including  the  U.S.  In  an  effort  to  mitigate  the  continued  spread  of  the  virus,  federal,  state  and  local
governments, as well as certain private entities, mandated various restrictions, including stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, restrictions
on  public  gatherings  and  quarantining  of  people  who  may  have  been  exposed  to  the  virus. As  a  result  of  these  restrictions,  a  significant
number  of  our  stores  were  temporarily  closed. Accordingly,  in  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2020  we  experienced  significant  decreases  in
demand  for  our  products  and  a  corresponding  negative  impact  on  our  net  sales.  There  remains  significant  uncertainty  surrounding  the
overall  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  our  business,  and  future  waves  of  the  pandemic  could  require  us  to  close  stores  again  if
certain  restrictions  are  reinstated  by  state  and  local  authorities. As  such,  we  are  unable  to  accurately  predict  the  future  impact  that  the
pandemic will have on our results of operations, liquidity and financial position. Additional potential future impacts include those related
to:

●

●

●

●

●

our ability to meet obligations to our business partners, including our Amended Revolving Credit Facility and lease obligations;

the failure of third parties on which we rely, including our suppliers, to meet their obligations to us, which may be caused by
their own financial or operational difficulties, travel restrictions and border closures, or disruptions with sourcing raw materials,
manufacturing, delivery, shipping, exports, imports, and in our supply chains;

the  impact  on  our  workforce,  including  limitations  on  travel  and  work  locations,  quarantines,  pay  reductions  and  temporary
leaves of absence;

the continued cancellation of group events at our stores;

any  additional  government  and  regulatory  restrictions  that  limit  or  close  operating  facilities,  including  our  stores,  or  restrict
operations of our business partners, suppliers or customers; and

●

credit availability and cost due to disruptions and volatility in the financial markets.

The  ultimate  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  our  business  will  be  dependent  on,  among  other  things,  the  duration  of
quarantines  and  other  global  travel  restrictions,  the  severity  of  the  virus,  the  duration  of  the  outbreak  and  the  public’s  response  to  the
outbreak.  The COVID-19 pandemic may also have the effect of heightening other risks factors discussed within this Form 10-K.

We have experienced a data breach in the past and any future failure to adequately maintain security and prevent unauthorized access to
electronic  and  other  confidential  information  could  result  in  an  additional  data  breach  which  could  materially  adversely  affect  our
reputation, financial condition and operating results.

The protection of our customer, team members and Company data is critically important to us. Our customers and team members
have a high expectation that we will adequately safeguard and protect their sensitive personal information. We have become increasingly
centralized  and  dependent  upon  automated  information  technology  processes.  In  addition,  a  large  portion  of  our  business  operations  is
conducted electronically, increasing the risk of attack or interception that could cause loss or misuse of data, system failures or disruption of
operations.  Improper  activities  by  third  parties,  exploitation  of  encryption  technology,  new  data-hacking  tools  and  discoveries  and  other
events or developments may result in a future compromise or breach of our networks, payment card terminals or other payment systems. In
particular, the techniques used by criminals to obtain unauthorized access to sensitive data change frequently and often are not recognized
until launched against a target; accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures.
Any failure to maintain the security of our customers’ sensitive information, or data belonging to ourselves or our suppliers, could put us at
a competitive disadvantage, result in deterioration of our customers’ confidence in us, and subject us to potential litigation, liability, fines
and  penalties,  resulting  in  a  possible  material  adverse  impact  on  our  financial  condition  and  results  of  operations.  While  we  maintain
insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and conditions, cover certain aspects of cyber risks, such insurance coverage may be
insufficient to cover all losses and would not remedy damage to our reputation. There can be no assurance that we will not suffer a criminal
attack

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in the future, that unauthorized parties will not gain access to personal information, or that any such incident will be discovered in a timely
manner.

We may be subject to information technology system failures or network disruptions, or our information systems may prove inadequate,
resulting in damage to our reputation, business operations and financial condition.

We  depend  on  our  management  information  systems  for  many  aspects  of  our  business,  including  our  perpetual  inventory,
automated replenishment and weighted-average cost stock ledger systems which are necessary to properly forecast, manage, analyze and
record  our  inventory.  The  Company  may  be  subject  to  information  technology  system  failures  and  network  disruptions.  These  may  be
caused by natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, acts of terrorism or war, denial-of-service attacks,
computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or similar events or disruptions. System redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate,
and the Company’s disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Such failures or disruptions could prevent access to
our online services and preclude store transactions. System failures and disruptions could also impede the manufacturing and shipping of
products,  transactions  processing  and  financial  reporting.  Additionally,  we  may  be  materially  adversely  affected  if  we  are  unable  to
adequately upgrade, maintain and expand our systems.

Our growth depends on our ability to increase comparable store sales and to optimize our store portfolio.

We anticipate our sales growth will primarily come from increasing comparable store sales. Profitable growth would then depend
significantly on our ability to improve gross margin. Another business strategy is to continue to optimize our portfolio of retail stores. We
may  be  unable  to  continue  our  store  growth  strategy  if  we  cannot  identify  suitable  sites  for  additional  or  relocating  stores,  negotiate
acceptable leases, access sufficient capital to support store growth, or hire and train a sufficient number of qualified team members. If we are
unable to accomplish these strategies, our ability to increase our sales, profitability and cash flow could be impaired.

Damage to the reputation of the Michaels brand or our private and exclusive brands could adversely affect our sales.

We believe the Michaels brand name and many of our private and exclusive brand names are powerful sales and marketing tools
and we devote significant resources to promoting and protecting them. To be successful in the future, we must continue to preserve, grow
and  utilize  the  value  of  Michaels  reputation.  Reputational  value  is  based  in  large  part  on  perceptions  of  subjective  qualities,  and  even
isolated incidents may erode trust and confidence. In addition, we develop and promote private and exclusive brands, which we believe have
national recognition. Our Michaels private brands totaled approximately 59% of net sales in fiscal 2020. Damage to the reputations (whether
or  not  justified)  of  our  brand  names  could  arise  from  product  failures,  data  privacy  or  security  incidents,  litigation  or  various  forms  of
adverse  publicity  (including  adverse  publicity  generated  as  a  result  of  a  vendor’s  or  a  supplier’s  failure  to  comply  with  general  social
accountability  practices),  especially  in  social  media  outlets,  and  may  generate  negative  customer  sentiment,  potentially  resulting  in  a
reduction in our sales and earnings.

We  face  risks  associated  with  the  suppliers  from  whom  our  products  are  sourced  and  transitioning  to  other  qualified  vendors  could
materially adversely affect our revenue and profit growth.

The  products  we  sell  are  sourced  from  a  wide  variety  of  domestic  and  international  vendors.  Global  sourcing  has  become  an
increasingly  important  part  of  our  business,  as  we  have  undertaken  efforts  to  increase  the  amount  of  product  we  source  directly  from
overseas manufacturers. Our ability to find qualified vendors who meet our standards and supply products in a timely and efficient manner
is a significant challenge, especially with respect to goods sourced from outside the U.S. Any issues related to transitioning vendors could
adversely affect our revenue and gross profit.

Many  of  our  suppliers  are  small  firms  that  produce  a  limited  number  of  items.  Given  their  limited  resources,  these  firms  are
susceptible  to  cash  flow  issues,  access  to  capital,  production  difficulties,  quality  control  issues  and  problems  in  delivering  agreed-upon
quantities on schedule. We may not be able, if necessary, to return products to these suppliers and obtain refunds of our purchase price or
obtain reimbursement or indemnification from them if their products prove defective. These suppliers may also be unable to withstand a
downturn in economic conditions. Significant failures on the part of our key suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our results of
operations.

In addition, many of these suppliers require extensive advance notice of our requirements to supply products in the quantities we

desire. This long lead time may limit our ability to respond timely to shifts in demand.

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Changes in regulations or enforcement, or our failure to comply with existing or future regulations, may adversely impact our business.

We are subject to federal, state and local regulations with respect to our operations in the U.S. We are further subject to federal,
provincial and local regulations internationally, including in Canada and China, each of which are distinct from those in the U.S., and may
be subject to greater international regulation as our business expands. There are a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives that could
adversely impact our business if they are enacted or enforced. Those initiatives include wage or workforce issues (such as minimum-wage
requirements,  overtime  and  other  working  conditions  and  citizenship  requirements),  collective  bargaining  matters,  environmental
regulation, price and promotion regulation, trade regulations and others.

Changes in tax regulations may also change our effective tax rate as our business is subject to a combination of applicable tax rates
in the various countries, states and other jurisdictions in which we operate. New accounting pronouncements and interpretations of existing
accounting rules and practices have occurred and may occur in the future. A change in accounting standards or tax regulations can have a
significant effect on our reported results of operations.

Failure  to  comply  with  legal  requirements  could  result  in,  among  other  things,  increased  litigation  risk  that  could  affect  us
adversely  by  subjecting  us  to  significant  monetary  damages  and  other  remedies  or  by  increasing  our  litigation  expenses,  administrative
enforcement actions, fines and civil and criminal liability. We are currently subject to various class action lawsuits alleging violations of
wage and workforce laws and similar matters. If such issues become more expensive to address, or if new issues arise, they could increase
our expenses, generate negative publicity, or otherwise adversely affect us.

Our  marketing  programs,  e-commerce  initiatives  and  use  of  consumer  information  are  governed  by  an  evolving  set  of  laws  and
enforcement  trends  and  unfavorable  changes  in  those  laws  or  trends,  or  our  failure  to  comply  with  existing  or  future  laws,  could
substantially harm our business and results of operations.

We collect, maintain and use data provided to us through our loyalty program, online activities and other customer interactions in
our business. Our current and future marketing programs depend on our ability to collect, maintain and use this information, and our ability
to  do  so  is  subject  to  certain  contractual  restrictions  in  third-party  contracts  as  well  as  evolving  international,  federal  and  state  laws  and
enforcement  trends.  We  strive  to  comply  with  all  applicable  laws  and  other  legal  obligations  relating  to  privacy,  data  protection  and
consumer protection, including those relating to the use of data for marketing purposes. It is possible, however, that these requirements may
be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, may conflict with other rules or may conflict
with  our  practices.  If  so,  we  may  suffer  damage  to  our  reputation  and  be  subject  to  proceedings  or  actions  against  us  by  governmental
entities or others. Any such proceeding or action could hurt our reputation, force us to spend significant amounts to defend our practices,
distract our management, increase our costs of doing business and result in monetary liability.

In addition, as data privacy and marketing laws change, we may incur additional costs to ensure we remain in compliance with such
laws. If applicable data privacy and marketing laws become more restrictive at the international, federal or state level, our compliance costs
may  increase,  our  ability  to  effectively  engage  customers  via  personalized  marketing  may  decrease,  our  investment  in  our  e-commerce
platform may not be fully realized, our opportunities for growth may be curtailed by our compliance capabilities or reputational harm and
our potential liability for security breaches may increase.

Product recalls and/or product liability, as well as changes in product safety and other consumer protection laws, may adversely impact
our operations, merchandise offerings, reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

We are subject to regulations by a variety of federal, state and international regulatory authorities, including the Consumer Product
Safety Commission. In fiscal 2020,  we  purchased  merchandise  from  approximately  600  vendors.  Since  a  majority  of  our  merchandise  is
manufactured  in  foreign  countries,  one  or  more  of  our  vendors  may  not  adhere  to  product  safety  requirements  or  our  quality  control
standards, and we may not identify the deficiency before merchandise ships to our stores. Any issues of product safety, including but not
limited to those manufactured in foreign countries, could cause us to recall some of those products. If our vendors fail to manufacture or
import  merchandise  that  adheres  to  our  quality  control  standards,  our  reputation  and  brands  could  be  damaged,  potentially  leading  to
increases in customer litigation

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against us. Furthermore, to the extent we are unable to replace any recalled products, we may have to reduce our merchandise offerings,
resulting in a decrease in sales, especially if a recall occurs near or during a seasonal period. If our vendors are unable or unwilling to recall
products failing to meet our quality standards, we may be required to recall those products at a substantial cost to us. Moreover, changes in
product  safety  or  other  consumer  protection  laws  could  lead  to  increased  costs  to  us  for  certain  merchandise,  or  additional  labor  costs
associated with readying merchandise for sale. Long lead times on merchandise ordering cycles increase the difficulty for us to plan and
prepare for potential changes to applicable laws. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 imposes significant requirements
on  manufacturing,  importing,  testing  and  labeling  requirements  for  our  products.  In  the  event  that  we  are  unable  to  timely  comply  with
regulatory changes or regulators do not believe we are complying with current regulations applicable to us, significant fines or penalties
could result and could adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

Significant increases in inflation or commodity prices, such as petroleum, natural gas, electricity, steel, wood and paper, may adversely
affect our costs, including cost of merchandise.

Significant future increases in commodity prices or inflation could adversely affect our costs, including cost of merchandise and
distribution costs. Furthermore, the transportation industry may experience a shortage or reduction of capacity, which could be exacerbated
by  higher  fuel  prices.  Our  results  of  operations  may  be  adversely  affected  if  we  are  unable  to  secure,  or  are  able  to  secure  only  at
significantly higher costs, adequate transportation resources to fulfill our receipt of goods or delivery schedules to the stores.

Improvements to our supply chain may not be fully successful.

An important part of our efforts to achieve efficiencies, cost reductions and sales and cash flow growth is the identification and
implementation of improvements to our supply chain, including merchandise ordering, transportation, direct sourcing initiatives and receipt
processing. We continue to implement enhancements to our distribution systems and processes, which are designed to improve efficiency
throughout the supply chain and at our stores. If we are unable to successfully implement significant changes, this could disrupt our supply
chain, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We  are  exposed  to  fluctuations  in  exchange  rates  between  the  U.S.  and  Canadian  dollar,  which  is  the  functional  currency  of  our
Canadian subsidiaries.

Our Canadian operating subsidiaries purchase inventory in U.S. dollars, which is sold in Canadian dollars and exposes us to foreign
exchange  rate  fluctuations.  In  addition,  our  customers  at  border  locations  can  be  sensitive  to  cross-border  price  differences.  Substantial
foreign currency fluctuations could adversely affect our business. In fiscal 2020, exchange rates had a positive impact on our consolidated
operating results due to a 4% increase in the Canadian exchange rate.

We rely on highly skilled personnel throughout all levels of our business. Our business could be harmed if we are unable to retain or
motivate key personnel, hire qualified personnel or maintain our corporate culture.

The  market  for  highly  skilled  workers  and  leaders  in  our  industry  is  extremely  competitive.  We  believe  that  our  future  success
depends in substantial part on our ability to recruit, hire, motivate, develop, and retain talented and highly-skilled personnel for all areas of
our organization, including our CEO, the other members of our senior leadership team, buyers, distribution center and other team members.
Doing so may be difficult due to many factors, including fluctuations in economic and industry conditions, competitors’ hiring practices,
and the effectiveness of our compensation programs. Many of our store level team members are in entry level or part-time positions with
historically high rates of turnover. Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling labor costs is subject to external factors such as
unemployment  levels,  prevailing  wage  rates,  minimum  wage  legislation,  changing  demographics,  health  and  other  insurance  costs  and
governmental labor and employment requirements. In the event of increasing wage rates, if we fail to increase our wages competitively, the
quality  of  our  workforce  could  decline,  causing  our  customer  service  to  suffer,  while  increasing  our  wages  could  cause  our  earnings  to
decrease.

 If  we  do  not  continue  to  attract,  train  and  retain  quality  team  members,  our  performance  could  be  adversely  affected.  Our

continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to retain and motivate our existing employees

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and  to  attract  new  employees.  If  we  do  not  succeed  in  retaining  and  motivating  our  existing  key  employees  and  attracting  new  key
personnel, we may not be able to meet our business plan and, as a result, our revenue growth and profitability may be materially adversely
affected.

Any difficulty executing or integrating an acquisition, a business combination or a major business initiative could adversely affect our
business or results of operations.

Any difficulty in executing or integrating an acquisition, a business combination or a major business initiative may result in our
inability to achieve anticipated benefits from these transactions in the time frame that we anticipate, or at all, which could adversely affect
our  business  or  results  of  operations.  Such  transactions  may  also  disrupt  the  operation  of  our  current  activities  and  divert  management's
attention from other business matters. In addition, the Company’s current credit agreements place certain limited constraints on our ability
to make an acquisition or enter into a business combination, and future borrowing agreements could place tighter constraints on such actions.

Our  total  assets  include  intangible  assets,  goodwill  and  substantial  amounts  of  property  and  equipment.  Changes  in  estimates  or
projections used to assess the fair value of these assets, or operating results that are lower than our current estimates at certain store
locations, may cause us to incur impairment charges that could adversely affect our results of operation.

Our total assets include intangible assets, goodwill and substantial amounts of property and equipment. We make certain estimates
and  projections  in  connection  with  impairment  analyses  for  these  long-lived  assets,  in  accordance  with  Financial Accounting  Standards
Board  Accounting  Standards  Codification  ("ASC")  360,  " Property,  Plant  and  Equipment",  and  ASC  350,  "Intangibles—Goodwill  and
Other".  We  also  review  the  carrying  value  of  these  assets  for  impairment  on  an  annual  basis  and  whenever  events  or  changes  in
circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. We will record an impairment loss when the carrying
value  of  the  underlying  asset,  asset  group  or  reporting  unit  exceeds  its  fair  value.  These  calculations  require  us  to  make  a  number  of
estimates  and  projections  of  future  results.  If  these  estimates  or  projections  change,  we  may  be  required  to  record  additional  impairment
charges on certain of these assets. If these impairment charges are significant, our results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our real estate leases generally obligate us for long periods, which subject us to various financial risks.

We lease virtually all of our store, distribution center and administrative locations, generally for long terms. While we have the
right to terminate some of our leases under specified conditions by making specified payments, we may not be able to terminate a particular
lease  if  or  when  we  would  like  to  do  so.  If  we  decide  to  close  stores,  we  are  generally  required  to  continue  paying  rent  and  operating
expenses for the balance of the lease term, or pay to exercise rights to terminate, and the performance of any of these obligations may be
costly. When we assign or sublease vacated locations, we may remain liable on the lease obligations if the assignee or sublessee does not
perform.  In  addition,  when  leases  for  the  stores  in  our  ongoing  operations  expire,  we  may  be  unable  to  negotiate  renewals,  either  on
commercially  acceptable  terms,  or  at  all,  which  could  cause  us  to  close  stores. Accordingly,  we  are  subject  to  the  risks  associated  with
leasing real estate, which can have a material adverse effect on our results.

We have co-sourced certain of our information technology, accounts payable, accounting, human resource and other functions and may
co-source other administrative functions, which makes us more dependent upon third parties.

We place significant reliance on third-party providers for the co-sourcing of certain of our information technology (“IT”), accounts
payable,  payroll,  accounting,  human  resource  and  other  functions.  This  co-sourcing  initiative  is  a  component  of  our  ongoing  strategy  to
increase efficiencies, manage our costs and seek additional cost savings. These functions are generally performed in offshore locations. As a
result, we rely on third parties to ensure that certain functional needs are sufficiently met. This reliance subjects us to risks arising from the
loss of control over these processes, changes in pricing that may affect our operating results, and potentially, termination of provision of
these  services  by  our  suppliers.  If  our  service  providers  fail  to  perform,  we  may  have  difficulty  arranging  for  an  alternate  supplier  or
rebuilding  our  own  internal  resources,  and  we  could  incur  significant  costs,  all  of  which  may  have  a  significant  adverse  effect  on  our
business. We may co-source other administrative functions in the future, which would further increase our reliance on third parties. Further,
the  use  of  offshore  service  providers  may  expose  us  to  risks  related  to  local  political,  economic,  social  or  environmental  conditions
(including acts of terrorism, the outbreak of war, or the occurrence of natural disaster), restrictive actions by foreign governments or changes
in U.S. laws and regulations.

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Risks related to our substantial indebtedness

We face risks related to our substantial indebtedness.

Our substantial leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react
to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk associated with our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting
our obligations under our senior notes, senior secured notes and credit facilities. As of January 30, 2021, we had total outstanding debt of
$2,536.7 million, of which $1,661.7 million was subject to variable interest rates and $875.0 million was subject to fixed interest rates. In
April 2018, we executed two interest rate swap agreements with an aggregate notional value of $1 billion which are intended to mitigate
interest rate risk associated with future changes in interest rates for borrowings under our term loan credit facility with JP Morgan Chase
Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”) and other lenders (“Amended Term Loan Credit Facility”). As a result of these interest rate swaps, our exposure
to  interest  rate  volatility  for  $1  billion  of  our Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  was  eliminated.  In  addition,  during  fiscal  2020,  we
executed two interest rate cap agreements with an aggregate notional value of $1.3 billion associated with our outstanding Amended Term
Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate caps will effectively cap our LIBOR exposure on a portion of the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility
at 1%. As of January 30, 2021, we had $536.8 million of additional borrowing capacity (after giving effect to $87.3 million of letters of
credit then outstanding) under our Amended Revolving Credit Facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association and other lenders. Our
substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to us, including:

● making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt, and any failure to comply with the obligations
under our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default under the agreements governing
our indebtedness;

●

●

●

●

●

●

increasing our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions;

requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our
debt,  thereby  reducing  our  ability  to  use  our  cash  flow  to  fund  our  operations,  capital  expenditures,  selling  and  marketing
efforts, product development, future business opportunities and other purposes;

exposing  us  to  the  risk  of  increased  interest  rates  as  certain  of  our  borrowings,  including  borrowings  under  our Amended
Revolving  Credit  Facility  and  our Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  (collectively  defined  as  the  “Senior  Secured  Credit
Facilities”), are at variable rates;

restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;

limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development, debt service
requirements, acquisitions, and general corporate or other purposes; or

limiting our ability to plan for, or adjust to, changing market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared
to our competitors who may be less highly leveraged.

The occurrence of any one of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations,

and ability to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness.

Further,  a  substantial  portion  of  our  long-term  indebtedness  bears  interest  at  fluctuating  interest  rates,  primarily  based  on  the
London  interbank  offered  rate  (“LIBOR”).  On  July  27,  2017,  the  Financial  Conduct  Authority  (the  authority  that  regulates  LIBOR)
announced  that  it  intends  to  stop  compelling  banks  to  submit  rates  for  the  calculation  of  LIBOR  after  2021.  It  is  unclear  whether  new
methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee has
proposed the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as its recommended alternative to LIBOR, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York  began  publishing  SOFR  rates  in  April  2018.  SOFR  is  intended  to  be  a  broad  measure  of  the  cost  of  borrowing  cash  overnight
collateralized  by  U.S.  Treasury  securities.  It  is  unknown  whether  SOFR  or  any  potential  alternative  reference  rate  will  attain  market
acceptance as replacements for LIBOR and, as such, the potential effect on our results from operations is unknown.

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We  and  our  subsidiaries  may  be  able  to  incur  substantial  additional  indebtedness  in  the  future,  subject,  in  the  case  of  MSI  and
Michaels  Funding,  Inc.  (“Holdings”)  and  their  subsidiaries,  to  the  restrictions  contained  in  our  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities  and  the
indentures  governing  our  senior  notes  and  our  senior  secured  notes.  In  addition,  our  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities  and  indentures
governing our senior notes and our senior secured notes do not restrict us from creating new holding companies that may be able to incur
indebtedness without regard to the restrictions set forth in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and indentures governing our senior notes
and our senior secured notes. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

Our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing our senior notes and our senior secured notes contain various
covenants  that  limit  our  ability  to  engage  in  specified  types  of  transactions.  These  covenants  limit  the  ability  of  the  relevant  borrowers,
issuers, guarantors and their restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:

●

●

●

incur or guarantee additional debt or issue certain disqualified stock or preferred stock;

pay dividends or distributions on their capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire their capital stock or indebtedness;

issue stock of subsidiaries;

● make certain investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

●

●

create liens on their assets;

enter into transactions with affiliates;

● merge or consolidate with another company; or

●

sell or otherwise transfer assets.

In addition, under the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility and the Amended Revolving Credit Facility, MSI is required to meet
specified financial ratios in order to undertake certain actions, and under certain circumstances, MSI may be required to maintain a specified
fixed charge coverage ratio under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility. Our ability to meet those requirements can be affected by events
beyond our control, and we cannot assure you we will meet them. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our
Senior Secured Credit Facilities, which could also lead to an event of default under our senior notes or our senior secured notes if any of the
Senior Secured Credit Facilities were accelerated. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the
lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities to be immediately due and payable and
terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our Senior Secured Credit
Facilities  and  the  holders  of  our  senior  secured  notes  could  proceed  against  the  collateral  granted  to  them  to  secure  such  indebtedness.
Holdings, MSI and certain of MSI’s subsidiaries have pledged substantially all of their assets, including the capital stock of MSI and certain
of  its  subsidiaries,  as  collateral  securing  our  obligations  under  our  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities  and  senior  secured  notes.  If  the
indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, our senior notes or our senior secured notes were to be accelerated, our assets may
not be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.

Risks related to ownership of our common stock

Certain  stockholders  have  the  ability  to  strongly  influence  our  decisions  and  their  interest  may  conflict  with  yours  or  those  of  our
Company.

Affiliates of, or funds advised by, Bain Capital Private Equity, L.P. (“Bain Capital”) beneficially owned approximately 37% of the
outstanding  shares  of  our  common  stock  as  of  January  30,  2021. As  long  as  Bain  Capital  continues  to  hold  a  significant  portion  of  our
outstanding common stock, they will be able to strongly influence our decisions, and their interests may conflict with yours or those of our
Company.

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Because our executive officers hold or may hold restricted shares or option awards that will vest upon a change of control, these officers
may have interests in us that conflict with yours.

Our  executive  officers  hold  or  may  hold  restricted  shares  and  options  to  purchase  shares  that  would  automatically  vest  upon  a
change of control. As a result, these officers may view certain change of control transactions more favorably than an investor due to the
vesting opportunities available to them and, as a result, may have an economic incentive to support a transaction that may not be viewed as
favorable by other stockholders.

Because  we  have  no  current  plans  to  pay  cash  dividends  on  our  common  stock  for  the  foreseeable  future,  you  may  not  receive  any
return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than you paid.

We plan to retain future earnings, if any, for future operation, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any
cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board
and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other
factors  that  our  Board  may  deem  relevant.  Our  ability  to  pay  dividends  may  also  be  limited  by  covenants  of  any  existing  and  future
outstanding  indebtedness  we  or  our  subsidiaries  incur,  including  our  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities.  In  addition,  the  Apollo  Merger
Agreement  generally  restricts  our  ability  to  pay  dividends  on  our  common  stock  during  the  interim  period  between  the  execution  of  the
Merger Agreement and the completion of the transaction (or the date on which the Merger Agreement is earlier terminated). As a result, you
may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than you paid.

Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may deter takeover efforts that may be beneficial to stockholder value.

Delaware law and provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it harder for a third party to acquire us, even
if  doing  so  might  be  beneficial  to  our  stockholders.  These  provisions  include  limitations  on  our  stockholders’  ability  to  act  by  written
consent. In addition, our Board has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval that could be used to dilute a potential
hostile acquirer. Our certificate of incorporation imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any
holder  of  15%  or  more  of  our  outstanding  common  stock  other  than  Bain  Capital,  who  owned  approximately  37%  of  our  outstanding
common stock as of January 30, 2021. As a result, you may lose your ability to sell your stock for a price in excess of the prevailing market
price  due  to  these  protective  measures  and  efforts  by  stockholders  to  change  the  direction  or  management  of  the  Company  may  be
unsuccessful.

Our certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain
types  of  actions  and  proceedings  that  may  be  initiated  by  our  stockholders,  which  could  limit  our  stockholders’  ability  to  obtain  a
favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be
the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a
fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising
pursuant  to  any  provision  of  the  Delaware  General  Corporation  Law  or  our  certificate  of  incorporation  or  the  bylaws  or  (iv)  any  action
asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in
shares  of  our  capital  stock  shall  be  deemed  to  have  notice  of  and  to  have  consented  to  the  provisions  of  our  certificate  of  incorporation
described above. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable
for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers
and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in
respect  of,  one  or  more  of  the  specified  types  of  actions  or  proceedings,  we  may  incur  additional  costs  associated  with  resolving  such
matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

This choice of forum provision is not intended to apply to any actions brought under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”).  The exclusive forum provision will

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not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have
exclusive jurisdiction. 

Risks related to the proposed acquisition by Apollo

The announcement and pendency of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement entered into by the Company and Apollo
may adversely affect our business or results of operations.

Uncertainty about the effect of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement on our employees, customers, and other
parties  may  have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  business  or  results  of  operations  regardless  of  whether  the  proposed  transaction  is  completed.
These risks include, but are not limited to, the following, all of which could be increased by a delay in or abandonment of the proposed
transaction:

●

●

●

●

our ability to attract, retain, and motivate employees, including key personnel, could be impaired;

significant management time and resources could be diverted to the consummation of the proposed transaction;

relationships with customers, suppliers, and other business partners could be affected;

certain business decisions by our customers, suppliers, and other business partners could be delayed or changed;

● we may not be able to pursue alternative business opportunities or make appropriate changes to our business;

●

●

litigation relating to the proposed transaction could arise; and

significant  costs,  expenses,  and  fees  for  professional  services  and  other  transaction  costs  in  connection  with  the  proposed
transaction have been and may continue to be incurred.

Failure  to  consummate  the  proposed  transaction  with  Apollo  within  the  expected  timeframe,  or  at  all,  could  have  a  material  adverse
impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There can be no assurance that the proposed acquisition will be consummated. The consummation of the proposed acquisition is
subject  to  the  satisfaction  or  waiver  of  specified  closing  conditions,  including  a  majority  of  the  outstanding  shares  of  Michaels  common
stock having been tendered and not validly withdrawn, the expiration of a twenty-five day go-shop period, compliance with certain antitrust
requirements in the United States and Canada, the completion of a specified marketing period for Apollo’s debt financing of the offer price,
and other customary closing conditions. There can be no assurance that these and other conditions to closing will be satisfied in a timely
manner or at all.

The  Merger  Agreement  also  provides  that  the  acquisition  agreement  may  be  terminated  by  us  or  Apollo  under  certain
circumstances,  and  in  certain  specified  circumstances  upon  termination  of  the  Merger Agreement  we  will  be  required  to  pay Apollo  a
termination fee of up to $104 million. If we are required to make this payment, doing so would materially adversely affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations.

An  abandonment  of  the  transaction  may  result  in  negative  publicity  and  a  negative  impression  of  us  among  our  customers,
suppliers  or  in  the  investment  and  business  community  in  general.  Further,  any  disruptions  to  our  business  resulting  from  the  proposed
acquisition,  including  any  adverse  changes  in  our  relationships  with  our  customers,  partners,  suppliers  and  employees,  could  continue  or
accelerate in the event of abandonment of the transaction. In addition, if the proposed acquisition is not completed, and there are no other
parties willing and able to acquire the Company at a price of $22.00 per share or higher, on terms acceptable to us, the share price of our
common stock will likely decline to the extent that the current market price of our common stock reflects an assumption that the proposed
acquisition  will  be  completed. Also,  we  have  incurred,  and  will  continue  to  incur,  significant  costs,  expenses  and  fees  for  professional
services and other transaction costs in connection with the proposed acquisition. Many of these fees and costs will be payable by us even if
the  proposed  acquisition  is  not  completed  and  may  relate  to  activities  that  we  would  not  have  undertaken  other  than  to  complete  the
proposed acquisition.

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ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES

We lease substantially all of the sites for our stores, with the majority of our stores having initial lease terms of approximately 10
years. The leases are generally renewable, with increases in lease rental rates. Lessors have made leasehold improvements to prepare our
stores for opening under a majority of our existing leases. As of January 30, 2021, in connection with stores that we plan to open or relocate
in future fiscal years, we have signed 19 leases. Management believes our facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as presently
conducted.

As of January 30, 2021, we leased the following non-store facilities:

Locations

Square Footage

Distribution centers:

Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Jacksonville, Florida
Lancaster, California
Centralia, Washington
New Lenox, Illinois
Haslet, Texas
Strongsville, Ohio (two warehouses to be closed in fiscal 2021)
Tracy, California
Berlin, New Jersey

Artistree:

DFW Airport, Texas (regional processing and fulfillment operations center)
Kernersville, North Carolina (manufacturing plant and regional processing center)
Mississauga, Ontario (regional processing center)

Office space:

Irving, Texas (two corporate office support centers)
Strongsville, Ohio (Lamrite office support center)
Mississauga, Ontario (Canadian regional office)
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong (regional sourcing office)
Ningbo, China (regional sourcing office)

Coppell, Texas (new store staging warehouse)

21

 692,000
 506,000
 763,000
 718,000
 693,000
 433,000
 681,000
 924,000
 750,000
 6,160,000

 271,000
 156,000
 62,000
 489,000

 420,000
 90,000
 3,000
 4,000
 22,000
 539,000

 82,000
 7,270,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The following table indicates the number of our retail stores located in each state or province as of January 30, 2021:

State/Province

Number of Michaels
Stores

Alabama
Alaska
Alberta
Arizona
Arkansas
British Columbia
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Manitoba
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Brunswick
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Newfoundland and Labrador
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nova Scotia
Ohio
Oklahoma
Ontario
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Rhode Island
Saskatchewan
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Total

22

 13
 4
 23
 28
 5
 16
 136
 23
 22
 5
 1
 81
 35
 7
 42
 19
 7
 8
 12
 15
 2
 5
 28
 32
 35
 21
 7
 21
 5
 6
 10
 3
 11
 32
 4
 59
 2
 36
 3
 6
 38
 8
 57
 15
 54
 1
 16
 4
 3
 15
 2
 16
 89
 13
 2
 40
 26
 5
 16
 2
 1,252

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We  are  now,  and  may  be  in  the  future,  involved  in  various  lawsuits,  claims  and  proceedings  incident  to  the  ordinary  course  of
business. Although the results of these legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of
such proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM  5.    MARKET  FOR  REGISTRANT’S  COMMON  EQUITY,  RELATED  STOCKHOLDER  MATTERS  AND   ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Common Stock

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “MIK”. As of January 30, 2021, there were

approximately 355 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividends

The  Company  does  not  anticipate  paying  any  cash  dividends  in  the  near  future.  We  anticipate  that  all  of  our  earnings  for  the
foreseeable future will be used to repay debt, to repurchase outstanding shares, for working capital, to support our operations and to finance
the growth and development of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board, subject to
compliance with applicable law and any contractual provisions, including under agreements for indebtedness, that restrict or limit our ability
to pay dividends, and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, earnings, capital requirements
and  other  factors  that  our  Board  may  deem  relevant.  In  addition,  the  Apollo  Merger  Agreement  generally  restricts  our  ability  to  pay
dividends  on  our  common  stock  during  the  interim  period  between  the  execution  of  the  Merger Agreement  and  the  completion  of  the
transaction (or the date on which the Merger Agreement is earlier terminated).

For  more  information  concerning  restrictions  relating  to  agreements  for  indebtedness,  see  Note  7  to  the  consolidated  financial

statements.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table provides certain information with respect to our purchases of shares of the Company’s common stock during

the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020:

Period
November 1, 2020 - November 28, 2020
November 29, 2020 - January 2, 2021
January 3, 2021 - January 30, 2021
Total

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
  Average Price
     Shares Purchased (1)      Paid per Share      Announced Plan (2)

Total Number of

 32,188
 6,984,894
 393,879
 7,410,961

$

$

 8.81
 12.05
 13.52
 12.11

 — $

 6,976,068
 239,386
 7,215,454

$

Approximate Dollar Value
of Shares That May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plan  (2)
(in thousands)

 293,524
 209,456
 206,400
 206,400

(1) These  amounts  reflect  the  following  transactions  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2020:  (i)  the  repurchase  of  shares  as  part  of  our  publicly
announced  share  repurchase  program  and  (ii)  the  surrender  of  shares  of  common  stock  to  the  Company  to  satisfy  tax  withholding  obligations  in
connection with the vesting of employee restricted stock equity awards.
In September 2018, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to purchase up to $500 million of the Company’s common stock on the open
market  or  through  accelerated  share  repurchase  transactions.  The  share  repurchase  program  does  not  have  an  expiration  date.  The  Company  has
retired and intends to continue to retire shares repurchased under the program.

(2)

23

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
Table of Contents

Performance Graph

The following graph shows a comparison of cumulative total return to holders of The Michaels Companies, Inc.’s common shares
against the cumulative total return of the S&P 500 Index and S&P 500 Retail Index for the five-year period beginning January 30, 2016 and
ending  January  30,  2021.  The  comparison  of  the  cumulative  total  returns  for  each  investment  assumes  that  $100  was  invested  in  The
Michaels Companies, Inc. common shares and the respective indices on January 30, 2016 through January 30, 2021 including reinvestment
of any dividends. Historical share price performance should not be relied upon as an indication of future share price performance.

The Michaels Companies, Inc.
S&P 500 Index
S&P 500 Retail Index

$

1/30/2016
 100.00
 100.00
 100.00

$

1/28/2017
 89.72
 120.87
 105.59

2/3/2018

2/2/2019

2/1/2020

1/30/2021

$

 119.86
 148.47
 114.34

$

 62.43
 148.38
 111.84

$

$

22.61
180.37
111.45

71.10
211.48
188.42

24

Table of Contents

ITEM 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The  following  financial  information  for  the  five  most  recent  fiscal  years  has  been  derived  from  our  consolidated  financial
statements.  This  information  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and  related  notes  thereto  included
elsewhere herein.

Fiscal Year (1)
2016 (2)
2018
(in thousands, except earnings per share, other operating and store count data)

2017

2020

2019

Results of Operations Data:
Net sales
Restructure and impairment charges (3)
Operating income (4)
Interest expense
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Net income (5)
Earnings per common share:

Basic
Diluted

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

Basic
Diluted

Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and equivalents
Merchandise inventories
Total current assets
Operating lease assets (6)
Total assets
Current portion of operating lease liabilities  (6)
Current portion of long-term debt
Total current liabilities
Long-term debt
Long-term operating lease liabilities (6)
Total liabilities
Stockholders’ deficit
Other Operating Data:
Average net sales per selling square foot (7)
Comparable store sales
Comparable store sales, at constant currency
Total selling square footage (in thousands)
Stores Open at End of Year:
Michaels
Aaron Brothers
Pat Catan's
Total stores open at end of year

$

$
$

$

$

 5,271,112
 28,835
 533,540
 152,442
 22,044
 294,935

 2.01
 1.98

 146,541
 148,531

 1,194,389
 1,007,043
 2,272,293
 1,594,554
 4,528,405
 324,238
 16,700
 1,715,699
 2,480,953
 1,378,394
 5,725,575
 (1,197,170)

$

$
$

$

 5,072,037
 48,332
 515,037
 154,090
 1,316
 272,595

 1.78
 1.78

 153,134
 153,202

 409,964
 1,097,109
 1,599,802
 1,610,013
 3,838,095
 306,796
 24,900
 1,196,366
 2,644,460
 1,357,821
 5,284,559
 (1,446,464)

$

$
$

$

 5,271,944
 104,238
 563,612
 147,085
 1,835
 319,545

 1.87
 1.86

 170,610
 171,378

 245,887
 1,108,715
 1,515,524
 —
 2,128,336
 —
 24,900
 932,553
 2,681,000
 —
 3,754,531
 (1,626,195)

$

$
$

$

 5,361,960
 —
 735,390
 129,116
 —
 390,498

 2.11
 2.10

 184,281
 185,566

 425,896
 1,123,288
 1,676,982
 —
 2,300,215
 —
 24,900
 957,945
 2,701,764
 —
 3,809,710
 (1,509,495)

$

$
$

$

 5,197,292
 —
 715,280
 126,270
 7,292
 378,159

 1.84
 1.82

 204,735
 206,354

 298,813
 1,127,777
 1,542,805
 —
 2,147,640
 —
 31,125
 1,024,224
 2,723,187
 —
 3,846,066
 (1,698,426)

$

 232
 4.8 %
 4.8 %

$

 221
 (1.9)%
 (1.8)%

$

 227
 0.8 %
 0.9 %

$

 224
 0.9 %
 0.7 %

 223
 (0.5)%
 (0.4)%

 22,513

 22,877

 22,339

 23,749

 23,539

 1,252
 —
 —
 1,252

 1,274
 —
 —
 1,274

 1,258
 —
 —
 1,258

 1,238
 97
 36
 1,371

 1,223
 109
 35
 1,367

(1)

(2)

Fiscal 2017 consisted of 53 weeks while all other periods presented consisted of 52 weeks.
Fiscal  2016  results  of  operations  includes  $11.4  million  of  non-recurring  purchase  accounting  adjustments  and  integration  costs  related  to  the
acquisition of Lamrite West, Inc. and certain of its affiliates and subsidiaries (“Lamrite”) on February 2, 2016.

(3) The restructure and impairment charges in fiscal 2020 primarily relate to 13 underperforming stores and the relocation of our support center. The
restructure  and  impairment  charges  in  fiscal  2019  primarily  relate  to  the  closure  of  our  Pat  Catan’s  stores  and  impairments  taken  on  our  Darice
wholesale  business.  The  restructure  and  impairment  charges  in  fiscal  2018  primarily  relate  to  the  closure  of  our Aaron  Brothers  and  Pat  Catan’s
stores.

(4) Operating income for fiscal 2020 includes a charge totaling $45.2 million related to the closure of our Darice wholesale operations.
(5) Net income for fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 includes $1.0 million and $8.5 million, respectively, of net additional income tax expense as a result of

the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

(6) On  February  3,  2019,  we  adopted Accounting  Standards  Update  2016-02,  Leases (Topic 842),  which  resulted  in  the  recording  of  operating  lease

assets and operating lease liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.

(7) The calculation of average net sales per selling square foot only includes Michaels comparable stores.

25

  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
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ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity generally discusses fiscal 2020
compared to fiscal 2019. For a discussion of our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity for fiscal 2019 compared to fiscal
2018, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2020.

We report on the basis of a 52-week or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. All references to
fiscal  year  mean  the  year  in  which  that  fiscal  year  began.  References  to  “fiscal  2020”  relate  to  the  52  weeks  ended  January  30,  2021,
references  to  “fiscal  2019”  relate  to  the  52  weeks  ended  February  1,  2020  and  references  to  “fiscal  2018”  relate  to  the  53  weeks  ended
February 2, 2019.

Michaels  Stores,  Inc.  (“MSI”)  is  headquartered  in  Irving,  Texas  and  was  incorporated  in  the  state  of  Delaware  in  1983.  In  July
2013, MSI was reorganized into a holding company structure and The Michaels Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the
state of Delaware in connection with the reorganization.

Pending Acquisition by Apollo

On March 2, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (“Merger Agreement”) with certain affiliates of
Apollo Global Management (such affiliates, “Apollo”), pursuant to which Apollo will acquire the Company. Under the Merger Agreement,
and upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, Apollo will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Michaels
for $22.00 per share in cash. If certain conditions are satisfied and the offer closes, Apollo will acquire all remaining shares not tendered in
the  tender  offer  through  a  second-step  merger  at  the  same  price.    The  tender  offer  will  initially  remain  open  for  twenty  business  days,
subject to possible extension on the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement. The parties currently expect the acquisition to be completed
during  the  first  half  of  fiscal  2021. Apollo’s  obligations  to  complete  the  acquisition  are  subject  to  certain  customary  closing  conditions,
including a majority of the outstanding shares of Michaels common stock having been tendered and not validly withdrawn, the expiration of
a twenty-five day go-shop period, compliance with certain antitrust requirements in the United States and Canada, and the completion of a
specified  marketing  period  for  Apollo’s  debt  financing  of  the  offer  price.  The  Merger  Agreement  also  provides  that  the  acquisition
agreement may be terminated by us or Apollo under certain circumstances, and in certain specified circumstances upon termination of the
Merger Agreement we will be required to pay Apollo a termination fee of up to $104 million. The anticipated acquisition of the Company by
Apollo  is  described  more  fully  in  our  Current  Report  on  Form  8-K  filed  with  the  SEC  on  March  3,  2021.  This  summary  of  the  Merger
Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement filed as
Exhibit 2.1 to this Annual Report.

Fiscal 2020 Overview

With $5,271.1 million in net sales in fiscal 2020, we are the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America (based on
store  count)  providing  materials,  project  ideas  and  education  for  creative  activities,  primarily  under  the  Michaels  retail  brand.  We  also
operate a market-leading vertically-intergrated custom framing business under the Artistree brand name. At January 30, 2021, we operated
1,252 Michaels stores.

Financial highlights for fiscal 2020 include the following:

● Net sales increased to $5,271.1 million, a 3.9% increase compared to last year, primarily due to a 4.8% increase in comparable

store sales.

●

In May 2020, we adopted a plan to close our Darice wholesale operations (“Darice”). As a result of the closure, we recorded a
charge  totaling  $45.2  million  in  fiscal  2020,  consisting  primarily  of  a  $37.3  million  charge  in  gross  profit  related  to  the
liquidation  of  inventory  and  $7.9  million  included  in  selling,  general  and  administrative  associated  with  the  write-off  of
indefinite-lived intangible assets and employee-related expenses. The closure of Darice was completed in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2020.

26

Table of Contents

● We  recorded  impairment  charges  totaling  $28.8  million,  consisting  of  $19.4  million  related  to  the  closure  of  13
underperforming  stores  and  $9.4  million  primarily  related  to  the  relocation  of  our  corporate  offices  in  Irving,  Texas.  The
impairment charges include $22.8 million related to operating lease assets and $6.0 million related to leasehold improvements
and inventory.

● We reported operating income of $533.5 million, an increase of 3.6% from the prior year and net income of $294.9 million, an

increase of 8.2% from the prior year.

● Adjusted  EBITDA,  a  non-GAAP  measure  that  is  a  required  calculation  in  our  debt  agreements,  increased  by  13.2%,  from
$733.9  million  in  fiscal  2019  to  $830.5  million  in  fiscal  2020  (see  “Management  Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial
Condition and Results of Operations - Non-GAAP Measures”).

● We issued $375 million of senior secured notes that mature on October 1, 2027.  We used the proceeds from the issuance of
these notes, together with cash on hand, to voluntarily pay down $500.1 million of our then outstanding term loan credit facility
and extended the due date for our term loan credit facility to October 1, 2027.

● We repurchased 7.2 million shares for an aggregate amount of $87.2 million.

In fiscal 2020, we continued to make progress implementing our strategic initiatives, including:

●

●

●

●

●

expanding our Michaels Rewards loyalty program by enabling customers to earn rewards on purchases that can be redeemed for
discounts on future purchases;

expanding  our  assortment  to  include  more  bulk  merchandise  for  customers  who  create  items  to  sell  and  altering  our
assortments, including technology, craft storage and fine art, to better align with our customer’s needs;

pivoting to a more customer centric selling model by initiating improvements in our supply chain to allow better store labor
efficiency, enabling a more customer service culture;

growing our overall e-commerce business, including the roll-out of curbside pick-up and same-day-delivery, and improving its
profitability;

enhancing our pricing and promotion programs by leveraging data to define optimal pricing levels and promotional offers to
drive profitability;

● continuing to maximize our marketing productivity by shifting to more productive media options, including digital and targeted

television advertising;

●

focusing  on  our  customer  relationship  management  (“CRM”)  strategy  through  the  use  of  personalized  customer  emails  to
improve customer engagement and drive incremental trips to our stores and website; and

●

generating meaningful cost savings through our ongoing sourcing efforts.

Fiscal 2021 Outlook

In fiscal 2021, we intend to continue to expand our industry leadership through innovation and strategic initiatives such as:

●

●

leveraging our improved category management process to ensure the mix within each category is appropriate and aligned with
the needs of our customer;

further  strengthening  our  CRM  capabilities  by  continuing  to  develop  a  more  personalized  e-commerce  experience  including,
among other enhancements, targeted promotional offerings;

27

Table of Contents

●

●

●

continuing to expand better performing assortments, including technology, craft storage and fine art, to drive sustainable growth
for our business;

improving  our  supply  chain,  including  adding  two  seasonal  distribution  centers,  to  support  omnichannel  sales  growth  and  to
increase the speed and agility of getting merchandise to our stores to improve the overall customer experience; and

continuing to expand virtual content and develop our communities, laying the foundation for future strategic initiatives that will
connect content, commerce, and community.

Comparable Store Sales

Comparable store sales represents the change in net sales for stores open the same number of months in the comparable period of
the previous year, including stores that were relocated or expanded during either period, as well as e-commerce sales. A store is deemed to
become comparable in its 14th month of operation in order to eliminate grand opening sales distortions. A store temporarily closed more
than two weeks is not considered comparable during the month it is closed. If a store is closed longer than two weeks but less than three
months,  it  becomes  comparable  in  the  month  in  which  it  reopens,  subject  to  a  mid-month  convention. A  store  closed  longer  than  three
months becomes comparable in its 14th month of operation after its reopening.

The Company temporarily closed a significant number of stores during the first half of fiscal 2020 to comply with state and local
regulations  associated  with  the  COVID-19  pandemic. All  stores  that  were  temporarily  closed  due  to  the  pandemic  have  continued  to  be
included in the computation of comparable store sales.

COVID-19

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In response to
the pandemic, many state and local jurisdictions ordered non-essential businesses closed and executed extensive stay-at-home orders. These
orders resulted in the temporary closure of over 900 of our 1,252 stores which had a material adverse impact on our results of operations
during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, we reopened all of our stores and experienced a significant
improvement in our business as net sales increased 12.4% during the preceding nine month period ending January 30, 2021 compared to the
same period in the prior year. Our liquidity position, which includes cash on hand and amounts available under our senior secured asset-
based revolving credit facility (“Amended Revolving Credit Facility”), increased from $1.2 billion as of February 1, 2020 to $1.7 billion as
of  January  30,  2021.  However,  there  remains  significant  uncertainty  surrounding  the  future  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  our
results of operations, and future waves of the pandemic could require us to close stores again if certain restrictions are reinstated by state
and local authorities. We intend to continue to manage our liquidity position closely and invest in our omnichannel capabilities to meet the
growing customer demand for a seamless omnichannel experience.

Tariffs

Certain  products  that  we  import  from  China  have  been  impacted  by  tariffs.  We  have  taken  steps  to  mitigate  a  portion  of  the
financial impact of these tariffs, including, among other things, selectively increasing prices on certain of our products, sourcing products
from alternative countries and negotiating lower prices with our suppliers in China. If additional tariffs are implemented, we cannot provide
any assurances that our mitigation efforts will be successful and, as a result, such tariffs could have a material impact on our business.

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Table of Contents

Results of Operations

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  percentage  relationship  to  net  sales  of  line  items  in  our  consolidated  statements  of
comprehensive  income.  This  table  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  following  discussion  and  with  our  consolidated  financial
statements, including the related notes.

Net sales
Cost of sales and occupancy expense

Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative
Restructure and impairment charges
Store pre-opening costs
Operating income

Interest expense
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Other (income) expense, net

Income before income taxes

Income taxes
Net income

Fiscal 2020 Compared to Fiscal 2019

2020
 100.0 %  

Fiscal Year
2019
 100.0 %  

 62.9
 37.1
 26.4
 0.5
 0.1
 10.1
 2.9
 0.4
 —
 6.8
 1.2
 5.6 %  

 63.1
 36.9
 25.7
 1.0
 0.1
 10.2
 3.0
 —
 —
 7.1
 1.7
 5.4 %  

2018
 100.0 %
 61.6
 38.4
 25.6
 2.0
 0.1
 10.7
 2.8
 —
 —
 7.9
 1.8
 6.1 %

Net Sales. Net sales increased $199.1 million in fiscal 2020, or 3.9%, to $5,271.1 million compared to fiscal 2019. The increase in
net sales was due to a $238.6 million increase in comparable store sales. The increase was partially offset by a $37.3 million decrease in
wholesale revenue as a result of our decision to close Darice.  E-commerce sales, which are included in comparable store sales, increased
$447.1 million in fiscal 2020, or 184.4%, to $689.6 million compared to the same period in the prior year. Comparable store sales increased
4.8% due to an increase in average ticket, partially offset by a decrease in customer transactions.

Gross Profit. Gross  profit  was  37.1%  of  net  sales  in  fiscal  2020  compared  to  36.9%  in  fiscal  2019.  The  increase  was  due  to  a
decrease  in  promotional  activity  and  benefits  from  our  ongoing  sourcing  initiatives.  The  increase  was  partially  offset  by  a  $37.3  million
charge  related  to  the  closure  of  our  wholesale  business,  an  increase  in  distribution  costs  primarily  related  to  higher  e-commerce  sales,  a
change in sales mix and the impact of tariffs on inventory we purchase from China. Gross profit also includes $3.6 million of incremental
COVID-19 related costs, including hazard pay for our distribution center team members and certain supply costs.

Selling,  General  and  Administrative.  Selling,  general  and  administrative  (“SG&A”)  was  26.4%  of  net  sales  in  fiscal  2020
compared to 25.7% in fiscal 2019. SG&A increased $86.3 million to $1,390.6 million in fiscal 2020. The increase includes $72.7 million in
performance-based compensation, a $24.0 million increase in expenses associated with strategic initiatives to improve profitability, $16.2
million of incremental COVID-19 related costs, including hazard pay for store team members and sanitation supplies, and a $7.9 million
charge related to the closure of Darice. The increase was partially offset by a $12.0 million decrease in marketing costs, an $8.2 million
decrease in payroll-related costs as a result of furloughed team members and $8.0 million of wage subsidies resulting from COVID-19 relief
legislation.

Restructure  and  Impairment  Charges.  In  fiscal  2020,  we  recorded  $28.8  million  of  impairment  charges,  consisting  of  $19.4
million related to the closure of 13 underperforming stores and $9.4 million primarily related to the relocation of our corporate offices in
Irving,  Texas.  The  impairment  charges  include  $22.8  million  related  to  operating  lease  assets  and  $6.0  million  related  to  leasehold
improvements and inventory. In fiscal 2019, we recorded impairment charges of $40.1 million as a result of lower than expected operating
performance in our wholesale business and a restructure charge of $8.2 million related to the closure of our Pat Catan’s stores during fiscal
2018.

Interest Expense. Interest expense decreased $1.6 million to $152.4 million in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019. The decrease
was  primarily  due  to  savings  of  $26.7  million  as  a  result  of  a  lower  interest  rate  and  lower  principal  related  to  our  amended  term  loan
facility.  The  decrease  was  partially  offset  by  $11.6  million  related  to  settlement  payments  associated  with  our  cash  flow  hedges,  $6.0
million related to our senior secured notes issued in October 2020, $2.8 million

29

   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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related to increased borrowings on our revolving credit facility, $2.5 million related to a higher interest rate associated with our senior notes
issued in July 2019 and $1.4 million of interest related to deferred tax payments.

Losses  on  Early  Extinguishments  of  Debt  and  Refinancing  Costs.  We  recorded  a  loss  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  of
$22.0 million during fiscal 2020 related to the refinancing of our term loan credit facility. We recorded a loss on the early extinguishment of
debt of $1.3 million during fiscal 2019 related to the redemption of our senior subordinated notes and the refinancing of our senior secured
asset-based revolving credit facility.

Other  (Income)  Expense,  net.  Other  (income)  expense,  net  increased  $2.8  million  in  fiscal  2020  compared  to  fiscal  2019.  The

increase was primarily due to a $5.0 million charge related to the write-off of an investment in a liquidated business during fiscal 2019.  

Income Taxes. Income tax expense decreased $20.1 million in fiscal 2020 to $65.7 million compared to the same period in the
prior  year.  The  decrease  was  due  to  a  $18.4  million  income  tax  benefit  recorded  in  fiscal  2020  in  connection  with  the  Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), including certain provisions related to net operating loss carrybacks.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We require cash principally for day-to-day operations, to finance capital investments, purchase inventory, service our outstanding
debt  and  for  seasonal  working  capital  needs.  We  expect  that  our  available  cash,  cash  flow  generated  from  operating  activities  and  funds
available  under  our  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  will  be  sufficient  to  fund  planned  capital  expenditures,  working  capital
requirements, debt repayments, debt service requirements and anticipated growth for the foreseeable future. We may also opportunistically
pursue  acquisitions  and  other  inorganic  growth  opportunities,  and  our  future  capital  investments  may  include  expenditures  for  these
transactions. Our ability to satisfy our liquidity needs and continue to refinance or reduce debt could be adversely affected by the occurrence
of any of the events described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” or our failure to meet our debt covenants as described below.

Our Amended Revolving Credit Facility provides senior secured financing of up to $850 million, subject to a borrowing base. As
of  January  30,  2021,  the  borrowing  base  was  $624.1  million,  of  which  we  had  no  outstanding  borrowings,  $87.3  million  of  outstanding
standby  letters  of  credit  and  $536.8  million  of  unused  borrowing  capacity.  Our  cash  and  cash  equivalents  totaled  $1,194.4  million  at
January 30, 2021.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In response to
the pandemic, many state and local jurisdictions ordered non-essential businesses closed and executed extensive stay-at-home orders. These
orders resulted in the temporary closure of over 900 of our 1,252 stores which had a material adverse impact on our results of operations
during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, we reopened all of our stores and experienced a significant
improvement in our business as net sales increased 12.4% during the preceding nine month period ending January 30, 2021 compared to the
same period in the prior year. Our liquidity position, which includes cash on hand and amounts available under our Amended Revolving
Credit Facility, increased from $1.2 billion as of February 1, 2020 to $1.7 billion as of January 30, 2021. However, there remains significant
uncertainty surrounding the future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations, and future waves of the pandemic could
require  us  to  close  stores  again  if  certain  restrictions  are  reinstated  by  state  and  local  authorities.  We  intend  to  continue  to  manage  our
liquidity  position  closely  and  invest  in  our  omnichannel  capabilities  to  meet  the  growing  customer  demand  for  a  seamless  omnichannel
experience.

In  May  2020,  the  Company  adopted  a  plan  to  close  our  Darice  wholesale  operations. As  a  result  of  the  closure,  we  recorded  a
charge  totaling  $45.2  million  in  fiscal  2020,  consisting  primarily  of  a  $37.3  million  charge  in  gross  profit  related  to  the  liquidation  of
inventory and $7.9 million included in selling, general and administrative associated with the write-off of indefinite-lived intangible assets
and employee-related expenses. The closure of Darice was completed in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. In fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019,
Darice’s net sales totaled $37.6 million and $79.9 million, respectively. Excluding the charges, Darice did not have a material impact on the
Company’s operating income in the periods presented.

In September 2018, the Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for the Company to purchase $500 million of
the Company’s common stock on the open market or through accelerated share repurchase transactions. The share repurchase program does
not have an expiration date, and the timing and number of repurchase transactions

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under  the  program  will  depend  on  market  conditions,  corporate  considerations,  debt  agreements  and  regulatory  requirements.  Shares
repurchased under the program are held as treasury shares until retired. During the year ended January 30, 2021, we repurchased 7.2 million
shares for an aggregate amount of $87.2 million. As of January 30, 2021, we had $206.4 million of availability remaining under our current
share repurchase program.

We had total outstanding debt of $2,536.7 million at January 30, 2021, of which $1,661.7 million was subject to variable interest
rates and $875.0 million was subject to fixed interest rates. In April 2018, we executed two interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional
value of $1 billion associated with our outstanding Amended Term Loan Credit Facility (as defined below). The swaps replaced the one-
month LIBOR with a fixed interest rate of 2.7765% and expire in April 2021.

In April  2020,  we  executed  two  interest  rate  cap  agreements  with  an  aggregate  notional  value  of  $2  billion  associated  with  our
outstanding Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate caps have an effective date of September 30, 2020 and April 30, 2021,
respectively.  During  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2020,  we  amended  the  September  30,  2020  interest  rate  cap  agreement  and  reduced  the
notional  value  from  $1  billion  to  $300  million.  The  interest  rate  caps  have  a  maturity  date  of April  30,  2025  and  were  executed  for  risk
management  and  are  not  held  for  trading  purposes.  The  interest  rate  caps  will  effectively  cap  our  LIBOR  exposure  on  a  portion  of  our
Amended Term Loan Credit Facility at 1%.

On March 2, 2021, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Apollo. The Merger Agreement contains limitations on actions that

the Company may take between signing and closing without the consent of Apollo, including certain limitations on our borrowing.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital, limit our ability to react to changes in the
economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk and prevent us from meeting our obligations. Management reacts strategically to
changes in economic conditions, including those created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and monitors compliance with debt covenants to seek
to mitigate any potential material impacts to our financial condition and flexibility.

We may use excess operating cash flows to repurchase outstanding shares and repay portions of our indebtedness, depending on
prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, existing economic conditions, contractual restrictions and other factors. As such, we
and  our  subsidiaries,  affiliates  and  significant  shareholders  may,  from  time  to  time,  seek  to  retire  or  purchase  our  outstanding  debt
(including publicly issued debt) through cash purchases and/or exchanges, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, by
tender offer or otherwise. If we use our excess cash flows to repay our debt, it will reduce the amount of cash available for additional capital
expenditures.

Cash Flow from Operating Activities

Cash flows provided by operating activities were $1,222.4 million in fiscal 2020, an increase of $729.3 million from fiscal 2019.
The increase was primarily due to the timing of inventory receipts following higher than expected sales, renegotiating payment terms with
our vendors and landlords and the timing of federal tax payments.

Inventory  decreased  8.2%  to  $1,007.0  million  at  January  30,  2021,  from  $1,097.1  million  at  February  1,  2020.  The  decrease  in
inventory was primarily due to the timing of inventory receipts following higher than expected sales, a reduction in inventory associated
with the operation of 22 fewer Michaels stores (net of openings) since February 1, 2020 and the closure of Darice. Average inventory per
Michaels store (inclusive of distribution centers, in-transit and inventory for the Company’s e-commerce site) decreased 2.0% to $800,000 at
January 30, 2021, from $816,000 at February 1, 2020.

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Cash Flow from Investing Activities

The following table includes capital expenditures paid during the periods presented (in thousands):

New and relocated stores (including stores not yet opened) (1)
Existing stores
Information systems
Corporate and other

2020

 10,083
 39,868
 50,919
 61,134
 162,004

 $

$

$

$

Fiscal Year
2019

 11,110
 34,998
 54,222
 20,215
 120,545

$

$

2018

 32,153
 39,524
 54,794
 18,916
 145,387

(1)

In fiscal 2020, we incurred capital expenditures related to the opening of 14 Michaels stores, including the relocation of eight stores.  In fiscal 2019,
we  incurred  capital  expenditures  related  to  the  opening  of  34  Michaels  stores,  including  the  relocation  of  13  stores.  In  fiscal  2018,  we  incurred
capital expenditures related to the opening of 45 Michaels stores, including the relocation of 21 stores.

In fiscal 2021, we plan to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support the further development of our business, including the
buildout of our new distribution  centers  in  New  Jersey  and  California,  investments  in  information  technology  related  to  our  e-commerce
business, enhancing our digital platforms and tools, and improving our data analytical capabilities to gain additional customer insights. In
addition, we will continue to invest in new store openings and store remodels. In fiscal 2021, we plan to open approximately 33 Michaels
stores, including approximately 10 relocations.

Term Loan Credit Facility

On May 23, 2018, MSI entered into an amendment with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”), as successor administrative
agent and successor collateral agent, and other lenders to amend and restate our then-existing term loan credit facility. The amended and
restated credit agreement, together with the related security, guarantee and other agreements, is referred to as the “Amended and Restated
Term Loan Credit Facility”.

On  October  1,  2020,  MSI  entered  into  an  amendment  with  JPMorgan  and  other  lenders  to  our  term  loan  credit  facility.  The
amended credit agreement, together with the related security, guarantee and other agreements, are referred to as the “Amended Term Loan
Credit Facility”. In connection with this amendment, MSI voluntarily prepaid $500.1 million in principal of the then outstanding term loan
credit facility.

Borrowings  under  the Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  were  issued  at  98.5%  of  face  value  and  bear  interest  at  a  rate  per
annum, at MSI’s option, of either (a) a margin of 2.50% plus a base rate defined as the highest of (1) the prime rate published by The Wall
Street  Journal,  (2)  the  greater  of  the  federal  funds  effective  rate  and  the  overnight  bank  funding  rate  determined  by  the  Federal  Reserve
Bank  of  New  York,  plus  0.5%,  and  (3)  the  one-month  London  Interbank  Offered  Rate  (“LIBOR”)  plus  1%,  in  each  case,  subject  to
a  1.75%  floor,  or  (b)  a  margin  of  3.50%  plus  the  applicable  LIBOR,  subject  to  a  0.75%  floor.  The Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility
matures on October 1, 2027 subject to a springing maturity date of April 15, 2027 if certain other indebtedness, including MSI’s 8% senior
notes maturing in 2027, exceeds $100 million as of such earlier date.

As of January 30, 2021, the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility provides for senior secured financing of $1,661.7 million. MSI
has  the  right  to  request  additional  term  loans  in  an  aggregate  amount  of  up  to  the  sum  of  (a)  the  greater  of  $650  million  and  100%  of
Adjusted  EBITDA  (as  defined  in  the Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility)  for  the  most  recently  ended  four  fiscal  quarters,  plus  (b)  the
aggregate amount of voluntary prepayments of certain indebtedness, plus (c) at MSI’s election, an amount of additional indebtedness if the
consolidated secured debt ratio (as defined in the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility) is no more than 3.25 to 1.00 on a pro forma basis as
of the last day of the most recently ended four fiscal quarters, subject to certain adjustments. The lenders will not be under any obligation to
provide any such additional term loans and the incurrence of any additional term loans is subject to customary conditions precedent.

There are no limitations on dividends and certain other restricted payments so long as (a) no event of default shall have occurred
and be continuing and (b) immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment(s) and the application of proceeds therefrom,
the consolidated total leverage ratio is less than or equal to 3.75 to 1.00.

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MSI must offer to prepay outstanding term loans at 100% of the principal amount, plus any unpaid interest, with the proceeds of
certain asset sales or casualty events under certain circumstances. MSI may voluntarily prepay outstanding loans under the Amended Term
Loan Credit Facility at any time, subject to payment of customary breakage costs with respect to LIBOR loans. The Amended Term Loan
Credit Facility provides for a 1.0% soft call premium in connection with certain Repricing Transactions (as defined in the Amended Term
Loan Credit Facility) occurring on or prior to April 1, 2021.

MSI is required to make scheduled quarterly payments equal to 0.25% of the original principal amount of the term loans (subject to
adjustments relating to the incurrence of additional term loans) for the first six years of the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility, with the
balance to be paid on October 1, 2027.

All obligations under the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by Michaels
Funding, Inc. (“Holdings”) and all of MSI’s existing domestic material subsidiaries and are required to be guaranteed by certain of MSI’s
future domestic wholly-owned material subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”). All obligations under the Amended Term Loan Credit
Facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of Holdings,
MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors, including:

●

●

●

a first-priority pledge of MSI’s capital stock and all of the capital stock held directly by MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors
(which  pledge,  in  the  case  of  any  foreign  subsidiary  or  foreign  subsidiary  holding  company,  is  limited  to  65%  of  the  voting
stock of such foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company and 100% of the non-voting stock of such subsidiary);

a first-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of Holdings, MSI and
each  Subsidiary  Guarantor,  including  substantially  all  of  MSI’s  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors  owned  real  property  and
equipment, but excluding, among other things, the collateral described below; and

a second-priority security interest in personal property consisting of inventory and related accounts, cash, deposit accounts, all
payments received by Holdings, MSI or the Subsidiary Guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise
in  respect  of  all  credit  card  charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary
Guarantors, and certain related assets and proceeds of the foregoing.

The Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  contains  a  number  of  negative  covenants  that  are  substantially  similar  to,  but  more
restrictive in certain respects than, those governing the Senior Notes and Senior Secured Notes (as defined below), as well as certain other
customary representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and events of default. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in
compliance with all covenants.

Interest Rate Swaps

In April 2018, we executed two interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional value of $1 billion associated with our outstanding
Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate swaps have a maturity date of April 30, 2021 and were executed for risk
management and are not held for trading purposes. The objective of the interest rate swaps is to hedge the variability of cash flows resulting
from fluctuations in the one-month LIBOR. The swaps replaced the one-month LIBOR with a fixed interest rate of 2.7765% and payments
are settled monthly. The swaps qualify as cash flow hedges and changes in the fair values are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive
income  in  the  consolidated  balance  sheet.  The  changes  in  fair  value  are  reclassified  from  accumulated  other  comprehensive  income  to
interest expense in the same period that the hedged items affect earnings.

Interest Rate Caps

In April  2020,  we  executed  two  interest  rate  cap  agreements  with  an  aggregate  notional  value  of  $2  billion  associated  with  our
outstanding Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate caps have an effective date of September 30, 2020 and April 30, 2021,
respectively.  During  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2020,  we  amended  the  September  30,  2020  interest  rate  cap  agreement  and  reduced  the
notional  value  from  $1  billion  to  $300  million.  The  interest  rate  caps  have  a  maturity  date  of April  30,  2025  and  were  executed  for  risk
management  and  are  not  held  for  trading  purposes.  The  interest  rate  caps  will  effectively  cap  our  LIBOR  exposure  on  a  portion  of  our
Amended Term Loan Credit Facility at 1%.

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The interest rate caps qualify as cash flow hedges and changes in the fair values are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in
the consolidated balance sheet. The changes in fair value are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense
in the same period that the hedged items affect earnings.

Senior Notes

On July 8, 2019, MSI issued $500 million in principal amount of senior notes maturing in 2027 (“Senior Notes”). The Senior Notes
were issued pursuant to an indenture among MSI, certain subsidiaries of MSI, as guarantors, and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee
(the “Senior Notes Indenture”). The Senior Notes mature on July 15, 2027 and bear interest at a rate of 8% per year, with interest payable
semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on January 15, 2020.

The  net  proceeds  from  the  offering  and  sale  of  the  Senior  Notes,  together  with  cash  on  hand,  were  used  to  redeem  MSI’s

outstanding 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes (as defined below).

The Senior Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior unsecured basis by each of MSI’s
subsidiaries  that  guarantee  indebtedness  under  the  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  and  the  Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility
(collectively defined as the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”).

The  Senior  Notes  are  general,  unsecured  obligations  of  MSI,  and  the  guarantees  of  the  Senior  Notes  are  general,  unsecured
obligations of the guarantors. They (i) rank equally in right of payment with all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ existing and future senior debt,
including  the  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities,  (ii)  are  effectively  subordinated  to  any  of  MSI’s  and  the  guarantors’  existing  and  future
secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt, including the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, (iii) are structurally
subordinated to all of the liabilities of MSI’s subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Senior Notes, and (iv) are senior in right of payment
with all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ existing and future subordinated debt.

At any time prior to July 15, 2022, MSI may redeem (a) up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the
gross proceeds from one or more Equity Offerings, as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture, at a redemption price of 108% of the principal
amount plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date and/or (b) all or part of the Senior Notes at 100% of
the  principal  amount  plus  any  accrued  and  unpaid  interest  thereon  to,  but  excluding,  the  redemption  date  plus  a  make-whole  premium.
Thereafter,  MSI  may  redeem  all  or  part  of  the  Senior  Notes  at  the  redemption  prices  set  forth  below  (expressed  as  percentages  of  the
principal amount of the Senior Notes to be redeemed) plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the applicable date of
redemption, if redeemed during the twelve month period beginning on July 15 of each of the years indicated below:

Year
2022
2023
2024 and thereafter

Percentage

104 %
102 %
100 %

Upon a change in control, MSI is required to offer to purchase the Senior Notes at 101% of the aggregate principal amount, plus

any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the date of purchase.

Subject  to  certain  exceptions  and  qualifications,  the  Senior  Notes  Indenture  contains  covenants  that,  among  other  things,  limit

MSI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, including the guarantors, to:

●

●

●

●

●

incur additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified stock or preferred stock;

create liens;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or make distributions or redeem or repurchase MSI’s capital stock;

prepay subordinated debt or make certain investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

transfer or sell assets;

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●

engage in consolidations, amalgamations or mergers, or sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their
assets; and

●

enter into certain transactions with affiliates.

The covenants also limit MSI’s ability, and the ability of MSI’s restricted subsidiaries, to pay dividends or distributions on MSI’s
capital stock or repurchase MSI’s capital stock, subject to certain exceptions, including dividends, distributions and repurchases up to (i) an
amount equal to the greater of $200.0 million and 25% of MSI’s consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture) and (ii) a
basket that builds based on 50% of MSI’s consolidated net income (as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture) and certain other amounts, in
each case, to the extent such payment capacity is not applied as otherwise permitted under the Senior Notes Indenture and subject to certain
conditions. However, there are no limitations on dividends and certain other restricted payments so long as (a) no event of default shall have
occurred and be continuing and (b) immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment(s) and the application of proceeds
therefrom, the total net leverage ratio is less than or equal to 3.25 to 1.00. As of January 30, 2021, the permitted restricted payment amount
pursuant  to  the  immediately  foregoing  sentence  was  $546.3  million.  The  Senior  Notes  Indenture  also  provides  for  customary  events  of
default which, if any of them occurs, would require or permit the principal of and accrued interest on the Senior Notes to become or to be
declared due and payable. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in compliance with all covenants.

Senior Secured Notes

On  October  1,  2020,  MSI  issued  $375  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of  4.75%  senior  secured  notes  maturing  in  2027
(“Senior Secured Notes”). The Senior Secured Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture among MSI, Michaels Funding, Inc. and certain
subsidiaries  of  MSI,  as  guarantors,  and  U.S.  Bank  National Association,  as  trustee  (the  “Senior  Secured  Notes  Indenture”).  The  Senior
Secured Notes will mature on October 1, 2027 and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% per year, with interest payable semi-annually on April 1
and October 1 of each year, beginning on April 1, 2021.

The net proceeds from the Senior Secured Notes, together with cash on hand, were used to voluntarily pay down $500.1 million of

MSI’s then outstanding term loan credit facility and to pay related fees and expenses.

The Senior Secured Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured basis by Michaels

Funding, Inc. and each of MSI’s subsidiaries that guarantee indebtedness under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

The  Senior  Secured  Notes  are  senior  secured  obligations  of  MSI,  and  the  guarantees  are  senior  secured  obligations  of  the
guarantors. The Senior Secured Notes and guarantees will be secured equally and ratably with the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility and,
accordingly, will be secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of MSI and the guarantors, including:

●

●

●

a first-priority pledge of MSI’s capital stock and all of the capital stock held directly by MSI and its subsidiaries that guarantee the
Senior Secured Notes (which pledge, in the case of any foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company, is limited to 65%
of  the  voting  stock  of  such  foreign  subsidiary  or  foreign  subsidiary  holding  company  and  100%  of  the  non-voting  stock  of  such
subsidiary);

a first-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of MSI and each guarantor,
including substantially all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ owned real property and equipment, but excluding, among other things, the
collateral  described  below  (collectively,  and  together  with  the  pledge  of  capital  stock  described  in  the  immediately  preceding
paragraph, referred to as the “Term Priority Collateral”); and

a  second-priority  security  interest  in  personal  property  consisting  of  inventory  and  related  accounts,  cash,  deposit  accounts,  all
payments received by MSI or the guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise in respect of all credit card
charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  MSI  and  the  guarantors,  and  certain  related  assets  and  proceeds  of  the
foregoing.

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At any time prior to October 1, 2023 MSI may redeem (a) up to 40% of the Senior Secured Notes with the gross proceeds from one
or more Equity Offerings, as defined in the Senior Secured Notes Indenture, at a redemption price of 104.75% of the principal amount plus
accrued and unpaid interest and/or (b) all or part of the Senior Secured Notes at 100.0% of the principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid
interest  plus  a  make-whole  premium.  Thereafter,  MSI  may  redeem  all  or  part  of  the  notes  at  the  redemption  prices  set  forth  below
(expressed  as  percentages  of  the  principal  amount  of  the  Senior  Secured  Notes  to  be  redeemed)  plus  any  accrued  and  unpaid  interest,  if
redeemed during the twelve month period beginning on October 1 of each of the years indicated below:

Year
2023
2024
2025 and thereafter

Percentage

102.375 %
101.188 %
100.000 %

Upon  a  change  of  control,  MSI  is  required  to  offer  to  purchase  the  Senior  Secured  Notes  at  101.0%  of  the  aggregate  principal
amount  plus  accrued  and  unpaid  interest.  In  addition,  if  MSI  or  its  restricted  subsidiaries  sells  certain  assets  constituting  Term  Priority
Collateral,  then  under  certain  circumstances  MSI  will  be  required  to  offer  to  repurchase  the  notes  at  100.0%  of  the  aggregate  principal
amount plus accrued and unpaid interest.

Subject to certain exceptions and qualifications, the Senior Secured Notes Indenture contains covenants that, among other things,

limit MSI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, including the guarantors, to:

●

●

●

●

●

●

incur additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified or preferred stock;

create liens;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or make distributions or redeem or repurchase MSI’s capital stock;

prepay subordinated debt or make certain investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

transfer or sell assets;

engage in consolidations, amalgamations or mergers, or sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their assets;
and

●

enter into certain transactions with affiliates.

The Senior Secured Notes Indenture also provides for customary events of default which, if any of them occurs, would require or
permit the principal and accrued interest to become or to be declared due and payable. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in compliance with
all covenants.

Revolving Credit Facility

On August  30,  2019,  MSI  entered  into  an  amendment  with  Wells  Fargo  Bank,  National Association  (“Wells  Fargo”)  and  other
lenders  to,  among  other  things,  extend  the  maturity  date  of  our  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility.  The  Amended  Revolving  Credit
Facility matures in August 2024, subject to an earlier springing maturity date if certain of our outstanding indebtedness has not been repaid,
redeemed, refinanced, or cash collateralized or if the necessary availability reserves have not been established prior to such time (the “ABL
Maturity Date”).

The Amended Revolving Credit Facility provides for senior secured financing of up to $850 million, subject to a borrowing base.
The borrowing base under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility equals the sum of: (i) 90% of eligible credit card receivables, (ii) 85% of
eligible trade receivables, (iii) 90% to 92.5% of the appraised value of eligible inventory, plus (iv) 90% to 92.5% of the lesser of (a) the
appraised value of eligible inventory supported by letters of credit, and (b) the face amount of the letters of credit, less (v) certain reserves.

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As  of  January  30,  2021,  the  borrowing  base  was  $624.1  million  of  which  MSI  had  availability  of  $536.8  million.  Borrowing
capacity is available for letters of credit and borrowings on same-day notice. Outstanding standby letters of credit as of January 30, 2021
totaled $87.3 million.

The Amended Revolving Credit Facility also provides MSI with the right to request up to $200 million of additional commitments.
The lenders will not be under any obligation to provide any such additional commitments, and any increase in commitments is subject to
customary  conditions.  If  we  were  to  request  additional  commitments,  and  the  lenders  were  to  agree  to  provide  such  commitments,  the
facility size could be increased up to $1,050 million, however, MSI’s ability to borrow would still be limited by the borrowing base.

Borrowings under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either (a) a base
rate  determined  by  reference  to  the  highest  of  (1)  the  prime  rate  of  Wells  Fargo,  (2)  the  federal  funds  effective  rate  plus  0.50%  and
(3) LIBOR subject to certain adjustments plus 1.00% or (b) LIBOR subject to certain adjustments, in each case plus an applicable margin.
The initial applicable margin is (a) 0.25% for prime rate borrowings and 1.25% for LIBOR borrowings. The applicable margin is subject to
adjustment each fiscal quarter based on the excess availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility. Excess availability is defined
as  the  Loan  Cap  (as  defined  below)  plus  certain  unrestricted  cash  of  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors,  less  the  outstanding
credit extensions. Same-day borrowings bear interest at the base rate plus the applicable margin.

MSI is required to pay a commitment fee on the unutilized commitments under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility, which is
0.25% per annum, subject to reduction to 0.20% when excess availability is less than 50% of the Loan Cap (as defined below). In addition,
MSI must pay customary letter of credit fees and agency fees.

All obligations under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by Holdings
and the Subsidiary Guarantors. All obligations under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are
secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of Holdings, MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors, including:

●

●

●

a  first-priority  security  interest  in  personal  property  consisting  of  inventory  and  related  accounts,  cash,  deposit  accounts,  all
payments received by Holdings, MSI or the Subsidiary Guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise
in  respect  of  all  credit  card  charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary
Guarantors, and certain related assets and proceeds of the foregoing;

a second-priority pledge of all of MSI’s capital stock and the capital stock held directly by MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors
(which pledge, in the case of the capital stock of any foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company, is limited to
65% of the voting stock of such foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company and 100% of the non-voting stock of
such subsidiary); and

a second-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of Holdings, MSI
and  each  Subsidiary  Guarantor,  including  substantially  all  of  MSI’s  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors  owned  real  property  and
equipment.

If,  at  any  time,  the  aggregate  amount  of  outstanding  loans,  unreimbursed  letter  of  credit  drawings  and  undrawn  letters  of  credit
under  the Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  exceeds  the  lesser  of  (i)  the  commitment  amount  and  (ii)  the  borrowing  base  (the  “Loan
Cap”), MSI will be required to repay outstanding loans and cash collateralize letters of credit in an aggregate amount equal to such excess,
with no reduction of the commitment amount. If availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility is less than the greater of (i) 10%
of the Loan Cap and (ii) $50 million for five consecutive business days, or, if certain events of default have occurred, MSI will be required
to  repay  outstanding  loans  and  cash  collateralize  letters  of  credit  with  the  cash  MSI  would  be  required  to  deposit  daily  in  a  collection
account maintained with the agent under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility. Availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility
means the Loan Cap minus the outstanding credit extensions. MSI may voluntarily reduce the unutilized portion of the commitment amount
and repay outstanding loans at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to LIBOR loans. The
principal amount of the loans outstanding is due and payable in full on the ABL Maturity Date.

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The covenants limiting dividends and other restricted payments, investments, loans, advances and acquisitions, and prepayments
or  redemptions  of  indebtedness,  each  permit  the  restricted  actions  in  an  unlimited  amount,  subject  to  the  satisfaction  of  certain  payment
conditions,  principally  that  MSI  must  meet  specified  excess  availability  requirements  and  minimum  consolidated  fixed  charge  coverage
ratios, to be tested on a pro forma basis as of the date of the restricted action and for the 30-day period preceding such restricted action.
Adjusted  EBITDA,  as  defined  in  the  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility,  is  used  in  the  calculation  of  the  consolidated  fixed  charge
coverage ratios.

From the time when MSI has excess availability less than the greater of (a) 10% of the Loan Cap and (b) $50 million, until the time
when  MSI  has  excess  availability  more  than  the  greater  of  (a)  10%  of  the  Loan  Cap  and  (b)  $50  million  for  30  consecutive  days,  the
Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  will  require  MSI  to  maintain  a  consolidated  fixed  charge  coverage  ratio  of  at  least  1.0  to  1.0.  The
Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  also  contains  certain  customary  representations  and  warranties,  affirmative  covenants  and  provisions
relating to events of default (including change of control and cross-default to material indebtedness).

The  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  contains  a  number  of  covenants  that,  among  other  things  and  subject  to  certain

exceptions, restrict MSI’s ability, and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, to:

●

●

incur or guarantee additional indebtedness;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire MSI’s capital stock;

● make investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

●

●

●

●

●

●

create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to MSI from its restricted subsidiaries;

engage in transactions with MSI’s affiliates;

sell assets, including capital stock of MSI’s subsidiaries;

prepay or redeem indebtedness;

consolidate or merge; and

create liens.

5.875% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020

On  December  19,  2013,  MSI  issued  $260  million  in  principal  amount  of  5.875%  senior  subordinated  notes  maturing  in  2020
(“2020 Senior Subordinated Notes”). On June 16, 2014, MSI issued an additional $250 million of the 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes at
102% of face value, resulting in an effective interest rate of 5.76%.

On  July  29,  2019,  the  Company  redeemed  the  2020  Senior  Subordinated  Notes  in  the  aggregate  principal  amount  of  $510.0
million plus accrued interest. This payment retired the 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes and discharged the obligations under the indenture
governing the 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We  have  no  material  off-balance  sheet  arrangements  as  defined  in  Item  303(a)(4)(ii)  of  Regulation  S-K.  Neither  we  nor  our

subsidiaries typically guarantee the obligations of unrelated parties.

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Contractual Obligations

As of January 30, 2021, our contractual obligations were as follows (in thousands):

Total debt (1)
Operating lease commitments (2)
Interest payments (3)
Other commitments (4)

Total
 2,536,650
 2,079,796
 635,351
 126,447
 5,378,244

$

$

$

$

Payments Due By Fiscal Year

Less Than
1 Year

1-3 Years

3-5 Years

     More Than

 16,700
 420,508
 85,168
 115,365
 637,741

$

$

 33,400
 736,902
 155,298
 11,082
 936,682

$

$

$

 33,400
 466,340
 187,894

 —  
$

 687,634

5 Years
 2,453,150
 456,046
 206,991
 —
 3,116,187

(1)

Total debt only includes principal payments owed on the Senior Notes, Senior Secured Notes and the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. The amounts shown
above do not include unamortized discounts and deferred debt issuance costs reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets since they do not represent
contractual obligations.

(2) Our operating lease commitments generally include non-cancelable leases for property and equipment used in our operations. Excluded from our operating lease
commitments  are  amounts  related  to  insurance,  taxes  and  common  area  maintenance  associated  with  property  and  equipment.  Such  amounts  historically
represented approximately 36% of the total lease obligation over the previous three fiscal years.

(3) Debt associated with our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility was  $1,661.7 million at January 30, 2021 and is subject to variable interest rates. The amounts
included in interest payments in the table for the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility were based on the indexed interest rate in effect at January 30, 2021. In
April  2018,  we  executed  two  interest  rate  swap  agreements  with  an  aggregate  notional  value  of  $1  billion  which  are  intended  to  mitigate  interest  rate  risk
associated with future changes in interest rates for borrowings under our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. In fiscal 2020, we executed two interest rate cap
agreements with an aggregate notional value of $1.3 billion which are intended to mitigate interest rate risk associated with future changes in interest rates for
borrowings under our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. Debt associated with the Senior Notes and Senior Secured Notes were  $500.0 million and $375.0
million, respectively,  at  January  30,  2021  and  were  subject  to  fixed  interest  rates.  We  had  no  outstanding  borrowings  under  our Amended   Revolving  Credit
Facility  at  January  30,  2021.  Under  our Amended   Revolving  Credit  Facility,  we  are  required  to  pay  a  commitment  fee  of  0.25%  per  year  on  the  unutilized
commitments,  subject  to  reduction  to  0.20%  when  excess  availability  is  less  than  50%  of  the  Loan  Cap.  The  amounts  included  in  interest  payments  for  the
Amended Revolving Credit Facility were based on this annual commitment fee.

(4) Other  commitments  include  trade  letters  of  credit  and  service  contract  obligations.  Our  service  contract  obligations  were  calculated  based  on  the  time  period

remaining in the contract or to the earliest possible date of termination, if permitted to be terminated by Michaels upon notice, whichever is shorter.

Non-GAAP Measures

The  following  table  sets  forth  certain  non-GAAP  measures  used  by  the  Company  to  manage  our  performance  and  measure
compliance  with  certain  debt  covenants.  The  Company  defines  “EBITDA”  as  net  income  before  interest,  income  taxes,  depreciation  and
amortization.  The  Company  defines  “Adjusted  EBITDA”  as  EBITDA  adjusted  for  certain  defined  amounts  in  accordance  with  the
Company’s Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

The  Company  has  presented  EBITDA  and Adjusted  EBITDA  to  provide  investors  with  additional  information  to  evaluate  our
operating performance and our ability to service our debt. Adjusted EBITDA is a required calculation under the Company’s Senior Secured
Credit Facilities that is used in the calculations of fixed charge coverage and leverage ratios, which, under certain circumstances determine
mandatory  repayments  or  maintenance  covenants  and  may  restrict  the  Company’s  ability  to  make  certain  payments  (characterized  as
restricted payments), investments (including acquisitions) and debt repayments.

As  EBITDA  and  Adjusted  EBITDA  are  not  measures  of  liquidity  calculated  in  accordance  with  U.S.  generally  accepted
accounting  principles  (“GAAP”),  these  measures  should  not  be  considered  in  isolation  of,  or  as  substitutes  for,  net  cash  provided  by
operating  activities  as  an  indicator  of  liquidity.  Our  computation  of  EBITDA  and  Adjusted  EBITDA  may  differ  from  similarly  titled
measures used by other companies.

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The following table shows a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income and net cash provided by operating

activities (in thousands):

Net cash provided by operating activities
Non-cash operating lease expense
Depreciation and amortization
Share-based compensation
Debt issuance costs amortization
Loss on write-off of investment
Accretion of long-term debt, net
Restructure and impairment charges
Impairment of intangible assets
Deferred income taxes
Gain on sale of building
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Changes in assets and liabilities
Net income
Interest expense
Income taxes
Depreciation and amortization
Interest income
EBITDA
Adjustments:

COVID-19 expense(1)
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Share-based compensation
Restructure and impairment charges
Darice liquidation costs
Severance costs
Store pre-opening costs
Store remodel costs
Foreign currency transaction (gains) losses, net
Store closing costs
Consulting costs
CEO transition costs(2)
Other(3)

Adjusted EBITDA

$

$

2020
$  1,222,436
 (308,777)
 (130,303)
 (25,010)
 (3,507)

 —  

 (1,391)
 (28,835)
 (3,500)
 (52,114)
 101
 (22,044)
 (352,121)
 294,935
 152,442
 65,669
 130,303
 (1,570)
 641,779

 19,842
 22,044
 25,010
 28,835
 45,244
 8,972
 3,082
 1,739
 (8)
 1,528
 20,625

 —  

 11,846

Fiscal Year
2019
 493,175
 (325,962)
 (125,499)
 (22,910)
 (4,451)
 (5,036)
 129
 (48,332)
 —
 (9,455)
 —
 (1,316)
 322,252
 272,595
 154,090
 85,776
 125,499
 (3,185)
 634,775

 —
 1,316
 22,910
 48,332
 —
 5,607
 4,608
 337
 276
 (156)
 —
 9,236
 6,661

2018
 444,256
 —
 (124,271)
 (27,082)
 (4,997)
 —
 518
 (104,238)
 —
 (8,131)
 —
 (1,835)
 145,325
 319,545
 147,085
 97,509
 124,271
 (3,160)
 685,250

 —
 1,835
 27,082
 104,238
 —
 902
 4,417
 5,153
 (278)
 3,134
 —
 —
 2,916

$

 830,538

$

 733,902

$

 834,649

(1)

Includes costs attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic including hazard pay for team members, costs associated with furloughed employees, certain
inventory charges and sanitation supplies. This amount also includes $8.0 million of wage subsidies resulting from COVID-19 relief legislation.

(2) CEO transition costs includes $5.6 million of severance paid to our previous CEO and a $3.7 million sign-on bonus for our new CEO.
(3) Other adjustments primarily relate to items such as moving and relocation expenses, franchise taxes, sign-on bonuses, director’s fees, search costs

and the support center move.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. These consolidated financial statements
include some amounts that are based on our informed judgments and estimates. Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1
to  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  critical  accounting  policies  represent  those  policies  that  are  subject  to  judgments  and
uncertainties.  The  following  discussion  addresses  our  most  critical  accounting  policies,  which  are  those  that  are  both  important  to  the
portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and that require significant judgment or use of complex estimates.  

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Merchandise Inventories. Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, with cost determined
using  a  weighted-average  method.  Cost  is  calculated  based  upon  the  purchase  price  of  an  item  at  the  time  it  is  received  by  us  and  also
includes  the  cost  of  warehousing,  handling,  purchasing,  and  importing,  as  well  as  inbound  and  outbound  transportation,  net  of  vendor
allowances. Inventory cost is recognized through cost of sales when it is sold. It is impractical for us to assign overhead costs and vendor
allowances  to  individual  units  of  inventory. As  such,  to  match  inventory  costs  against  the  related  revenues,  we  estimate  the  amount  of
overhead costs and vendor allowances to be deferred and recognized each period as the inventory is sold.

We utilize perpetual inventory records to value inventory in our stores. Physical inventory counts are performed in a significant
number of stores during each fiscal quarter primarily by a third-party inventory counting service, with substantially all stores open longer
than one year subject to at least one count each fiscal year. We adjust our perpetual records based on the results of the physical counts. We
maintain a provision for estimated shrinkage based on the actual historical results of our physical inventories. We compare our estimates to
the  actual  results  of  the  physical  inventory  counts  as  they  are  taken  and  adjust  the  shrink  estimates  accordingly.  We  also  evaluate  our
merchandise to ensure that the expected net realizable value of the merchandise held at the end of a fiscal period exceeds cost. In the event
that the expected net realizable value is less than cost, we reduce the value of that inventory accordingly. A 10% change in our inventory
valuation and shrink reserves would have affected net income by $0.8 million in fiscal 2020.

Vendor allowances, which primarily represent volume rebates and cooperative advertising funds, are recorded as a reduction of the
cost  of  the  merchandise  inventories  and  a  subsequent  reduction  in  cost  of  sales  when  the  inventory  is  sold.  We  generally  earn  vendor
allowances as a percentage of certain merchandise purchases with no minimum purchase requirements.

Long-Lived  Assets. Long-lived  assets  (other  than  goodwill  and  assets  with  indefinite  lives),  such  as  property  and  equipment,
operating lease assets and intangible assets subject to amortization, are evaluated for indicators of impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. For store assets, we evaluate the performance of individual stores for
indicators  of  impairment  and  underperforming  stores  are  selected  for  further  evaluation  to  determine  whether  their  carrying  amounts  are
recoverable.

Our  initial  indicator  that  store  assets,  including  operating  lease  assets,  are  considered  to  be  recoverable  is  that  the  estimated
undiscounted cash flows for the remaining lease term exceed the carrying value of the assets. If the evaluation indicates that the carrying
value of the asset may not be recoverable, the potential impairment is measured based on a projected discounted cash flow method using
assumptions about key store variables, including sales, growth rate, gross margin, payroll and other controllable expenses. The fair value of
our  operating  lease  assets  are  based  on  the  present  value  of  comparable  market  rents.  Furthermore,  management  considers  other  factors
when evaluating stores for impairment, including the individual store’s execution of its operating plan and other local market conditions. If
the carrying value exceeds the fair value, an impairment is recorded.

Our  evaluation  requires  consideration  of  a  number  of  factors  including  changes  in  consumer  demographics,  key  store  level
assumptions  and  other  uncertain  future  events. Accordingly,  our  accounting  estimates  may  change  from  period  to  period.  These  factors
could cause management to conclude impairment indicators exist and require that tests be performed, which could result in a determination
that the value of long-lived assets, including operating lease assets, is impaired, resulting in a write down to fair value.

Goodwill  and  Other  Indefinite-Lived  Intangible  Assets.  We  review  goodwill  and  other  indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  for
impairment each year in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events occur which indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. We
have historically performed a qualitative assessment for our Michaels-U.S. reporting unit to determine whether it is more likely than not
(that  is,  a  likelihood  of  more  than  50  percent)  that  the  fair  value  of  the  reporting  unit  is  less  than  its  carrying  value,  including  goodwill.
Factors used in our qualitative assessment include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost
factors,  overall  financial  performance  and  Company  and  reporting  unit  specific  events.  If,  based  on  our  qualitative  assessment,  we
determine  that  it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  the  estimated  fair  value  of  the  reporting  unit  is  less  than  the  carrying  amount,  including
goodwill, we will calculate the fair value of the Michaels-U.S. reporting unit using the present value of future cash flows expected to be
generated  by  the  reporting  unit.  If  the  carrying  value  of  the  reporting  unit  exceeds  its  estimated  fair  value,  an  impairment  loss  will  be
recognized not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.

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For all other reporting units, we estimated the fair value of each reporting unit using the present value of future cash flows expected
to be generated by the reporting units. If the carrying value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeds the estimated
fair value, an impairment charge is recorded to write the assets down to their estimated fair value. We estimate fair value using the present
value  of  future  cash  flows  expected  to  be  generated  by  the  reporting  unit  using  a  weighted-average  cost  of  capital,  terminal  values  and
updated  financial  projections  for  the  next  five  years.  If  our  actual  results  are  not  consistent  with  the  estimates  and  assumptions  used  to
calculate fair value, we could be required to recognize additional impairments in a future period.

Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets, including the benefit of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards, are evaluated based on
the  guidelines  for  realization  and  are  reduced  by  a  valuation  allowance  if  it  is  deemed  more  likely  than  not  that  such  assets  will  not  be
realized. We consider several factors in evaluating the realizability of our deferred tax assets, including the nature, frequency and severity of
recent  losses,  the  remaining  years  available  for  carryforwards,  changes  in  tax  laws,  the  future  profitability  of  the  operations  in  the
jurisdiction, and tax planning strategies. Our judgments and estimates concerning realizability of deferred tax assets could change if any of
the evaluation factors change, resulting in an increase or decrease to income tax expense in any period.

We record a liability for uncertain tax positions to the extent a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return does not
meet  certain  recognition  or  measurement  criteria.  Considerable  management  judgment  is  necessary  to  assess  the  inherent  uncertainties
related  to  the  interpretations  of  complex  tax  laws,  regulations  and  taxing  authority  rulings,  as  well  as  to  the  expiration  of  statutes  of
limitations in the numerous and varied jurisdictions in which we operate. Our judgments and estimates may change as a result of evaluation
of new information, such as the outcome of tax audits or changes to or further interpretations of tax laws and regulations, resulting in an
increase or decrease to income tax expense in any period.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

Foreign Currency Risk

We are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollar, which is the functional currency of our
Canadian subsidiaries. Our sales, costs and expenses of our Canadian subsidiaries, when translated into U.S. dollars, can fluctuate due to
exchange rate movement. A 10% increase or decrease in the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar would have increased or decreased net
income by approximately $18 million for fiscal 2020.

Interest Rate Risk

We have market risk exposure arising from changes in interest rates on our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility and our Amended
Revolving  Credit  Facility.  See  “Item  7.  Management’s  Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial  Condition  and  Results  of  Operations  —
Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt” for further detail. The interest rates on our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility and our Amended
Revolving Credit Facility will reprice periodically, which will impact our earnings and cash flow. In April 2018, we executed two interest
rate swap agreements with an aggregate notional value of $1 billion which are intended to mitigate interest rate risk associated with future
changes in interest rates for borrowings under our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. As a result of these interest rate swaps, our exposure
to interest rate volatility for $1 billion of our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility was eliminated. In fiscal 2020, we executed two interest
rate cap agreements with an aggregate notional value of $1.3 billion associated with our outstanding Amended Term Loan Credit Facility.
The interest rate caps will effectively cap our LIBOR exposure on a portion of the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility at 1%. The interest
rates  on  our  Senior  Notes  and  our  Senior  Secured  Notes  are  fixed.  Based  on  our  overall  interest  rate  exposure  to  variable  rate  debt
outstanding as of January 30, 2021, a 100 basis point change in interest rates would impact income before income taxes by approximately
$4  million  for  fiscal  2020. A  100  basis  point  change  in  interest  rates  would  impact  the  fair  value  of  our  long-term  fixed  rate  debt  by
approximately $26 million. A change in interest rates would not materially affect the fair value of our variable rate debt as the debt reprices
periodically.

ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

See  the  Index  to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  and  Supplementary  Data  on  page  F-1.  The  Consolidated  Financial

Statements and Supplementary Data are included on pages F-2 through F-37 and are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM  9.  CHANGES  IN  AND  DISAGREEMENTS  WITH  ACCOUNTANTS  ON  ACCOUNTING  AND  FINANCIAL
DISCLOSURE.

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Included  in  this Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  are  certifications  by  our  principal  executive  officer and  our  principal  financial
officer,  which  are  required  in  accordance  with  Rule  13a-14  of  the  Securities  Exchange Act  of  1934,  as  amended.  This  section  includes
information concerning the controls and controls evaluation referred to in the certifications. Page F  - 2 of this Report includes the attestation
report  of  Ernst  &  Young  LLP,  our  independent  registered  public  accounting  firm,  regarding  its  audit  of  the  effectiveness  of  our  internal
control  over  financial  reporting.  This  section  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  Ernst  &  Young  LLP  attestation  for  a  complete
understanding of this section.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated by the SEC
under  the  Securities  Exchange Act  of  1934)  designed  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  that  information,  which  is  required  to  be  timely
disclosed, is accumulated and communicated to management in a timely fashion. We note the design of any system of controls is based in
part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving
its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

An  evaluation  was  carried  out  under  the  supervision  and  with  the  participation  of  our  management,  including  our  principal
executive officer and our principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period
covered  by  this  report.  Based  on  that  evaluation,  our  principal  executive  officer  and  our  principal  financial  officer  concluded  that  our
disclosure  controls  are  effective  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  that  information  required  to  be  disclosed  in  the  reports  that  we  file  or
submit  under  the  Securities  and  Exchange Act  of  1934,  as  amended,  is  accumulated  and  communicated  to  management,  including  our
principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and are effective to
provide reasonable assurance that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by
the SEC’s rules and forms.  

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There  have  been  no  changes  in  our  internal  controls  over  financial  reporting  during  the  quarter  ended  January  30,  2021  that

materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.  

Management Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Internal control over financial reporting includes
those  policies  and  procedures  that  (1)  pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable  detail,  accurately  and  fairly  reflect  the
transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company, (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  U.S.  generally  accepted  accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and
expenditures  are  being  made  only  in  accordance  with  authorizations  of  management  and  directors  of  the  Company,  and  (3)  provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that
could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Due to its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements and, even when
determined  to  be  effective,  can  only  provide  reasonable,  not  absolute,  assurance  with  respect  to  financial  statement  preparation  and
presentation. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate as a
result of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance.

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Table of Contents

Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of January 30, 2021. Management used
the  criteria  set  forth  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (COSO)  in  its Internal  Control—
Integrated Framework (2013). Management’s assessment included the evaluation of such elements as the design and operating effectiveness
of  financial  reporting  controls,  process  documentation,  accounting  policies  and  the  overall  control  environment.  This  assessment  is
supported by testing and monitoring performed or supervised by our Internal Audit organization.

Based on management’s assessment, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was
effective as of January 30, 2021. The independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, issued an attestation report on the
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The Ernst & Young LLP report is included on Page F-2 of this Annual Report
on Form 10-K.

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

PART III

The information required by this item will be contained in our Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM  12.  SECURITY  OWNERSHIP  OF  CERTAIN  BENEFICIAL  OWNERS  AND  MANAGEMENT  AND   RELATED
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

The following documents are filed as part of this report:

(1) Consolidated Financial Statements:

See Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data on page F-1.

(2) Financial Statement Schedules:

All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not required or are not applicable, or the required information is

provided in the consolidated financial statements or notes described in 15(1) above.

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(3) Exhibits:

The exhibits listed in the accompanying Index to Exhibits attached hereto are filed or incorporated by reference into this Annual

Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY.

None.

45

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THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the fiscal years ended January 30, 2021, February 1, 2020 and

February 2, 2019

Consolidated Balance Sheets at January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended January 30, 2021, February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit for the fiscal years ended January 30, 2021, February 1, 2020 and

February 2, 2019

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

F-1

Page

F-2

F-5

F-6

F-7

F-8

F-9

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
The Michaels Companies, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited The Michaels Companies, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of January 30, 2021, based on criteria
established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(2013 framework), (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, The Michaels Companies, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects,
effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 30, 2021, based on the COSO criteria.

We  also  have  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States)
(PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of The Michaels Companies, Inc. as of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 and the related
consolidated  statements  of  comprehensive  income,  stockholders’  deficit  and  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  three  years  in  the  period  ended
January 30, 2021, and the related notes and our report dated March 9, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The  Company’s  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  and  for  its
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal
Control  over  Financial  Reporting.  Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting
based  on  our  audit.  We  are  a  public  accounting  firm  registered  with  the  PCAOB  and  are  required  to  be  independent  with  respect  to  the
Company  in  accordance  with  the  U.S.  federal  securities  laws  and  the  applicable  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our  audit  included  obtaining  an  understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material
weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing
such  other  procedures  as  we  considered  necessary  in  the  circumstances.  We  believe  that  our  audit  provides  a  reasonable  basis  for  our
opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the
reliability  of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of  financial  statements  for  external  purposes  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted
accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the
maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
generally  accepted  accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in  accordance  with
authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection
of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect  misstatements.  Also,
projections  of  any  evaluation  of  effectiveness  to  future  periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that  controls  may  become  inadequate  because  of
changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Dallas, Texas
March 9, 2021

F-2

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
The Michaels Companies, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  (the  Company)  as  of
January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, stockholders' deficit and cash flows
for each of the three years in the period ended January 30, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial
statements”).  In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  present  fairly,  in  all  material  respects,  the  financial  position  of  the
Company at January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the
period ended January 30, 2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We  also  have  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States)
(PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of January 30, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control-
Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (2013  framework),  and  our
report dated March 9, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the
Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be
independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or
fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the
amounts  and  disclosures  in  the  financial  statements.  Our  audits  also  included  evaluating  the  accounting  principles  used  and  significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide
a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was
communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the
financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit
matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating
the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.

Completeness and valuation of uncertain tax positions

Description of the
Matter

As  discussed  in  Note  8  of  the  financial  statements,  the  Company  operates  in  a  number  of  tax
jurisdictions,  and  its  income  tax  return  are  subject  to  examination  by  tax  authorities  in  those  jurisdictions  may
challenge  income  tax  positions  on  those  returns.  Uncertainty  in  a  tax  position  may  arise  because  tax  laws  are
subject  to  interpretation.  The  Company  uses  significant  judgment  in  (1)  determining  whether,  based  on  the
technical merits, a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained and (2) measuring the amount of tax benefit
that  qualifies  for  recognition.  As  of  January  30,  2021,  the  Company  accrued  liabilities  of  $70.1  million  for
uncertain tax positions, including penalties and interest.

Auditing  management’s  estimate  of  the  amount  of  tax  benefit  that  qualifies  for  recognition  involved
auditor judgment and use of tax professionals with specialized skills and knowledge to evaluate the Company’s
interpretation  of,  and  compliance  with,  tax  laws  and  legal  rulings  across  its  multiple  subsidiaries  located  in
multiple taxing jurisdictions.

F-3

Table of Contents

How We Addressed
the Matter in Our
Audit

We  obtained  an  understanding,  evaluated  the  design  and  tested  the  operating  effectiveness  of  controls
over the Company’s process to identify and measure the benefits of the uncertain tax positions. For example, we
tested controls over the Company’s assessment of the technical merits of tax positions and management’s process
to measure the benefit of those tax positions.

Among other procedures performed, we involved our tax professionals to assess the technical merits of
the  Company’s  tax  positions.  We  assessed  the  Company’s  correspondence  with  the  relevant  tax  authorities  and
evaluated  income  tax  opinions  or  other  third-party  advice  obtained  by  the  Company.  We  also  evaluated  the
appropriateness of the Company’s accounting for its tax positions taking into consideration relevant information,
local income tax laws, and legal rulings. We analyzed the Company’s assumptions and data used to determine the
amount of tax benefit recognized and tested the accuracy of the calculations. We have also evaluated the adequacy
of the Company’s income tax disclosures included in Note 8 in relation to these tax matters.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1984.

Dallas, Texas
March 9, 2021

F-4

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THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands, except per share data)

Net sales
Cost of sales and occupancy expense

Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative
Restructure and impairment charges
Store pre-opening costs
Operating income

Interest expense
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Other (income) expense, net

Income before income taxes

Income taxes
Net income

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:
Foreign currency and cash flow hedges

Comprehensive income

Earnings per common share:

Basic
Diluted

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

Basic
Diluted

     $

$

$

$
$

2020
5,271,112      $
3,315,035
1,956,077
1,390,620
28,835
3,082
533,540
152,442
22,044
(1,550)
360,604
65,669
294,935

$

Fiscal Year
2019
5,072,037      $
3,199,780
1,872,257
1,304,280
48,332
4,608
515,037
154,090
1,316
1,260
358,371
85,776
272,595

$

$

$
$

9,387
304,322

2.01
1.98

146,541
148,531

$

$
$

(8,273)
264,322

1.78
1.78

153,134
153,202

2018
5,271,944
3,248,276
2,023,668
1,351,401
104,238
4,417
563,612
147,085
1,835
(2,362)
417,054
97,509
319,545

(10,898)
308,647

1.87
1.86

170,610
171,378

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-5

    
    
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Current Assets:

Cash and equivalents
Merchandise inventories
Prepaid expenses and other
Accounts receivable, net
Total current assets
Property and equipment, net
Operating lease assets
Goodwill
Other intangible assets, net
Deferred income taxes
Other assets

Total assets

THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)

ASSETS

January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

$

$

$

$

1,194,389
1,007,043
56,822
14,039
2,272,293
472,563
1,594,554
94,290
57,121
19,394
18,190
4,528,405

858,790
488,658
324,238
16,700
27,313
1,715,699
2,480,953
1,378,394
54,200
96,329
5,725,575

9,508
—
(1,193,234)
(13,444)
(1,197,170)
4,528,405

$

$

$

$

409,964
1,097,109
62,287
30,442
1,599,802
430,432
1,610,013
94,290
66,417
18,201
18,940
3,838,095

476,298
347,136
306,796
24,900
41,236
1,196,366
2,644,460
1,357,821
—
85,912
5,284,559

9,852
4,872
(1,438,357)
(22,831)
(1,446,464)
3,838,095

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities and other
Current portion of operating lease liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt
Income taxes payable

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt
Long-term operating lease liabilities
Deferred income taxes
Other liabilities

Total liabilities

Commitments and contingencies

Stockholders’ Deficit:

Common stock, $0.06775 par value, 350,000 shares authorized; 141,608 shares issued and
outstanding at January 30, 2021 and 146,803 shares issued and outstanding at February 1, 2020
Additional paid-in-capital
Accumulated deficit
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Total stockholders’ deficit
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-6

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

$

294,935

$

272,595

$

319,545

Non-cash operating lease expense
Depreciation and amortization
Share-based compensation
Debt issuance costs amortization
Loss on write-off of investment
Accretion of long-term debt, net
Restructure and impairment charges
Impairment of intangible assets
Deferred income taxes
Gain on sale of building
Losses on early extinguishments of debt and refinancing costs
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Merchandise inventories
Prepaid expenses and other
Accounts receivable
Other assets
Operating lease liabilities
Accounts payable
Accrued interest
Accrued liabilities and other
Income taxes
Other liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

Additions to property and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Proceeds from sale of building

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

Common stock repurchased
Payments on term loan credit facility
Payment of 2020 senior subordinated notes
Issuance of senior notes
Issuance of senior secured notes
Borrowings on asset-based revolving credit facility
Payments on asset-based revolving credit facility
Payment of debt refinancing costs
Payment of dividends
Proceeds from stock options exercised
Other financing activities

Net cash used in financing activities

Net change in cash and equivalents
Cash and equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and equivalents at end of period

308,777
130,303
25,010
3,507
—
1,391
28,835
3,500
52,114
(101)
22,044

88,183
4,869
14,627
198
(277,375)
389,756
6,978
128,671
(5,323)
1,537
1,222,436

(162,004)
—
875
(161,129)

(91,118)
(545,950)
—
—
375,000
600,000
(600,000)
(26,812)
—
12,473
(475)
(276,882)

325,962
125,499
22,910
4,451
5,036
(129)
48,332
—
9,455
—
1,316

9,504
1,671
29,516
(3,562)
(323,010)
(14,787)
(2,192)
(36,020)
17,647
(1,019)
493,175

(120,545)
(58,000)
—
(178,545)

(107,997)
(24,900)
(510,000)
500,000
—
23,200
(23,200)
(8,162)
—
506
—
(150,553)

784,425
409,964
1,194,389

$

$

164,077
245,887
409,964

$

—
124,271
27,082
4,997
—
(518)
104,238
—
8,131
—
1,835

(63,890)
3,576
(14,100)
(1,497)
—
(10,461)
(691)
(17,225)
(44,532)
3,495
444,256

(145,387)
—
—
(145,387)

(456,585)
(24,900)
—
—
—
355,400
(355,400)
(1,117)
(317)
4,041
—
(478,878)

(180,009)
425,896
245,887

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-7

  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
For the Three Years Ended January 30, 2021
(in thousands)

Balance at February 3, 2018
Net income
Foreign currency and interest rate swaps
Share-based compensation
Exercise of stock options and other awards
Repurchase of stock and retirements
Balance at February 2, 2019
Net income
Foreign currency and interest rate swaps
Share-based compensation
Exercise of stock options and other awards
Repurchase of stock and retirements
Issuance of restricted stock awards
Balance at February 1, 2020
Net income
Foreign currency and cash flow hedges
Share-based compensation
Exercise of stock options and other awards
Repurchase of stock and retirements
Issuance of restricted stock awards
Balance at January 30, 2021

Common
Stock

—  
—  
—  

Number of
Common
Shares
181,919 $ 12,206 $
—  
—  
—  
72
1,066
(25,211)  
(1,684)  
157,774   10,594  
—  
—  
—  
60
(802)  
—
9,852
—
—
—
179
(523)
—
9,508 $

—  
—  
—  
886
(12,019)  
162
146,803
—
—
—
2,642
(7,865)
28

141,608 $

Additional
Paid-in
Capital
21,740 $ (1,539,781) $

Accumulated
Deficit

Accumulated
Other

Comprehensive   

319,545

—  
—  
—
(407,949)
(1,628,185)
272,595

—  
—  
27,197  
3,969
(46,952)  
5,954  
—  
—  
22,900  
446
(24,428)  

—  
—  
—
(82,767)
—
(1,438,357)
294,935
—
—
—
(49,812)
—

—
4,872
—
—
23,617
12,294
(40,783)
—
— $ (1,193,234) $

Loss

(3,660) $
—  
(10,898)  
—  
—
—  
(14,558)  
—  
(8,273)  
—  
—
—  
—
(22,831)

—  
9,387  
—  
—
—  
—
(13,444) $

Total

(1,509,495)
319,545
(10,898)
27,197
4,041
(456,585)
(1,626,195)
272,595
(8,273)
22,900
506
(107,997)
—
(1,446,464)
294,935
9,387
23,617
12,473
(91,118)
—
(1,197,170)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-8

  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
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THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Description of Business

The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  owns  and  operates  specialty  retail  stores  in 49  states  and  Canada  featuring  arts,  crafts,  framing,
floral, home décor and seasonal merchandise for the hobbyist and do-it-yourself home decorator. All expressions of the “Company”, “us”,
“we”, “our”, and all similar expressions are references to The Michaels Companies, Inc. and our consolidated, wholly-owned subsidiaries,
unless  otherwise  expressly  stated  or  the  context  otherwise  requires.  Our  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts  of  The
Michaels Companies, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Michaels  Stores,  Inc.  (“MSI”)  is  headquartered  in  Irving,  Texas  and  was  incorporated  in  the  state  of  Delaware  in  1983.  In  July
2013, MSI was reorganized into a holding company structure and The Michaels Companies, Inc. was incorporated in the state of Delaware
in connection with the reorganization.

Fiscal Year

We report on the basis of a 52-week  or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. All references to
fiscal  year  mean  the  year  in  which  that  fiscal  year  began.  References  to  “fiscal  2020”  relate  to  the 52  weeks  ended  January  30,  2021,
references  to  “fiscal  2019”  relate  to  the 52  weeks  ended  February  1,  2020  and  references  to  “fiscal  2018”  relate  to  the 53  weeks  ended
February 2, 2019.

Preferred Shares

The  Company’s  Board  of  Directors  has  authorized  the  issuance  of 50  million  shares  of  preferred  stock  under  The  Michaels

Companies, Inc. Certificate of Incorporation. No preferred shares have been issued as of January 30, 2021.

COVID-19

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In response to
the pandemic, many state and local jurisdictions ordered non-essential businesses closed and executed extensive stay-at-home orders. These
orders resulted in the temporary closure of over 900  of  our 1,252 stores which had a material adverse impact on our results of operations
during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, we reopened all of our stores and experienced a significant
improvement in our business as net sales increased 12.4% during the preceding nine month period ending January 30, 2021 compared to the
same  period  in  the  prior  year.  Our  liquidity  position,  which  includes  cash  on  hand  and  amounts  available  under  our  senior  secured  asset
based revolving credit facility (“Amended Revolving Credit Facility”), increased from $1.2 billion as of February 1, 2020 to $1.7 billion as
of  January  30,  2021.  However,  there  remains  significant  uncertainty  surrounding  the  future  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  our
results of operations, and future waves of the pandemic could require us to close stores again if certain restrictions are reinstated by state
and local authorities. We intend to continue to manage our liquidity position closely and invest in our omnichannel capabilities to meet the
growing customer demand for a seamless omnichannel experience.

Share Repurchase Program

In September 2018, the Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for the Company to purchase $500  million  of
the Company’s common stock on the open market or through accelerated share repurchase transactions. The share repurchase program does
not have an expiration date, and the timing and number of repurchase transactions under the program will depend on market conditions,
corporate considerations, debt agreements and regulatory requirements. Shares repurchased under the program are held as treasury shares
until retired. During fiscal 2020, we repurchased 7.2 million shares for an aggregate amount of $87.2 million. As of January 30, 2021, we
had $206.4 million of availability remaining under our current share repurchase program.

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Foreign Currency

The  functional  currency  of  our  Canadian  operations  is  the  Canadian  dollar.  Translation  adjustments  result  from  translating  our
Canadian subsidiaries’ financial statements into U.S. dollars. Balance sheet accounts are generally translated at exchange rates in effect at
the  balance  sheet  date.  Income  statement  accounts  are  translated  at  average  exchange  rates  during  the  year.  Translation  adjustments  are
recorded  as  a  component  of  accumulated  other  comprehensive  income  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  stockholders’  deficit.  The
translation adjustments recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes, was a gain of $6.8 million in fiscal 2020 and were
losses of $0.7 million and $6.2 million in fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively. Transaction gains and losses are recorded as a part of
other (income) expense, net in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income and were immaterial for all fiscal periods presented.

Cash and Equivalents

Cash and equivalents are comprised of cash, money market mutual funds and short-term interest bearing securities with original
maturities of three months or less. Cash and equivalents also include proceeds due from credit card transactions with settlement terms of
less than five days. The carrying amount of cash equivalents approximates fair value due to the short-term maturity of those instruments.

Merchandise Inventories

Merchandise  inventories  are  valued  at  the  lower  of  cost  or  net  realizable  value,  with  cost  determined  using  a  weighted-average
method.  Cost  is  calculated  based  upon  the  purchase  price  of  an  item  at  the  time  it  is  received  by  us  and  also  includes  the  cost  of
warehousing,  handling,  purchasing,  and  importing,  as  well  as  inbound  and  outbound  transportation,  net  of  vendor  allowances.  Inventory
cost is recognized through cost of sales when it is sold. It is impractical for us to assign overhead costs and vendor allowances to individual
units of inventory. As such, to match inventory costs against the related revenues, we estimate the amount of overhead costs and vendor
allowances to be deferred and recognized each period as the inventory is sold.

We utilize perpetual inventory records to value inventory in our stores. Physical inventory counts are performed in a significant
number of stores during each fiscal quarter primarily by a third-party inventory counting service, with substantially all stores open longer
than one year subject to at least one count each fiscal year. We adjust our perpetual records based on the results of the physical counts. We
maintain a provision for estimated shrinkage based on the actual historical results of our physical inventories. We compare our estimates to
the actual results of the physical inventory counts as they are taken and adjust the shrink estimates accordingly.

Vendor allowances, which primarily represent volume rebates and cooperative advertising funds, are recorded as a reduction to the
cost  of  the  merchandise  inventories  and  a  subsequent  reduction  in  cost  of  sales  when  the  inventory  is  sold.  We  generally  earn  vendor
allowances as a percentage of certain merchandise purchases with no minimum purchase requirements. We recognized vendor allowances of
$61.6 million, or 1.2% of net sales, in fiscal 2020, $70.6 million, or 1.4% of net sales, in fiscal 2019, and $74.6 million, or 1.4% of net sales,
in fiscal 2018.

We routinely identify merchandise that requires some price reduction to accelerate sales of the product. The need for this reduction
is generally attributable to clearance of seasonal merchandise or product that is being displaced from its assigned location in the store to
make  room  for  new  merchandise.  Additional  stock  keeping  units  (“SKUs”)  that  are  candidates  for  repricing  are  identified  using  our
perpetual  inventory  data.  In  each  case,  the  appropriate  repricing  is  determined  centrally  at  our  store  support  center.  Price  changes  are
transmitted electronically to the store and instructions are provided to our stores regarding product placement, signage and display to ensure
the product is effectively cleared.

We also evaluate our merchandise to ensure that the expected net realizable value of the merchandise held at the end of a fiscal

period exceeds cost. In the event that the expected net realizable value is less than cost, we reduce the value of that inventory accordingly.

Accounts Receivable, net

Accounts  receivable  consist  primarily  of  amounts  due  from  taxing  authorities,  trade  receivables  related  to  our  Darice  wholesale
business  (“Darice”)  and  amounts  due  from  certain  service  providers.  The  Company  assesses  the  collectability  of  all  receivables  on  an
ongoing basis and establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts, if necessary. Factors such as payment terms, historical loss experience
and economic conditions are generally considered in determining

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the allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts was immaterial for all fiscal periods presented in the consolidated
financial statements.

As of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, receivables from customers, which consist primarily of trade receivables related to

Darice, were approximately $1.4 million and $13.3 million, respectively.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is recorded at cost. Depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the
assets.  We  expense  repairs  and  maintenance  costs  as  incurred.  We  capitalize  and  depreciate  significant  renewals  or  betterments  that
substantially extend the life of the asset. Useful lives are generally estimated as follows:

Buildings
Leasehold improvements (1)
Fixtures and equipment
Computer equipment and software

Years

30
10
8-10
3-10

(1) We amortize leasehold improvements over the lesser of the useful life of the asset or the remaining lease term of the underlying facility.

Capitalized Software Costs

We capitalize certain costs related to the acquisition and development of internal use software that is expected to benefit future
periods.  We  also  capitalize  certain  implementation  costs  related  to  the  development  of  hosting  arrangements.  These  costs  are  being
amortized  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  estimated  useful  life  or  the  term  of  the  hosting  arrangement.  As  of  January  30,  2021  and
February  1,  2020,  we  had  unamortized  capitalized  software  costs  of  $85.7  million  and  $93.6  million,  respectively.  These  amounts  are
included  in  property  and  equipment,  net  in  the  consolidated  balance  sheets. Amortization  expense  related  to  capitalized  software  costs
totaled $31.3 million, $31.6 million and $31.2 million in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets (other than goodwill and assets with indefinite lives), such as property and equipment, operating lease assets and
intangible assets subject to amortization, are evaluated for indicators of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate
their  carrying  amounts  may  not  be  recoverable.  Our  evaluation  compares  the  carrying  value  of  the  assets  with  their  estimated  future
undiscounted cash flows. Our initial indicator that store assets, including operating lease assets, are considered to be recoverable is that the
estimated undiscounted cash flows for the remaining lease term exceed the carrying value of the assets. If the evaluation indicates that the
carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable, the potential impairment is measured based on a projected discounted cash flow method
using assumptions about key store variables, including sales, growth rate, gross margin, payroll and other controllable expenses. The fair
value of our operating lease assets are based on the present value of comparable market rents. If actual results differ from these estimates,
we may be exposed to additional impairment losses that may be material.

Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

We review goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment each year in the fourth quarter, or more frequently
if events occur which indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, we performed a qualitative
assessment  for  our  Michaels-U.S.  reporting  unit  to  determine  whether  it  is  more  likely  than  not  (that  is,  a  likelihood  of  more  than
50 percent) that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, including goodwill. There were no impairment indicators
identified  during  our  assessment.  Factors  used  in  our  qualitative  assessment  include,  but  are  not  limited  to,  macroeconomic  conditions,
industry  and  market  conditions,  cost  factors,  overall  financial  performance  and  Company  and  reporting  unit  specific  events.  In  addition,
during the first quarter of fiscal 2020 we performed an interim assessment of our Michaels U.S. and other reporting units as a result of a
significant decrease in sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated the fair value of each reporting unit using the present value of
future cash flows expected to be generated using a weighted-average cost of capital, terminal values and updated financial projections for the
next five years, all of which are Level 3 fair value inputs. If our actual results are not consistent with

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the estimates and assumptions used to calculate fair value, we could be required to recognize additional impairments in a future period.

Darice Liquidation

In  May  2020,  the  Company  adopted  a  plan  to  close  our  Darice  wholesale  operations. As  a  result  of  the  closure,  we  recorded  a
charge  totaling  $45.2  million  in  fiscal  2020,  consisting  primarily  of  a  $37.3  million  charge  in  gross  profit  related  to  the  liquidation  of
inventory and $7.9 million included in selling, general and administrative associated with the write-off of indefinite-lived intangible assets
and employee-related expenses. The closure of Darice was completed in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. In fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019,
Darice’s net sales totaled $37.6 million and $79.9 million, respectively. Excluding the charges, Darice did not have a material impact on the
Company’s operating income in the periods presented.

Restructure and Impairment Charges

In  fiscal  2020,  we  recorded  impairment  charges  totaling  $28.8  million,  consisting  of  $19.4  million  related  to  the  closure  of 13
underperforming  stores  and  $9.4  million  primarily  related  to  the  relocation  of  our  corporate  offices  in  Irving,  Texas.  The  impairment
charges include $22.8 million related to operating lease assets and $6.0 million related to leasehold improvements and inventory.

During fiscal 2019, we identified impairment indicators within Darice that were primarily due to a deterioration in sales associated
with  overall  declining  demand  from  customers.  These  indicators  led  us  to  revise  Darice’s  forecasted  sales  downward  and  resulted  in  a
significantly lower operating plan in fiscal 2019. As a result, we performed impairment tests on Darice’s goodwill, indefinite and definite-
lived  intangible  assets  and  long-lived  assets,  including  operating  lease  assets.  As  a  result  of  this  impairment  testing,  we  recorded  an
impairment  charge  of  $40.1  million  in  fiscal  2019,  consisting  of  $17.8  million  related  to  goodwill,  $14.4  million  related  to  long-lived
assets, including operating lease assets, and $7.9 million related to indefinite and definite-lived intangible assets.

In  January  2019  and  March  2018,  we  closed  our  Pat  Catan’s  and Aaron  Brothers  stores,  respectively. As  a  result  of  the  store
closures,  we  recorded  restructure  charges  of  $8.2  million  and  $98.9  million  in  fiscal  2019  and  fiscal  2018,  respectively.  The  restructure
charges in fiscal 2019 are  primarily  related  to  employee-related  expenses  and  the  impairment  of  an  indefinite-lived  intangible  asset.  The
restructure charges in fiscal 2018 primarily related to the transfer of the rights to sell inventory and other assets to a third party to facilitate
the  store  closures  and  assist  with  the  disposition  of  our  remaining  lease  obligations,  the  impairment  of  goodwill  and  employee-related
expenses.

During fiscal 2018, Pat Catan’s net sales totaled $109.6 million and Aaron Brothers net sales totaled $12.9 million. Excluding the
restructure charges, Aaron Brothers and Pat Catan’s did not have a material impact on the Company’s operating income in all fiscal periods
presented in the consolidated financial statements.

In addition, we recorded $5.3 million of employee-related charges in fiscal 2018 as a result of certain organizational changes made

to streamline our operations at our corporate support center.

Self-Insurance

We  have  insurance  coverage  for  losses  in  excess  of  self-insurance  limits  for  medical  claims,  general  liability  and  workers’
compensation claims. Our liability represents an estimate of the ultimate cost of claims incurred as of the balance sheet dates. The estimated
liability is not discounted and is established based upon analysis of historical data and actuarial estimates. While we believe these estimates
are  reasonable  based  on  the  information  currently  available,  if  actual  trends,  including  the  severity  or  frequency  of  claims,  medical  cost
inflation, or fluctuations in premiums differ from our estimates, our results of operations could be impacted.

Revenue Recognition

Our  revenue  is  primarily  associated  with  sales  of  merchandise  to  customers  within  our  stores  and  customers  utilizing  our  e-
commerce  platforms.  Revenue  from  sales  of  our  merchandise  is  recognized  when  the  customer  takes  possession  of  the  merchandise.
Revenue is measured based on the amount of consideration that we expect to receive, reduced by estimates for return allowances, point-of-
sale coupons and discounts. Revenue also excludes any amounts

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collected on behalf of third parties, including sales tax. Sales related to custom framing are recognized when the order is picked up by the
customer. Payment for our retail sales is typically due at the time of the sale.

We  allow  for  merchandise  to  be  returned  under  most  circumstances  up  to 180  days  after  purchase  and  provide  a  reserve  for
estimated  returns.  The  sales  return  reserve  is  established  using  historical  customer  return  behavior  and  reduces  both  revenue  and  cost  of
goods  sold.  The  Company  presents  the  gross  sales  return  reserve  in  other  current  liabilities  and  the  estimated  value  of  the  merchandise
expected to be returned in prepaid expenses and other in the consolidated balance sheets.

We  record  a  gift  card  liability  on  the  date  we  issue  the  gift  card  to  the  customer.  We  record  revenue  and  reduce  the  gift  card
liability as the customer redeems the gift card or when the likelihood of redemption by the customer is remote (“gift card breakage”). We
estimate  gift  card  breakage  using  the  expected  value  method  based  on  customers’  historical  redemption  rates  and  patterns.  Gift  card
breakage income is recorded in net sales in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income over the estimated redemption period. The
gift card liability is included in accrued liabilities and other in the consolidated balance sheets.

The following table includes activity related to gift cards (in thousands):

Balance at beginning of period

Issuance of gift cards
Revenue recognized (1)
Gift card breakage

Balance at end of period

Fiscal Years

2020

2019

$

$

64,130
73,775
(61,273)
(1,135)
75,497

$

$

61,071
76,941
(69,322)
(4,560)
64,130

(1) Revenue recognized from the beginning liability during fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 totaled $21.0 million and $26.0 million, respectively.

Costs of Sales and Occupancy Expense

The costs of merchandise sales are expensed as the merchandise is sold. Included in our costs of sales are the following:

●

●

●

purchase price of merchandise, net of vendor allowances and rebates;

costs associated with our international direct sourcing business;

inbound freight, inspection costs, tariffs, duties and import agent commissions;

● warehousing,  handling,  transportation  (including  internal  transfer  costs  such  as  distribution  center-to-store  freight  costs),

purchasing and receiving costs; and

●

payroll-related costs for those employees involved in preparing inventory for sale.

Occupancy  expenses  are  recognized  in  the  period  in  which  they  are  incurred.  Included  in  our  occupancy  expenses  are  the

following:

●

●

●

store expenses such as rent, insurance, taxes, common area maintenance, utilities, repairs and maintenance;

amortization of leasehold improvements; and

store remodel costs.

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Selling, General and Administrative

Included  in  selling,  general  and  administrative  (“SG&A”)  are  store  personnel  costs,  store  operating  expenses,  advertising,  store
depreciation and corporate overhead costs. Advertising costs are expensed in the period in which the advertising first occurs. Advertising
costs totaled $176.4 million, $190.0 million and $194.9 million in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

Store Pre-Opening Costs

We expense all start-up activity costs as incurred. Store pre-opening costs consist primarily of payroll-related costs incurred prior

to the store opening.

Income Taxes

We record income tax expense using the liability method and are subject to income tax in many jurisdictions, including the U.S.,
numerous states and localities, Canada, and other foreign countries. Income taxes payable or receivable are recorded for tax liabilities or
refunds reflected on filed, or expected to be filed, tax returns. Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between amounts
recorded in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income and the tax bases of assets and liabilities measured using enacted tax rates
in  effect  for  the  years  in  which  the  differences  are  expected  to  reverse.  The  effect  of  a  change  in  tax  rates  is  recognized  as  income  tax
expense  or  benefit  in  the  period  of  the  enactment  date.  Deferred  tax  assets,  including  the  benefit  of  net  operating  loss  and  tax  credit
carryforwards, are evaluated based on the guidelines for realization and are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is deemed more likely
than not that such assets will not be realized.

We recognize the income tax expense on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) earned by our foreign subsidiaries in the
year the tax is incurred. We recognize the income tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not that, based on
technical merits, the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes. We
recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense.

Share-Based Compensation

Accounting  Standards  Codification  (“ASC”)  718,  Stock  Compensation  (“ASC  718”),  requires  all  share-based  compensation  to
employees, including grants of employee stock options and restricted shares, to be recognized using the fair value method of accounting.
Share-based awards are recognized ratably over the requisite service period or over the estimated time to achieve predetermined financial
and operational performance targets.

Estimates

The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  U.S.  generally  accepted  accounting  principles  requires  us  to  make
estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results
could differ from those estimates.

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13,
“Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)” (“ASU 2016-13”) which makes significant changes to the accounting for credit losses
on  financial  assets  and  disclosures.  The  standard  requires  immediate  recognition  of  management’s  estimates  of  current  expected  credit
losses.  We  adopted ASU  2016-13  in  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2020  using  a  modified  retrospective  approach  without  restatement.  The
adoption did not result in a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In  December  2019,  the  FASB  issued ASU  2019-12,  “Income  Taxes  (Topic  740):  Simplifying  the  Accounting  for  Income  Taxes”
(“ASU 2019-12”), which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740
and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. We adopted ASU 2019-12 in the first quarter of fiscal
2020. The adoption did not result in a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

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In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate
Reform  on  Financial  Reporting”  (“ASU  2020-04”). ASU  2020-04  provides  optional  expedients  and  exceptions  to  contract  modifications
and  hedging  relationships  that  reference  LIBOR  or  another  reference  rate  expected  to  be  discontinued.  We  elected  certain  provisions  of
ASU 2020-04 in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. These elections did not result in a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

2. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market
participants  at  the  measurement  date.  ASC  820, Fair  Value  Measurement  establishes  a  three-level  valuation  hierarchy  for  fair  value
measurements.  These  valuation  techniques  are  based  upon  observable  and  unobservable  inputs.  Observable  inputs  reflect  market  data
obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect less transparent active market data, as well as internal assumptions.
These two types of inputs create the following fair value hierarchy:

●

●

Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets
that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose significant inputs are observable; and

●

Level 3—Instruments with significant unobservable inputs.

Impairment  losses  related  to  property  and  equipment  are  calculated  using  significant  unobservable  inputs  including  the  present
value of future cash flows expected to be generated using a risk-adjusted weighted-average cost of capital and comparable store sales growth
assumptions, and therefore, are classified as a Level 3 measurement in the fair value hierarchy. Impairment losses related to operating lease
assets are calculated using rent per square foot derived from observable market data, and therefore, are classified as a Level 2 measurement
in the fair value hierarchy.

Impairment losses related to goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are calculated based on the estimated fair value of
each reporting unit, which is determined using significant unobservable inputs including the present value of future cash flows expected to
be generated by the reporting unit using a weighted-average cost of capital, terminal values and updated financial projections for the next
five years and are classified as Level 3 measurements in the fair value hierarchy.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, we performed an interim impairment assessment of goodwill and other long-lived assets as of
May 2, 2020, which included estimated future cash flow assumptions incorporating the impact of our temporary store closures. Due to the
uncertainty around COVID-19, our projected future cash flows may differ materially from actual results. There were no material impairment
losses identified as a result of this assessment.

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximates their estimated fair values

due to the short maturities of these instruments.

The following table below provides the fair values of our term loan credit facility, our senior notes, our senior secured notes and

our cash flow hedges (in thousands).

Liabilities
Term loan credit facility
Senior notes
Senior secured notes
Short-term portion of cash flow hedges
Long-term portion of cash flow hedges

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January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

$

$

1,661,650
535,745
386,505
6,893
6,212

2,119,802
449,675
—
13,007
3,555

    
 
 
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The fair values of our term loan credit facility, our senior notes and our senior secured notes were determined based on quoted

market prices which are considered Level 1 inputs within the fair value hierarchy.

The fair value of our cash flow hedges was calculated using significant observable inputs including the present value of estimated

future cash flows using the applicable interest rate curves, and therefore, were classified as Level 2 inputs within the fair value hierarchy.

3. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property and equipment consists of the following (in thousands):

Buildings and leasehold improvements
Fixtures and equipment
Capitalized software
Construction in progress

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

4. LEASES

January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

$

$

510,931
935,149
243,328
111,893
1,801,301
(1,328,738)
472,563

$

$

531,580
910,450
227,123
37,367
1,706,520
(1,276,088)
430,432

We  lease  our  retail  store  locations,  distribution  centers,  office  facilities  and  certain  equipment  under  non-cancelable  operating
leases. Substantially all store leases have initial lease terms of approximately 10 years, the majority of which provide for one or more five-
year renewal options. The exercise of lease renewal options is at the Company’s sole discretion. We include the lease renewal option periods
in the calculation of our operating lease assets and liabilities when it is reasonably certain that we will renew the lease.

Our  operating  lease  assets  represent  our  right  to  use  an  underlying  asset  for  the  lease  term  and  our  operating  lease  liabilities
represent  our  obligation  to  make  lease  payments  arising  from  the  lease.  Operating  lease  assets  and  liabilities  are  recognized  at  the
commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The commencement date is the earlier of the date
when we become legally obligated for the rent payments or the date when we take possession of the building for construction purposes. In
addition,  operating  lease  assets  are  net  of  lease  incentives  received. As  our  leases  do  not  contain  an  implicit  rate  of  return,  we  use  our
estimated incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value
of  lease  payments.  For  operating  leases  that  commenced  prior  to  the  adoption  date  of  the  new  lease  accounting  standard,  we  used  the
incremental borrowing rate as of the adoption date. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease
term.  In  fiscal  2020,  we  began  negotiating  certain  rent  concessions  with  our  landlords,  which  consists  primarily  of  rent  abatements,  to
mitigate  the  economic  effects  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic. As  of  January  30,  2021,  we  received  approximately  $25  million  primarily
related to rent abatements that are included in our straight-line rent calculation.

We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for as a single lease component.
Our short-term non-real estate leases, which have a non-cancelable lease term of less than one year, are not included in the operating lease
assets or liabilities. Short-term lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

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The components of lease costs are as follows (in thousands):

Operating lease cost (1)
Variable lease cost (2)
Total lease cost

Fiscal Year

2020

2019

$

$

430,698
159,552
590,250

$

$

422,857
149,643
572,500

(1)

(2)

Includes an immaterial amount related to short-term non-real estate leases.
Includes taxes, insurance and common areas maintenance costs for our leased facilities which are paid based on actual cost incurred by the lessor.
Also includes contingent rent which is immaterial in the periods presented.

Additional information related to our operating leases is as follows (in thousands, except weighted-average data):

Operating cash outflows included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating lease assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities
Weighted-average remaining lease term
Weighted-average discount rate

Maturities of our lease liabilities are as follows as of January 30, 2021 (in thousands):

$
$

Fiscal Year

2020

2019

$
$

403,311
347,499
6.1 years
6.5%

430,871
296,289
6.0 years
5.9%

Fiscal Year
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Thereafter

Total lease payments
Less: Interest

Present value of lease liabilities

$

$

$

420,508
399,368
337,534
270,408
195,932
456,046
2,079,796
(377,164)
1,702,632

Lease  payments  exclude $16.6  million  related  to 5  leases  that  have  been  signed  as  of  January  30,  2021  but  have  not  yet

commenced.

Rent Commitments Under Previous Lease Accounting Standard

Future  minimum  annual  rental  commitments  for  all  non-cancelable  operating  leases  as  of  February  2,  2019  are  as  follows  (in

thousands):

Fiscal Year
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Thereafter

Total minimum rental commitments

Rent expense applicable to non-cancelable operating leases was $423.8 million in fiscal 2018.

F-17

$

$

428,698
386,466
331,032
268,667
206,424
508,178
2,129,465

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of our intangible assets are as follows (in thousands):

Definite-lived intangible assets:

Customer relationships
Other intangible assets

Indefinite-lived intangible assets:

Product tradenames

Total intangible assets

Definite-lived intangible assets:

Customer relationships
Proprietary product designs
Other intangible assets

Indefinite-lived intangible assets:

Product tradenames

Total intangible assets

January 30, 2021

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Amortization
Period
(in years)

Amortization
Period
(in years)

Gross
Carrying
Amount (1)

Accumulated
Amortization/
Impairment
Charges (2)

Net
Carrying
Value

15
6-19

13.81
4.72

$

$

55,942
6,486
62,428

$

(4,447)
(2,185)
(6,632)

51,495
4,301
55,796

4,825

(3,500)

1,325

$

67,253

$

(10,132)

$

57,121

February 1, 2020

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Amortization
Period
(in years)

14.81
—
5.74

Amortization
Period
(in years)

15-18
7
3-19

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization/
Impairment
Charges (3)

Net
Carrying
Value

$

$

61,610
3,400
10,540
75,550

$

(6,309)
(3,400)
(4,249)
(13,958)

55,301
—
6,291
61,592

13,725

(8,900)

4,825

$

89,275

$

(22,858)

$

66,417

(1) The gross carrying amount is net of impairment charges taken in prior years.
(2)

(3)

In fiscal 2020, impairment charges of $3.5 million were recorded on indefinite-lived intangible assets (see Note 1 for further explanation).
In  fiscal  2019,  impairment  charges  of $6.4  million  and $4.1  million  were  recorded  on  indefinite-lived  and  definite-lived  intangible  assets,
respectively (see Note 1 for further explanation).

In  fiscal  2020,  fiscal  2019  and  fiscal  2018,  we  recognized  amortization  expense  of $4.7 million, $1.7  million  and $1.6  million,
respectively,  related  to  definite-lived  intangible  assets.  As  of  January  30,  2021,  the  amortization  expense  related  to our  definite-lived
intangible assets for the next five years will be approximately $4.0 million to $5.0 million each year.

In  November  2019,  the  Company  acquired  certain  intangible  assets  from A.C.  Moore  Incorporated  for  $61.9  million,  including
customer  relationships  and  tradenames  totaling  $55.9  million  and  $5.2  million,  respectively.  In  connection  with  the  transaction,  we  also
leased a distribution facility in New Jersey and 17 store locations. The fair values of the intangible assets acquired were determined by using
the income approach. The income approach indicates value for a subject based on the present value of cash flows expected to be generated
by the asset. Projected cash flows are discounted at a market rate of return that reflects the relative risk of achieving the cash flows and the
time value of money.

As of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, goodwill totaled $94.3 million. As a result of our impairment testing in fiscal 2019,
we  fully  impaired  goodwill  of  $17.8  million  related  to  Darice  (see  Note  1  for  further  explanation).  The  remaining  goodwill  balance  is
related to our Michaels brand.

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6. ACCRUED LIABILITIES AND OTHER

Accrued liabilities and other consists of the following (in thousands):

January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

Accrued payroll
Self-insurance
Property, sales and use taxes
Gift card liability
Accrued occupancy costs
Accrued advertising
Accrued interest
Deferred revenue
Cash flow hedges
Other

7. DEBT

$

$

121,947
67,368
80,598
75,497
16,232
9,047
10,373
24,920
6,893
75,783
488,658

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

Term loan credit facility
Senior notes
Senior secured notes
Total debt
Less unamortized discount and debt costs
Total debt, net
Less current portion
Long-term debt

Interest Rate

Variable

$
8.00 %  
4.75 %

$

January 30,
2021
1,661,650
500,000
375,000
2,536,650
(38,997)
2,497,653
(16,700)
2,480,953

The aggregate amount of scheduled debt payments through maturity are as follows (in thousands):

Fiscal Year
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Thereafter
Total debt payments

$

$

$

$

49,252
67,176
72,245
64,130
12,330
9,342
3,870
15,492
13,007
40,292
347,136

February 1,
2020
2,182,550
500,000
—
2,682,550
(13,190)
2,669,360
(24,900)
2,644,460

$

$

16,700
16,700
16,700
16,700
16,700
2,453,150
2,536,650

As  of  January  30,  2021  and  February  1,  2020,  the  weighted-average  interest  rate  of  the  variable  debt  was 4.25%  and 4.16%,
respectively. Cash paid for interest totaled $142.0 million, $152.9 million and $144.3  million  in  fiscal  2020,  fiscal  2019  and  fiscal  2018,
respectively.

As  of  January  30,  2021,  net  debt  issuance  costs  totaled $17.4  million.  We  amortize  debt  issuance  costs  using  the  straight-line
method  over  the  terms  of  the  respective  debt  agreements  (which  range  from five  to eight  years). Amortization  expense  related  to  debt
issuance  costs  is  recorded  in  interest  expense  in  the  accompanying  consolidated  statements  of  comprehensive  income.  The  straight-line
method  produces  results  materially  consistent  with  the  effective  interest  method. Our expected  amortization  expense  related  to  the  debt
issuance costs will range between $2.2 million and $3.0 million each year, over the next five years.

F-19

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Term Loan Credit Facility

On May 23, 2018, MSI entered into an amendment with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”), as successor administrative
agent and successor collateral agent, and other lenders to amend and restate our then-existing term loan credit facility. The amended and
restated credit agreement, together with the related security, guarantee and other agreements, is referred to as the “Amended and Restated
Term Loan Credit Facility”.

On  October  1,  2020,  MSI  entered  into  an  amendment  with  JPMorgan  and  other  lenders  to  our  term  loan  credit  facility.  The
amended credit agreement, together with the related security, guarantee and other agreements, are referred to as the “Amended Term Loan
Credit Facility”. In connection with this amendment, MSI voluntarily prepaid $500.1 million in principal of the then outstanding term loan
credit facility.

Borrowings  under  the Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  were  issued  at 98.5%  of  face  value  and  bear  interest  at  a  rate  per
annum, at MSI’s option, of either (a) a margin of  2.50% plus a base rate defined as the highest of (1) the prime rate published by The Wall
Street  Journal,  (2)  the  greater  of  the  federal  funds  effective  rate  and  the  overnight  bank  funding  rate  determined  by  the  Federal  Reserve
Bank  of  New  York,  plus  0.5%,  and  (3)  the  one-month  London  Interbank  Offered  Rate  (“LIBOR”)  plus 1%,  in  each  case,  subject  to
a 1.75%  floor,  or  (b)  a  margin  of 3.50%  plus  the  applicable  LIBOR,  subject  to  a 0.75%  floor.  The Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility
matures on October 1, 2027 subject to a springing maturity date of April 15, 2027 if certain other indebtedness, including MSI’s 8% senior
notes maturing in 2027, exceeds $100 million as of such earlier date.

As of January 30, 2021, the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility provides for senior secured financing of $1,661.7  million.  MSI
has  the  right  to  request  additional  term  loans  in  an  aggregate  amount  of  up  to  the  sum  of  (a)  the  greater  of  $650  million  and 100%  of
Adjusted  EBITDA  (as  defined  in  the Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility)  for  the  most  recently  ended  four  fiscal  quarters,  plus  (b)  the
aggregate amount of voluntary prepayments of certain indebtedness, plus (c) at MSI’s election, an amount of additional indebtedness if the
consolidated secured debt ratio (as defined in the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility) is no more than  3.25 to 1.00 on a pro forma basis as
of the last day of the most recently ended four fiscal quarters, subject to certain adjustments. The lenders will not be under any obligation to
provide any such additional term loans and the incurrence of any additional term loans is subject to customary conditions precedent.

There are no limitations on dividends and certain other restricted payments so long as (a) no event of default shall have occurred
and be continuing and (b) immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment(s) and the application of proceeds therefrom,
the consolidated total leverage ratio is less than or equal to 3.75 to 1.00.

MSI must offer to prepay outstanding term loans at 100% of the principal amount, plus any unpaid interest, with the proceeds of
certain asset sales or casualty events under certain circumstances. MSI may voluntarily prepay outstanding loans under the Amended Term
Loan Credit Facility at any time, subject to payment of customary breakage costs with respect to LIBOR loans. The Amended Term Loan
Credit Facility provides for a 1.0% soft call premium in connection with certain Repricing Transactions (as defined in the Amended Term
Loan Credit Facility) occurring on or prior to April 1, 2021.

MSI is required to make scheduled quarterly payments equal to 0.25% of the original principal amount of the term loans (subject to
adjustments relating to the incurrence of additional term loans) for the first six years of the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility, with the
balance to be paid on October 1, 2027.

All obligations under the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by Michaels
Funding, Inc. (“Holdings”) and all of MSI’s existing domestic material subsidiaries and are required to be guaranteed by certain of MSI’s
future domestic wholly-owned material subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”). All obligations under the Amended Term Loan Credit
Facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of Holdings,
MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors, including:

●

a first-priority pledge of MSI’s capital stock and all of the capital stock held directly by MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors
(which  pledge,  in  the  case  of  any  foreign  subsidiary  or  foreign  subsidiary  holding  company,  is  limited  to 65%  of  the  voting
stock of such foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company and 100% of the non-voting stock of such subsidiary);

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●

●

a first-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of Holdings, MSI and
each  Subsidiary  Guarantor,  including  substantially  all  of  MSI’s  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors  owned  real  property  and
equipment, but excluding, among other things, the collateral described below; and

a second-priority security interest in personal property consisting of inventory and related accounts, cash, deposit accounts, all
payments received by Holdings, MSI or the Subsidiary Guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise
in  respect  of  all  credit  card  charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary
Guarantors, and certain related assets and proceeds of the foregoing.

The Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  contains  a  number  of  negative  covenants  that  are  substantially  similar  to,  but  more
restrictive in certain respects than, those governing the Senior Notes and Senior Secured Notes (as defined below), as well as certain other
customary representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and events of default. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in
compliance with all covenants.

As of January 30, 2021, net debt issuance costs totaled $4.7 million and are being amortized as interest expense over the life of the
Amended and Term Loan Credit Facility. Debt issuance costs related to this facility are reflected as a reduction from the carrying value of
debt in the consolidated balance sheets. As a result of the refinancing of our Amended Term Loan Credit Facility on October 1, 2020, we
recorded  a  loss  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  of  $22.0  million  in  fiscal  2020. As  a  result  of  the  refinancing  of  our Amended  and
Restated  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility  on  May  23,  2018,  MSI  recorded  a  loss  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  of  $1.8  million  in  fiscal
2018.

Interest Rate Swaps

In April 2018, we executed two interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional value of $1 billion associated with our outstanding
Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate swaps have a maturity date of  April 30, 2021 and were executed for risk
management and are not held for trading purposes. The objective of the interest rate swaps is to hedge the variability of cash flows resulting
from fluctuations in the one-month LIBOR. The swaps replaced the one-month LIBOR with a fixed interest rate of 2.7765% and payments
are settled monthly. The swaps qualify as cash flow hedges and changes in the fair values are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive
income  in  the  consolidated  balance  sheet.  The  changes  in  fair  value  are  reclassified  from  accumulated  other  comprehensive  income  to
interest expense in the same period that the hedged items affect earnings. We reclassified $17.0 million and $5.8 million from accumulated
other comprehensive income to interest expense during fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, respectively. As of January 30, 2021, the fair value of
the  interest  rate  swaps  was  a  liability  of $4.3  million  and  was  recorded  in  accrued  liabilities  in  our  consolidated  balance  sheet.  As
of February 1, 2020, the fair value of the interest rate swaps was a liability of $16.6 million, consisting of $13.0 million recorded in accrued
liabilities and $3.6 million recorded in other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.

Interest Rate Caps

In April  2020,  we  executed two  interest  rate  cap  agreements  with  an  aggregate  notional  value  of $2  billion  associated  with  our
outstanding Amended Term Loan Credit Facility. The interest rate caps have an effective date of September 30, 2020 and April 30, 2021,
respectively.  During  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2020,  we  amended  the  September  30,  2020  interest  rate  cap  agreement  and  reduced  the
notional  value  from $1  billion  to $300  million.  The  interest  rate  caps  have  a  maturity  date  of April 30, 2025  and  were  executed  for  risk
management  and  are  not  held  for  trading  purposes.  The  interest  rate  caps  will  effectively  cap  our  LIBOR  exposure  on  a  portion  of  our
Amended Term Loan Credit Facility at 1%. The interest rate caps qualify as cash flow hedges and changes in the fair values are recorded in
accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated balance sheet. The changes in fair value are reclassified from accumulated
other  comprehensive  income  to  interest  expense  in  the  same  period  that  the  hedged  items  affect  earnings.  Amounts  reclassified  from
accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense during fiscal 2020 were not material. As o f January 30, 2021, the fair value of
the  interest  rate  caps  was  a  liability  of $8.8  million,  consisting  of $6.2  million  recorded  in  other  liabilities  and $2.6  million  in  accrued
liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.

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Senior Notes

On July 8, 2019, MSI issued $500 million in principal amount of senior notes maturing in 2027 (“Senior Notes”). The Senior Notes
were issued pursuant to an indenture among MSI, certain subsidiaries of MSI, as guarantors, and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee
(the “Senior Notes Indenture”). The Senior Notes mature on July 15, 2027 and bear interest at a rate of 8% per year, with interest payable
semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on January 15, 2020.

The  net  proceeds  from  the  offering  and  sale  of  the  Senior  Notes,  together  with  cash  on  hand,  were  used  to  redeem  MSI’s

outstanding 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes (as defined below).

The Senior Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior unsecured basis by each of MSI’s
subsidiaries  that  guarantee  indebtedness  under  the  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  and  the  Amended  Term  Loan  Credit  Facility
(collectively defined as the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”).

The  Senior  Notes  are  general,  unsecured  obligations  of  MSI,  and  the  guarantees  of  the  Senior  Notes  are  general,  unsecured
obligations of the guarantors. They (i) rank equally in right of payment with all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ existing and future senior debt,
including  the  Senior  Secured  Credit  Facilities,  (ii)  are  effectively  subordinated  to  any  of  MSI’s  and  the  guarantors’  existing  and  future
secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt, including the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, (iii) are structurally
subordinated to all of the liabilities of MSI’s subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Senior Notes, and (iv) are senior in right of payment
with all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ existing and future subordinated debt.

At any time prior to July 15, 2022, MSI may redeem (a) up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the
gross proceeds from one or more Equity Offerings, as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture, at a redemption price of 108% of the principal
amount plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date and/or (b) all or part of the Senior Notes at 100% of
the  principal  amount  plus  any  accrued  and  unpaid  interest  thereon  to,  but  excluding,  the  redemption  date  plus  a  make-whole  premium.
Thereafter,  MSI  may  redeem  all  or  part  of  the  Senior  Notes  at  the  redemption  prices  set  forth  below  (expressed  as  percentages  of  the
principal amount of the Senior Notes to be redeemed) plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the applicable date of
redemption, if redeemed during the twelve month period beginning on July 15 of each of the years indicated below:

Year
2022
2023
2024 and thereafter

Percentage

104 %
102 %
100 %

Upon a change in control, MSI is required to offer to purchase the Senior Notes at 101% of the aggregate principal amount, plus

any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the date of purchase.

Subject  to  certain  exceptions  and  qualifications,  the  Senior  Notes  Indenture  contains  covenants  that,  among  other  things,  limit

MSI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, including the guarantors, to:

●

●

●

●

●

●

incur additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified stock or preferred stock;

create liens;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or make distributions or redeem or repurchase MSI’s capital stock;

prepay subordinated debt or make certain investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

transfer or sell assets;

engage in consolidations, amalgamations or mergers, or sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their
assets; and

●

enter into certain transactions with affiliates.

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Table of Contents

The covenants also limit MSI’s ability, and the ability of MSI’s restricted subsidiaries, to pay dividends or distributions on MSI’s
capital stock or repurchase MSI’s capital stock, subject to certain exceptions, including dividends, distributions and repurchases up to (i) an
amount equal to the greater of $200.0 million and 25% of MSI’s consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture) and (ii) a
basket that builds based on 50% of MSI’s consolidated net income (as defined in the Senior Notes Indenture) and certain other amounts, in
each case, to the extent such payment capacity is not applied as otherwise permitted under the Senior Notes Indenture and subject to certain
conditions. However, there are no limitations on dividends and certain other restricted payments so long as (a) no event of default shall have
occurred and be continuing and (b) immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment(s) and the application of proceeds
therefrom, the total net leverage ratio is less than or equal to 3.25 to 1.00. As of January 30, 2021, the permitted restricted payment amount
pursuant  to  the  immediately  foregoing  sentence  was  $546.3  million.  The  Senior  Notes  Indenture  also  provides  for  customary  events  of
default which, if any of them occurs, would require or permit the principal of and accrued interest on the Senior Notes to become or to be
declared due and payable. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in compliance with all covenants.

As of January 30, 2021, net debt issuance costs totaled $4.9 million and are being amortized as interest expense over the life of the
Senior  Notes.  Debt  issuance  costs  related  to  this  facility  are  reflected  as  a  reduction  from  the  carrying  value  of  debt  in  the  consolidated
balance sheets.

Senior Secured Notes

On October  1,  2020,  MSI  issued $375  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of 4.75%  senior  secured  notes  maturing  in  2027
(“Senior Secured Notes”). The Senior Secured Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture among MSI, Michaels Funding, Inc. and certain
subsidiaries  of  MSI,  as  guarantors,  and  U.S.  Bank  National Association,  as  trustee  (the  “Senior  Secured  Notes  Indenture”).  The  Senior
Secured Notes will mature on October 1, 2027 and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% per year, with interest payable semi-annually on April 1
and October 1 of each year, beginning on April 1, 2021.

The net proceeds from the Senior Secured Notes, together with cash on hand, were used to voluntarily pay down $500.1 million of

MSI’s then outstanding term loan credit facility and to pay related fees and expenses.

The Senior Secured Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured basis by Michaels

Funding, Inc. and each of MSI’s subsidiaries that guarantee indebtedness under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

The  Senior  Secured  Notes  are  senior  secured  obligations  of  MSI,  and  the  guarantees  are  senior  secured  obligations  of  the
guarantors. The Senior Secured Notes and guarantees will be secured equally and ratably with the Amended Term Loan Credit Facility and,
accordingly, will be secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of MSI and the guarantors, including:

●

●

●

a first-priority pledge of MSI’s capital stock and all of the capital stock held directly by MSI and its subsidiaries that guarantee the
Senior Secured Notes (which pledge, in the case of any foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company, is limited to 65%
of  the  voting  stock  of  such  foreign  subsidiary  or  foreign  subsidiary  holding  company  and 100%  of  the  non-voting  stock  of  such
subsidiary);

a first-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of MSI and each guarantor,
including substantially all of MSI’s and the guarantors’ owned real property and equipment, but excluding, among other things, the
collateral  described  below  (collectively,  and  together  with  the  pledge  of  capital  stock  described  in  the  immediately  preceding
paragraph, referred to as the “Term Priority Collateral”); and

a  second-priority  security  interest  in  personal  property  consisting  of  inventory  and  related  accounts,  cash,  deposit  accounts,  all
payments received by MSI or the guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise in respect of all credit card
charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  MSI  and  the  guarantors,  and  certain  related  assets  and  proceeds  of  the
foregoing.

At any time prior to October 1, 2023 MSI may redeem (a) up to 40% of the Senior Secured Notes with the gross proceeds from one

or more Equity Offerings, as defined in the Senior Secured Notes Indenture, at a redemption price of

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104.75%  of  the  principal  amount  plus  accrued  and  unpaid  interest  and/or  (b)  all  or  part  of  the  Senior  Secured  Notes  at 100.0%  of  the
principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid interest plus a make-whole premium. Thereafter, MSI may redeem all or part of the notes at
the redemption prices set forth below (expressed as percentages of the principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes to be redeemed) plus
any accrued and unpaid interest, if redeemed during the twelve month period beginning on October 1 of each of the years indicated below:

Year
2023
2024
2025 and thereafter

Percentage

102.375 %
101.188 %
100.000 %

Upon  a  change  of  control,  MSI  is  required  to  offer  to  purchase  the  Senior  Secured  Notes  at 101.0%  of  the  aggregate  principal
amount  plus  accrued  and  unpaid  interest.  In  addition,  if  MSI  or  its  restricted  subsidiaries  sells  certain  assets  constituting  Term  Priority
Collateral,  then  under  certain  circumstances  MSI  will  be  required  to  offer  to  repurchase  the  notes  at 100.0%  of  the  aggregate  principal
amount plus accrued and unpaid interest.

Subject to certain exceptions and qualifications, the Senior Secured Notes Indenture contains covenants that, among other things,

limit MSI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, including the guarantors, to:

●

●

●

●

●

●

incur additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified or preferred stock;

create liens;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or make distributions or redeem or repurchase MSI’s capital stock;

prepay subordinated debt or make certain investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

transfer or sell assets;

engage in consolidations, amalgamations or mergers, or sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their assets;
and

●

enter into certain transactions with affiliates.

The Senior Secured Notes Indenture also provides for customary events of default which, if any of them occurs, would require or
permit the principal and accrued interest to become or to be declared due and payable. As of January 30, 2021, MSI was in compliance with
all covenants.

As of January 30, 2021, net debt issuance costs totaled $5.0 million and are being amortized as interest expense over the life of the
Senior  Secured  Notes.  Debt  issuance  costs  related  to  this  facility  are  reflected  as  a  reduction  from  the  carrying  value  of  debt  in  the
consolidated balance sheets.

Revolving Credit Facility

On August  30,  2019,  MSI  entered  into  an  amendment  with  Wells  Fargo  Bank,  National Association  (“Wells  Fargo”)  and  other
lenders  to,  among  other  things,  extend  the  maturity  date  of  our  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility.  The  Amended  Revolving  Credit
Facility matures in August 2024, subject to an earlier springing maturity date if certain of our outstanding indebtedness has not been repaid,
redeemed, refinanced, or cash collateralized or if the necessary availability reserves have not been established prior to such time (the “ABL
Maturity Date”).

The Amended Revolving Credit Facility provides for senior secured financing of up to $850 million, subject to a borrowing base.
The borrowing base under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility equals the sum of: (i)  90% of eligible credit card receivables, (ii) 85% of
eligible  trade  receivables,  (iii) 90%  to 92.5%  of  the  appraised  value  of  eligible  inventory,  plus  (iv) 90%  to 92.5%  of  the  lesser  of  (a)  the
appraised value of eligible inventory supported by letters of credit, and (b) the face amount of the letters of credit, less (v) certain reserves.

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As  of  January  30,  2021,  the  borrowing  base  was  $624.1  million  of  which  MSI  had  availability  of  $536.8  million.  Borrowing
capacity is available for letters of credit and borrowings on same-day notice. Outstanding standby letters of credit as of January 30, 2021
totaled $87.3 million.

The Amended Revolving Credit Facility also provides MSI with the right to request up to $200 million of additional commitments.
The lenders will not be under any obligation to provide any such additional commitments, and any increase in commitments is subject to
customary  conditions.  If  we  were  to  request  additional  commitments,  and  the  lenders  were  to  agree  to  provide  such  commitments,  the
facility size could be increased up to $1,050 million, however, MSI’s ability to borrow would still be limited by the borrowing base.

Borrowings under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either (a) a base
rate  determined  by  reference  to  the  highest  of  (1)  the  prime  rate  of  Wells  Fargo,  (2)  the  federal  funds  effective  rate  plus 0.50%  and
(3) LIBOR subject to certain adjustments plus 1.00% or (b) LIBOR subject to certain adjustments, in each case plus an applicable margin.
The initial applicable margin is (a) 0.25% for prime rate borrowings and 1.25% for LIBOR borrowings. The applicable margin is subject to
adjustment each fiscal quarter based on the excess availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility. Excess availability is defined
as  the  Loan  Cap  (as  defined  below)  plus  certain  unrestricted  cash  of  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors,  less  the  outstanding
credit extensions. Same-day borrowings bear interest at the base rate plus the applicable margin.

MSI is required to pay a commitment fee on the unutilized commitments under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility, which is
0.25% per annum, subject to reduction to 0.20% when excess availability is less than 50% of the Loan Cap (as defined below). In addition,
MSI must pay customary letter of credit fees and agency fees.

All obligations under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility are unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by Holdings
and the Subsidiary Guarantors. All obligations under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are
secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of Holdings, MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors, including:

●

●

●

a  first-priority  security  interest  in  personal  property  consisting  of  inventory  and  related  accounts,  cash,  deposit  accounts,  all
payments received by Holdings, MSI or the Subsidiary Guarantors from credit card clearinghouses and processors or otherwise
in  respect  of  all  credit  card  charges  and  debit  card  charges  for  sales  of  inventory  by  Holdings,  MSI  and  the  Subsidiary
Guarantors, and certain related assets and proceeds of the foregoing;

a second-priority pledge of all of MSI’s capital stock and the capital stock held directly by MSI and the Subsidiary Guarantors
(which pledge, in the case of the capital stock of any foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company, is limited to
65% of the voting stock of such foreign subsidiary or foreign subsidiary holding company and 100% of the non-voting stock of
such subsidiary); and

a second-priority security interest in, and mortgages on, substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of Holdings, MSI
and  each  Subsidiary  Guarantor,  including  substantially  all  of  MSI’s  and  the  Subsidiary  Guarantors  owned  real  property  and
equipment.

If,  at  any  time,  the  aggregate  amount  of  outstanding  loans,  unreimbursed  letter  of  credit  drawings  and  undrawn  letters  of  credit
under  the Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  exceeds  the  lesser  of  (i)  the  commitment  amount  and  (ii)  the  borrowing  base  (the  “Loan
Cap”), MSI will be required to repay outstanding loans and cash collateralize letters of credit in an aggregate amount equal to such excess,
with no reduction of the commitment amount. If availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility is less than the greater of (i) 10%
of the Loan Cap and (ii) $50 million for five consecutive business days, or, if certain events of default have occurred, MSI will be required
to  repay  outstanding  loans  and  cash  collateralize  letters  of  credit  with  the  cash  MSI  would  be  required  to  deposit  daily  in  a  collection
account maintained with the agent under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility. Availability under the Amended Revolving Credit Facility
means the Loan Cap minus the outstanding credit extensions. MSI may voluntarily reduce the unutilized portion of the commitment amount
and repay outstanding loans at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to LIBOR loans. The
principal amount of the loans outstanding is due and payable in full on the ABL Maturity Date.

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The covenants limiting dividends and other restricted payments, investments, loans, advances and acquisitions, and prepayments
or  redemptions  of  indebtedness,  each  permit  the  restricted  actions  in  an  unlimited  amount,  subject  to  the  satisfaction  of  certain  payment
conditions,  principally  that  MSI  must  meet  specified  excess  availability  requirements  and  minimum  consolidated  fixed  charge  coverage
ratios, to be tested on a pro forma basis as of the date of the restricted action and for the 30-day period preceding such restricted action.
Adjusted  EBITDA,  as  defined  in  the  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility,  is  used  in  the  calculation  of  the  consolidated  fixed  charge
coverage ratios.

From the time when MSI has excess availability less than the greater of (a) 10% of the Loan Cap and (b) $50 million, until the time
when  MSI  has  excess  availability  more  than  the  greater  of  (a) 10%  of  the  Loan  Cap  and  (b) $50  million  for 30  consecutive  days,  the
Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  will  require  MSI  to  maintain  a  consolidated  fixed  charge  coverage  ratio  of  at  least 1.0  to  1.0.  The
Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  also  contains  certain  customary  representations  and  warranties,  affirmative  covenants  and  provisions
relating to events of default (including change of control and cross-default to material indebtedness).

The  Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  contains  a  number  of  covenants  that,  among  other  things  and  subject  to  certain

exceptions, restrict MSI’s ability, and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, to:

●

●

incur or guarantee additional indebtedness;

pay dividends on MSI’s capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire MSI’s capital stock;

● make investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

●

●

●

●

●

●

create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to MSI from its restricted subsidiaries;

engage in transactions with MSI’s affiliates;

sell assets, including capital stock of MSI’s subsidiaries;

prepay or redeem indebtedness;

consolidate or merge; and

create liens.

As of January 30, 2021, net debt issuance costs totaled $2.7 million and are being amortized as interest expense over the life of the
Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility.  Debt  issuance  costs  related  to  this  facility  are  reflected  as  an  asset  within  the  consolidated  balance
sheets. As  a  result  of  the  refinancing  of  our Amended  Revolving  Credit  Facility  on August  30,  2019,  MSI  recorded  a  loss  on  the  early
extinguishment of debt of $0.2 million related to the write-off of net debt issuance costs.

5.875% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020

On  December  19,  2013,  MSI  issued  $260  million  in  principal  amount  of 5.875%  senior  subordinated  notes  maturing  in  2020
(“2020 Senior Subordinated Notes”). On June 16, 2014, MSI issued an additional $250 million of the 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes at
102% of face value, resulting in an effective interest rate of 5.76%.

On  July  29,  2019,  the  Company  redeemed  the  2020  Senior  Subordinated  Notes  in  the  aggregate  principal  amount  of  $510.0
million plus accrued interest. This payment retired the 2020 Senior Subordinated Notes and discharged the obligations under the indenture
governing  the  2020  Senior  Subordinated  Notes.  In  fiscal  2019,  we  recorded  a  loss  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  of  $1.2  million
related  to  the  redemption  of  the  2020  Senior  Subordinated  Notes,  consisting  of  the  write-off  of  debt  issuance  costs  and  unamortized
premium.

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8. INCOME TAXES

The  reconciliation  of  income  tax  expense  computed  at  the  U.S.  federal  statutory  tax  rate  to  income  tax  expense  reported  in  our

consolidated statements of comprehensive income is as follows (in thousands):

Income taxes at statutory rate
State income taxes, net of federal benefit
Foreign tax rate differential
U.S. tax on foreign operations
Share-based compensation
Taxing authority examinations
U.S. net operating loss carryback rate differential
Other
Total

2020
75,727
13,899
(19,949)
13,312
3,742
—
(28,668)
7,606
65,669

$

$

21.0 % $

3.9
(5.5)
3.7
1.0
—
(8.0)
2.1

18.2 % $

Fiscal Year
2019
75,258
14,716
(22,740)
10,959
4,225
—
—
3,358
85,776

21.0 % $

4.1
(6.4)
3.1
1.2
—
—
0.9

23.9 % $

2018
87,581
13,095
(22,718)
8,648
843
5,861
—
4,199
97,509

21.0 %
3.1
(5.4)
2.1
0.2
1.4
—
1.0
23.4 %

On  March  27,  2020,  the  Coronavirus Aid,  Relief,  and  Economic  Security Act  (“CARES Act”)  was  enacted  in  response  to  the
COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act includes various payroll and income tax provisions, including modifications to federal net operating
loss  and  business  interest  deduction  limitation  rules  and  bonus  depreciation  eligibility  for  qualified  improvement  property,  among  other
items. In connection with the CARES Act, we recorded a net income tax benefit of $18.4 million in fiscal 2020.

The components of our income tax expense are as follows (in thousands):

Current:
Federal
State
Foreign

Total current income tax expense

Deferred:
Federal
State
Foreign

Total deferred income tax expense

Income taxes

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

   $

(11,333)   $
16,977
7,676
13,320

58,966    $
12,995
4,596
76,557

51,878
616
(145)
52,349

2,762
5,632
825
9,219

61,910
15,502
12,626
90,038

9,200
1,073
(2,802)
7,471

$

65,669

$

85,776

$

97,509

The pretax income from foreign operations for fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 totaled $122.0 million, $131.2 million and
$109.9 million, respectively. Cash paid for income taxes totaled $18.9 million, $58.7 million and $134.4 million in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019
and fiscal 2018, respectively.

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Significant components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):

Deferred income tax assets:
Operating lease liabilities
Accrued liabilities
Self-insurance
Gift cards
Share-based compensation
State income taxes
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
Interest rate swaps
State and foreign net operating losses
Tax credits
Other

Total gross deferred income tax assets
Valuation allowance
Total deferred income tax assets, net of valuation allowance

Deferred income tax liabilities:

Operating lease assets
Tax method changes (1)
Property and equipment
Merchandise inventories
Prepaid expenses

Total deferred income tax liabilities

$

January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

$

447,152
16,469
14,073
12,880
5,018
5,068
4,198
3,674
3,407
23,513
6,390
6,366
548,208
(12,589)
535,619

(417,248)
(91,701)
(49,399)
(7,697)
(4,380)
(570,425)

367,390
13,804
14,028
10,225
6,760
4,540
4,760
3,305
4,306
7,843
4,184
2,664
443,809
(9,209)
434,600

(351,964)
—
(49,604)
(9,866)
(4,965)
(416,399)

Net deferred income tax (liabilities) assets

$

(34,806)

$

18,201

(1)

Future taxable income primarily related to property and equipment and gift cards.

A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such
assets will be realized. In evaluating our ability to realize our deferred tax assets we considered sources of future taxable income, including
future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, forecast of future profitability and tax planning strategies.

At January 30, 2021, we had state net operating loss carryforwards to reduce future taxable income of $23.2 million, net of federal

tax benefits, and $0.3 million of foreign net operating loss carryforwards expiring at various dates between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2040.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits Resulting from Uncertain Tax Positions

We operate in a number of tax jurisdictions and are subject to examination of our income tax returns by tax authorities in those
jurisdictions who may challenge any item on these tax returns. Because the tax matters challenged by tax authorities are typically complex,
the ultimate outcome of these challenges is uncertain. We recognize these tax benefits in our consolidated financial statements only after
determining that it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained.

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A  reconciliation  of  unrecognized  tax  benefits  from  the  end  of  fiscal  2019  through  the  end  of  fiscal  2020  is  as  follows  (in

thousands):

Balance at beginning of year
Additions related to the current year
Additions related to prior years
Reductions related to prior years
Expiration of applicable statute of limitations
Settlement of tax positions
Balance at end of year

$

$

68,417
7,953
1,940
(5,642)
(2,019)
(585)
70,064

Included  in  the  balance  of  unrecognized  tax  benefits  resulting  from  uncertain  tax  positions  at  January  30,  2021  is  $48.2  million
which, if recognized, would affect income tax expense. We do not expect any material changes to our liability for uncertain tax positions
during the next 12 months. At January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, the total amount of interest accrued within the tax liability was $8.3
million  and  $6.6  million,  respectively.  There  was  no  material  interest  or  penalty  expense  recognized  in  the  consolidated  statements  of
comprehensive income in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 or fiscal 2018.

Our  income  tax  returns  are  subject  to  examination  by  taxing  authorities  in  the  jurisdictions  in  which  we  operate.  The  periods
subject to examination for our U.S. federal returns are fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2019 for our Canadian returns. State
and provincial income tax returns are generally subject to examination for a period of three to seven years after filing. We have various state
income tax returns in the process of examination, appeals or settlement. Our income tax returns for fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 are currently
under  examination  by  the  Canadian  tax  authorities.  Our  U.S.  federal  returns  for  fiscal  2013  through  fiscal  2018  are  currently  under
examination  by  the  Internal  Revenue  Service.  We  are  not  aware  of  any  issues  which  would  result  in  a  material  assessment  of  net  tax
obligations.

9. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The following table includes detail regarding changes in the composition of accumulated other comprehensive loss (in thousands):

Beginning of period

Foreign currency translation adjustment
Cash flow hedges

End of period

10. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

Fiscal Years Ended

January 30,
2021
(22,831)
6,849
2,538
(13,444)

$

$

February 1,
2020
(14,558)
(727)
(7,546)
(22,831)

$

$

The Michaels Companies, Inc. Third Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan provides for the grant of
share-based awards for up to 32.1 million shares of common stock. As of January 30, 2021, there were 9.9 million shares of common stock
remaining  available  for  grant.  Generally,  time-based  share  awards  vest  ratably  over four years  and  stock  options  expire eight  to ten  years
from the grant date. Restricted awards that are performance-based are expected to vest between one to four years from the grant date. As of
January  30,  2021,  unrecognized  compensation  cost  for  all  unvested  share-based  awards  totaled $33.7  million  and  is  expected  to  be
recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.0 years. Share-based compensation expense totaled $25.0 million, $22.9 million and $27.1
million in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively, and is recorded in cost of sales and occupancy expense and SG&A in the
consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

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Stock Options

The fair value of each stock option is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The following table presents the

weighted-average assumptions used during fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018:

Risk-free interest rates (1)
Expected dividend yield
Expected volatility (2)
Expected life of options in years (3)

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

0.9 %
0.0 %
44.8 %
4.3

1.9 %
0.0 %
37.9 %
4.3

2.5 %
0.0 %
32.8 %
4.1

(1) Based on interest rates for U.S. Treasury instruments with terms consistent with the expected lives of the awards.
(2) We considered our historical and implied volatility as well as the implied volatilities for exchange-traded options of a peer group of companies.
(3) Expected lives were based on an analysis of historical exercises and post-vesting employment termination.

The stock option activity during the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 was as follows:

Outstanding at beginning of year

Granted
Exercised
Expired/Forfeited

Outstanding at end of year

Shares exercisable at end of year

     Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)

Weighted-
Average Exercise
Price

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)

16.32
4.29
13.70
18.50
15.84  

19.21  

6.9

5.9

$

$

15,044

3,387

Number of
Shares
(in thousands)
7,572
182
(911)
(1,323)
5,520

3,179

$

$

$

The total grant date fair value of options that vested during fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 was $5.2 million, $7.0 million
and  $9.5  million,  respectively.  The  intrinsic  value  for  options  that  vested  during  fiscal  2020  and  fiscal  2018  was  $0.9  million  and
$4.1 million, respectively. There was no intrinsic value for options that vested during fiscal 2019. The intrinsic value for options exercised
during fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 was $1.9 million, $0.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively. As of the beginning of fiscal
2020,  there  were 4.0 million nonvested options with a weighted-average fair value of $4.15 per share. As of the end of fiscal 2020, there
were 2.3  million  nonvested  options  with  a  weighted-average  fair  value  of  $3.65  per  share.  The  weighted-average  fair  value  of  options
granted during fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 was $1.59, $3.45 and $5.85, respectively. During fiscal 2020, there were 1.2 million
options that vested and 1.3 million options that were expired or forfeited with a weighted-average fair value of $4.44 and $5.16 per share,
respectively.

Restricted Shares

The  Company  issues  restricted  shares  to  certain  key  employees  and  its  Board  of  Directors.  Restricted  share  units  awarded  to
employees that are time-based vest ratably over four years. Restricted share units that are performance-based vest based on predetermined
financial and operational targets and are expected to vest between one to four years from the grant date. Restricted shares awarded to Board
of Director members vest ratably over one year. Compensation expense for all time-based restricted stock awards and restricted stock units
is based on the amortization of the fair market value at the date of grant over the vesting period. Compensation expense for performance-
based restricted share units is based on the estimated timing of the achievement of predetermined financial and operational targets.

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Restricted stock unit activity during the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 was as follows:

Outstanding at beginning of year

Granted
Vested
Forfeited

Outstanding at end of year

Number of
Shares (1)

(in thousands)     

Weighted-
Average Fair
Value

4,663
3,529
(1,612)
(1,719)
4,861

$

$

13.05
2.87
13.23
8.11
7.35

(1)

Includes 0.4 million of awards with vesting subject to performance conditions outstanding at the beginning of the year,  0.1 million vested during the
year, 0.1 million forfeited during the year and 0.2 million outstanding at the end of the year,  with a weighted average fair value of $17.38 per share,
respectively.

Restricted stock award activity during the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 was as follows:

Outstanding at beginning of year

Granted
Vested
Forfeited

Outstanding at end of year

11. EARNINGS PER SHARE

Number of
Shares

(in thousands)     

Weighted-
Average Fair
Value

143
28
(121)
(11)
39

$

$

11.11
5.00
11.29
8.93
6.85

The Company’s unvested restricted stock awards contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and meet the criteria of a participating
security  as  defined  by ASC  260,  “Earnings Per Share”.  In  applying  the  two-class  method,  net  income  is  allocated  to  both  common  and
participating securities based on their respective weighted-average shares outstanding for the period. Basic earnings per share is computed
by dividing net income allocated to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period.
Diluted  earnings  per  share  is  computed  by  dividing  income  available  to  common  shareholders  by  the  weighted-average  common  shares
outstanding plus the potential dilutive impact from the exercise of stock options and restricted stock units. Common equivalent shares are
excluded  from  the  computation  if  their  effect  is  anti-dilutive.  There  were 8.8  million, 10.6  million  and 7.2  million  anti-dilutive  shares  in
fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

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The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands, except per share data):

Basic earnings per common share:

Net income
Less income related to unvested restricted shares
Income available to common shareholders - Basic

Weighted-average common shares outstanding - Basic

Basic earnings per common share

Diluted earnings per common share:

Net income
Less income related to unvested restricted shares
Income available to common shareholders - Diluted

Weighted-average common shares outstanding - Basic
Effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock units
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - Diluted

   $

$

$

$

$

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

294,935    $
(199)
294,736

$

272,595    $
(318)
272,277

$

319,545
(595)
318,950

146,541

153,134

170,610

$

$

$

2.01

294,935
(196)
294,739

146,541
1,990
148,531

$

$

$

1.78

272,595
(317)
272,278

153,134
68
153,202

1.87

319,545
(593)
318,952

170,610
768
171,378

Diluted earnings per common share

$

1.98

$

1.78

$

1.86

12. SEGMENTS AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

In  fiscal  2020  and  fiscal  2019,  we  considered  Michaels-U.S.,  Michaels-Canada  and  Darice  to  be  our  operating  segments  for
purposes  of  determining  reportable  segments  based  on  the  criteria  of  ASC  280, Segment  Reporting (“ASC  280”).  In  fiscal  2018,  our
operating segments also included Aaron Brothers and Pat Catan’s. We determined that Michaels-U.S., Michaels-Canada, Aaron Brothers
and Pat Catan’s have similar economic characteristics and meet the aggregation criteria set forth in ASC 280. Therefore, we combine these
operating  segments  into one  reporting  segment.  Darice  does  not  meet  the  materiality  criteria  in ASC  280  and,  therefore,  is  not  disclosed
separately  as  a  reportable  segment.  Our  chief  operating  decision  makers  evaluate  historical  operating  performance  and  forecast  future
periods’ operating performance based on operating income.

Our net sales by country and sales by product category are as follows (in thousands):

Net Sales:
United States (1)
Canada
Total

Sales by Product Category:
General crafts
Home décor and seasonal
Custom and ready-made framing
Papercrafting
Total

2020

4,757,829
513,283
5,271,112

2,495,675
1,146,921
822,731
805,785
5,271,112

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

Fiscal Year
2019

4,597,262
474,775
5,072,037

2,389,745
1,167,418
816,869
698,005
5,072,037

$

$

$

$

2018

4,783,903
488,041
5,271,944

2,604,905
1,230,054
801,075
635,910
5,271,944

(1)

In March 2018 we closed our Aaron Brothers stores and in January 2019 we closed our Pat Catan’s stores. For fiscal 2018, Pat Catan’s net sales
totaled  approximately $109.6  million  and Aaron  Brothers  net  sales  totaled  approximately $12.9  million.  In  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2020  we
completed the liquidation of our Darice wholesale operations. For fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, Darice’s net sales totaled approximately
$37.6 million, $79.9 million and $106.7 million, respectively.

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Our total assets by country are as follows (in thousands):

Total Assets:
United States
Canada
Total

Fiscal Year (1)

2020

2019

$

$

4,192,094
336,311
4,528,405

$

$

3,527,374
310,721
3,838,095

(1)

In  fiscal  2020,  we  recorded $28.8  million  of  impairment  charges  related  to  the  closure  of  13  underperforming  stores  and  the  relocation  of  our
support center. In fiscal 2019, we wrote-off $42.7 million of assets in connection with impairment charges related to Darice and the closure of our
Pat Catan’s stores.

Assets are categorized based on their geographic location. Certain assets located in the U.S. are also used to support our Canadian

operations but are not allocated to Canada.

13. RETIREMENT PLANS

We sponsor a 401(k) Savings Plan for our eligible employees and certain of our subsidiaries. Participation in the 401(k) Savings
Plan is voluntary and available to any employee who is at least 21 years of age and has completed three months of full-time service or one
year of part-time service. Participants may elect to contribute up to 80% of their compensation on a pre-tax basis and up to 10% on an after-
tax basis. Prior to January 1, 2021, we made a matching cash contribution to the account of each participant in an amount equal to 50% of
the participant’s pre-tax contributions that do not exceed 6% of the participant’s compensation for the year. Matching contributions vest to
the  participants  based  on  years  of  service,  with 100%  vesting  after three years. Effective January 1, 2021, the plan was amended and we
increased  matching  cash  contributions  to 100%  of  the  participant’s  pre-tax  contributions  that  do  not  exceed 3%  of  the  participant’s
compensation  for  the  year  and 50%  of  the  participant’s  pre-tax  contributions  that  do  not  exceed  the  next 2%  of  the  participant’s
compensation for the year. Matching contributions vest immediately. Our matching contribution expense was  $5.3 million, $4.4 million and
$4.8 million in fiscal 2020, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

We also sponsor a nonqualified deferred compensation plan for certain executives and other highly compensated employees. The
deferred compensation plan provides participants with the opportunity to defer up to 75% of their base salary and up to 100% of their annual
earned bonus. Participants are 100% vested in these deferrals and the associated investment returns. The Company does not currently make
any matching cash contributions to the participant accounts. As of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, liabilities associated with the
deferred compensation plan, which are included in long-term other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets, were $7.2 million and $5.4
million, respectively. The Company established a rabbi trust to fund the deferred compensation plan’s obligations. As of January 30, 2021
and February 1, 2020, assets of the rabbi trust, which consist primarily of mutual funds and are subject to the claims of our creditors, were
$6.7 million and $5.3 million, respectively, and are included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

14. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

During fiscal 2020, affiliates of, or funds advised by, The Blackstone Group, Inc. (“The Blackstone Group”) sold their remaining
shares  of  the  Company’s  common  stock. As  a  result  of  the  sale,  The  Blackstone  Group  is  no  longer  considered  to  be  a  related  party.
Payments  made  to  The  Blackstone  Group  during  fiscal  2020  were  not  material  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  The  Blackstone
Group owned approximately 14% of our outstanding common stock as of February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019.

The  Blackstone  Group  owned  a  majority  equity  position  in  RGIS,  a  vendor  we  utilized  to  count  our  store  inventory.  Payments
associated with this vendor during fiscal 2018 were $0.7 million and are included in SG&A in the consolidated statements of comprehensive
income.

The Blackstone Group owned a majority equity position in ShopCore Properties, LP, Blackstone Real Estate DDR Retail Holdings
III, LLC and Blackstone Real Estate RC Retail Holdings, LLC and had significant influence over Edens Limited Partnership, vendors we
utilize to lease certain properties. Payments associated with these vendors during

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fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 were $10.0 million and $11.5 million, respectively. These expenses are included in cost of sales and occupancy
expense in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

The Blackstone Group had significant influence over Blue Yonder, Inc. (formerly known as JDA Software Group, Inc.), a vendor
we utilize for transportation and supply chain software. Payments associated with this vendor during fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 were $2.3
million and $3.0 million, respectively. These expenses are included in SG&A in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

15. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Our  debt  covenants  restrict  MSI,  and  certain  subsidiaries  of  MSI,  from  various  activities  including  the  incurrence  of  additional
debt, payment of dividends and the repurchase of MSI’s capital stock (subject to certain exceptions), among other things. The following
condensed  consolidated  financial  information  represents  the  financial  information  of  MSI  and  its  wholly-owned  subsidiaries  subject  to
these restrictions. The information is presented in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12-04 under the SEC’s Regulation S-X.

Michaels Stores, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)

Current assets:

Cash and equivalents
Merchandise inventories
Prepaid expenses and other current assets

ASSETS

Total current assets
Property and equipment, net
Operating lease assets
Goodwill
Other intangible assets, net
Other assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities and other
Current portion of operating lease liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt
Income taxes payable

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt
Long-term operating lease liabilities
Other liabilities
Total stockholders’ deficit

Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit

F-34

January 30,
2021

February 1,
2020

$

$

$

$

1,193,597
1,007,043
70,861
2,271,501
472,563
1,594,554
94,290
57,121
37,594
4,527,623

858,790
488,103
324,238
16,700
27,313
1,715,144
2,480,953
1,378,394
213,571
(1,260,439)
4,527,623

$

$

$

$

409,173
1,097,109
92,601
1,598,883
430,432
1,610,013
94,290
66,417
37,146
3,837,181

476,298
346,657
306,796
24,900
41,236
1,195,887
2,644,460
1,357,821
141,582
(1,502,569)
3,837,181

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Michaels Stores, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(in thousands)

Net sales
Cost of sales and occupancy expense

Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative
Restructure and impairment charges
Store pre-opening costs
Operating income
Interest and other expense

Income before income taxes

Income taxes

Net income

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:
Foreign currency and cash flow hedges

Comprehensive income

2020
5,271,112
3,315,035
1,956,077
1,388,744
28,835
3,082
535,416
172,938
362,478
66,119
296,359

9,387
305,746

Fiscal Year
2019
5,072,037
3,199,780
1,872,257
1,303,350
48,332
4,608
515,967
156,682
359,285
85,995
273,290

(8,273)
265,017

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

2018
5,271,944
3,248,276
2,023,668
1,350,371
104,238
4,417
564,642
146,572
418,070
97,751
320,319

(10,898)
309,421

Michaels Stores, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

Additions to property and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Proceeds from sale of building

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

Net repayments of debt
Net borrowings of debt
Payment of dividend to Michaels Funding, Inc.
Payment of debt refinancing costs
Other financing activities

Net cash used in financing activities

Net change in cash and equivalents
Cash and equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and equivalents at end of period

2020

Fiscal Year
2019

2018

$

1,231,022

$

490,732

$

443,275

(162,004)
—
875
(161,129)

(1,145,950)
975,000
(87,232)
(26,812)
(475)
(285,469)

(120,545)
(58,000)
—
(178,545)

(558,100)
523,200
(105,060)
(8,162)
—
(148,122)

784,424
409,173
1,193,597

$

$

164,065
245,108
409,173

$

(145,387)
—
—
(145,387)

(380,300)
355,400
(451,892)
(1,117)
—
(477,909)

(180,021)
425,129
245,108

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16. QUARTERLY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

Unaudited quarterly results of operations for fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 were as follows (in thousands, except per share data):

Net sales
Cost of sales and occupancy expense
Gross profit
Selling, general and administrative
Restructure and impairment charges (1)
Operating (loss) income (2)
Net (loss) income (3)
Diluted (loss) earnings per common share

Net sales
Cost of sales and occupancy expense
Gross profit
Selling, general and administrative
Restructure and impairment charges (4)
Operating income
Net income
Diluted earnings per common share

First
Quarter

799,888 $
578,066
221,822
281,341
—
(60,678)
(63,505)

(0.43) $

Fiscal 2020

Second
Quarter
1,148,170 $
805,658
342,512
289,053
—
53,273
(7,757)
(0.05) $

Third
Quarter
1,406,212 $
824,496
581,716
373,193
9,388
198,951
111,122

0.74 $

Fourth
Quarter
1,916,842
1,106,815
810,027
447,032
19,447
341,994
255,075
1.72

Fiscal 2019

First
Quarter
1,093,720 $
676,080
417,640
320,597
3,087
92,730
37,691

0.24 $

Second
Quarter
1,033,689 $
666,703
366,986
290,074
3,869
71,300
24,547

0.16 $

Third
Quarter
1,222,021 $
780,387
441,634
322,807
41,376
76,049
28,705

0.19 $

Fourth
Quarter
1,722,608
1,076,610
645,998
370,803
—
274,957
181,651
1.24

  $

$

  $

$

(1)

(2)

(3)

Includes  impairment  charges  related  to  the 13  underperforming  stores  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2020  and  impairment  charges  related  to
operating lease assets and leasehold improvements primarily as a result of our decision to relocate our corporate offices in Irving, Texas in the third
quarter of fiscal 2020.  
Includes charges related to the liquidation of Darice totaling  $52.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and income of $6.8 million and $0.5
million in the third and fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, respectively.  
In  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2020,  we  a  recorded  a  loss  on  the  early  extinguishment  of  debt  of  $22.0  million  related  to  the  refinancing  of  our
amended and restated term loan credit facility.

(4) During the first, second and third quarter of fiscal 2019, we recorded restructure charges of $3.1 million, $3.9 million and $1.3 million, respectively,
related to the closure of our Pat Catan’s stores. The third quarter of fiscal 2019 also includes $40.1 million of impairment charges primarily related
to our Darice wholesale business.

We report on the basis of a 52-week or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. Our interim periods

each contain 13 weeks ending on the Saturday closest to April 30, July 31 and October 31.

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17. SUBSEQUENT EVENT

On March 2, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with certain affiliates
of  Apollo  Global  Management  (such  affiliates,  “Apollo”),  pursuant  to  which  Apollo  will  acquire  the  Company.  Under  the  Merger
Agreement, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, Apollo will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares
of Michaels for $22.00 per share in cash. If certain conditions are satisfied and the offer closes, Apollo will acquire all remaining shares not
tendered in the tender offer through a second-step merger at the same price.  The tender offer will initially remain open for twenty business
days,  subject  to  possible  extension  on  the  terms  set  forth  in  the  Merger Agreement.  The  parties  currently  expect  the  acquisition  to  be
completed  during  the  first  half  of  fiscal  2021. Apollo’s  obligations  to  complete  the  acquisition  are  subject  to  certain  customary  closing
conditions, including a majority of the outstanding shares of Michaels common stock having been tendered and not validly withdrawn, the
expiration  of  a twenty-five day  go-shop  period,  compliance  with  certain  antitrust  requirements  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  the
completion  of  a  specified  marketing  period  for Apollo’s  debt  financing  of  the  offer  price.  The  Merger Agreement  also  provides  that  the
acquisition  agreement  may  be  terminated  by  us  or  Apollo  under  certain  circumstances,  and  in  certain  specified  circumstances  upon
termination of the Merger Agreement we will be required to pay Apollo a termination fee of up to  $104 million. The anticipated acquisition
of the Company by Apollo is described more fully in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 3, 2021. This summary
of  the  Merger  Agreement  does  not  purport  to  be  complete  and  is  qualified  in  its  entirety  by  reference  to  the  full  text  of  the  Merger
Agreement filed as Exhibit 2.1 to this Annual Report.

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Exhibit
Number
2.1

3.1

3.2

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

10.1

10.2

10.3

EXHIBIT INDEX

Description of Exhibit
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of  March 2, 2021, among The Michaels Companies, Inc., Magic AcquireCo, Inc. 
and Magic MergeCo, Inc. (previously filed as Exhibit 2.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on March 3, 2021, SEC File 
No. 001-36501).

Second  Amended  and  Restated  Certificate  of  Incorporation  of  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  (previously  filed  as
Exhibit 3.2 to Form S-1 filed by the Company on June 9, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Amended and Restated Bylaws of The Michaels Companies, Inc. (previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 to Form S-1 filed by the
Company on June 2, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate of The Michaels Companies, Inc. (previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Form
S-1 filed by the Company on June 16, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Form of Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement (previously filed as Exhibit 4.2 to Form S-1 filed by the
Company on June 2, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Form of Investor Agreement (previously filed as Exhibit 4.3 to Form S-1 filed by the Company on June 2, 2014, SEC File
No. 333-193000).

Indenture, dated July 8, 2019, by and among Michaels Stores, Inc., as Issuer, the guarantors party thereto and U.S.
National Bank Association, as trustee (previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on July 9, 2019,
SEC File No. 001-36501).

Indenture, dated October 1, 2020, among Michaels Stores, Inc., as Issuer, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. National
Bank Association, as trustee and collateral agent (previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on
October 2, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Description of Securities (filed herewith).

Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of May 27, 2016, by and among Michaels Stores, Inc., the other
borrowers party thereto, the facility guarantors party thereto, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative
agent,  collateral  agent,  issuing  bank  and  swingline  lender,  the  other  lenders  party  thereto  and  the  other  agents  named
therein (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on May 27, 2016, SEC File No. 001-36501).

First  Amendment  to  Third  Amended  and  Restated  Credit  Agreement,  dated  as  of  August  30,  2019,  by  and  among
Michaels Stores, Inc., Michaels Funding, Inc., various subsidiaries of Michaels Stores, Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, National
Association,  as  administrative  agent  and  collateral  agent,  the  lenders  party  thereto  and  the  other  agents  named  therein
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on September 4, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of January 28, 2013, by and among Michaels Stores, Inc., Deutsche
Bank AG  New  York  Branch,  as  administrative  agent,  and  Barclays  Bank,  PLC,  Credit  Suisse  Securities  (USA),  LLC,
Goldman Sachs Bank USA, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan
Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as co-documentation agents, and Deutsche Bank Securities
Inc., Barclays Bank PLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC,
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and Wells Fargo  Securities,
LLC,  as  co-lead  arrangers  and  joint  bookrunners  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.1  to  Form  8-K  filed  by  Michaels
Stores, Inc. on February 1, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

10.4

Exhibits  and  Schedules  to  Amended  and  Restated  Credit  Agreement,  dated  as  of  January  28,  2013,  by  and  among
Michaels Stores, Inc., Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as administrative agent, and Barclays

    
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Exhibit
Number

10.5

10.6

10.7

10.8

10.9

10.10

10.11*

10.12*

10.13*

Description of Exhibit
Bank  PLC,  Credit  Suisse  Securities  (USA),  LLC,  Goldman  Sachs  Bank  USA,  J.P.  Morgan  Securities,  LLC,  Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as
co-documentation agents, and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Barclays Bank PLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC,
Goldman Sachs Bank USA, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan
Stanley  Senior  Funding,  Inc.  and  Wells  Fargo  Securities,  LLC,  as  co-lead  arrangers  and  joint  bookrunners  (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.29 to Form 10-K filed by Michaels Stores, Inc. on March 15, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated June 10, 2014, to the Amended and Restated Credit
Agreement,  dated  January  28,  2013,  by  and  among  Michaels  Stores,  Inc.,  Deutsche  Bank AG  New  York  Branch,  as
administrative agent, and the guarantors named therein (previously filed as Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed by Michaels
Stores, Inc. on June 11, 2014, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Second  Amendment  to  Amended  and  Restated  Credit  Agreement,  dated  as  of  September  28,  2016,  by  and    among
Michaels Stores, Inc., Michaels Funding, Inc., various subsidiary of Michaels Stores, Inc., Deutsche Bank AG New York
Branch,  as  administrative  agent  and  collateral  agent,  the  2016  Converting  Replacement  Term  B-1  Loan  Lenders  (as
defined  therein),  the  2016  New  Replacement  Term  B-1  Loan  Lenders  (as  defined  therein),  the  2016  Converting
Replacement  Term  B-2  Loan  Lenders  (as  defined  therein),  the  2016  New  Replacement  Term  B-2  Loan  Lenders  (as
defined therein), certain lenders constituting the New Required Lenders (as defined therein) and the other agents named
therein (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on September 30, 2016, SEC File No. 001-
36501).

Third Amendment  to Amended  and  Restated  Credit Agreement,  dated  as  of  May  23,  2018,  by  and  among  Michaels
Stores,  Inc.,  Michaels  Funding,  Inc.,  various  subsidiaries  of  Michaels  Stores,  Inc.,  JPMorgan  Chase  Bank,  N.A.,  as
successor  administrative  agent  and  successor  collateral  agent,  Deutsche  Bank  AG  New  York  Branch,  as  resigning
administrative agent and resigning collateral agent, the 2018 Converting Replacement Term B Loan Lenders (as defined
therein), the 2018 New Replacement Term B Loan Lenders (as defined therein), the lenders party thereto and the other
agents named therein (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on May 24, 2018, SEC File No.
001-36501).

Purchase Agreement, dated September 17, 2020, by and among Michaels Stores, Inc., as Issuer, Michaels Funding, Inc.,
Artistree, Inc., Darice, Inc., Darice Imports, Inc., Lamrite West, Inc., Michaels Finance Company, Inc., Michaels Stores
Procurement  Company,  Inc.  and  Michaels  Stores  Card  Services,  LLC,  each  as  a  Guarantor,  and  J.P.  Morgan  Securities
LLC, as representative of the initial purchasers (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on
September 22, 2020, SEC Fil No. 001-36501).

Fourth Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2020, by and among Michaels
Stores, Inc., the guarantors identified therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and collateral agent,
the 2020 Converting Replacement Term B Loan Lenders (as defined therein) and the 2020 New Refinancing Term B Loan
Lenders (as defined therein) (previously filed as Exhibit 4.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on October 2, 2020, SEC
File No. 001-36501).

Form  of  Director  and  Officer  Indemnification Agreement  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.29  to  Form  S-1  filed  by  the
Company on June 9, 2014 SEC File No. 333-193000).

The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  Equity  Incentive  Plan  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.1  to  Form  10-Q  filed  by  Michaels
Stores, Inc. on August 30, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Form  of  Stock  Option  Agreement  under  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  Equity  Incentive  Plan  (previously  filed  as
Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed by Michaels Stores, Inc. on August 30, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form S-1 filed by
the Company on June 16, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

    
Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number
10.14*

10.15*

10.16*

10.17*

10.18*

10.19*

10.20*

10.21*

10.22*

10.23*

10.24*

10.25*

10.26*

10.27*

10.28*

Description of Exhibit
Form of Stock Option Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form S-1 filed by the Company on June 2, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Form of Stock Option Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.11 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 17, 2016, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form of Stock Option Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 6, 2017, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form of Stock Option Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.4 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 7, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.3 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 6, 2017, SEC File No. 001-36501).

The Michaels Companies, Inc. Second Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously filed
as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-k filed by the Company on June 8, 2017, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Employees under the Second Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-
Term Incentive Plan (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on December 7, 2018, SEC File
No. 001-36501).

The Michaels Companies, Inc. Third Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (previously filed
as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on June 12, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form of Long-Term Cash Incentive Award Agreement (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the
Company on April 14, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Michaels Stores, Inc. Employees 401(k) Plan, effective March 1, 2009 (previously filed as Exhibit 10.30 to Form 10-K
filed by Michaels Stores, Inc., on April 2, 2009, SEC File No. 001-09338).

The Michaels Companies, Inc. Annual Incentive Plan (previously filed as Exhibit 10.14 to Form S-1 filed by the Company
on June 2, 2014, SEC File No. 333-193000).

Michaels Stores, Inc. Amended and Restated Officer Severance Pay Plan (previously filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q
filed by the Company on September 3, 2020 SEC File No. 001-36501).

Employment Agreement, dated February 13, 2013, by and between Michaels Stores, Inc. and Carl S. Rubin (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q filed by Michaels Stores, Inc. on May 24, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Separation Agreement, dated February 27, 2019, by and among The Michaels Companies, Inc., Michaels Stores, Inc. and
Carl S. Rubin (previously filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on February 28, 2019, SEC File No.
001-36501).

Addendum and Amendment to Separation Letter, dated March 20, 2019, by and among  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.,
Michaels Stores, Inc. and Carl S. Rubin (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on March 22,
2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

    
Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number

10.29*

10.30*

10.31*

10.32*

10.33*

10.34*

10.35*

10.36*

10.37*

10.38*

10.39*

10.40*

10.41*

10.42

Description of Exhibit

Restricted  Stock Award Agreements,  dated  March  18,  2013,  by  and  between  Michaels  Stores,  Inc.  and  Carl  S.  Rubin
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed by Michaels Stores, Inc. on May 24, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Stock Option Agreement, dated March 18, 2013, by and between Michaels Stores, Inc. and Carl S. Rubin (previously filed
as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q filed by Michaels Stores, Inc. on May 24, 2013, SEC File No. 001-09338).

Letter Agreement, dated February 28, 2019, by and among The Michaels Companies, Inc., Michaels Stores, Inc. and Mark
Cosby  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.1  to  Form  8-K  filed  by  the  Company  on  February  28,  2019,  SEC  File  No.  001-
36501).

Amendment to Letter Agreement, effective October 21, 2019, by and between Michaels Stores, Inc. and Mark S. Cosby
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.3 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on December 6, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Second Amendment  to  the  Letter Agreement,  effective  December  26,  2019,  by  and  among  Mark  Cosby,  The  Michaels
Stores, Inc. and The Michaels Companies, Inc. (previously filed as Exhibit 10.6 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on
December 27, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Letter Agreement, effective April 1, 2020, from the Company to Mark S. Cosby (previously filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form
8-K filed by the Company on April 14, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form  of  Restricted  Stock  Award  Agreement,  by  and  between  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  and  Mark  S.  Cosby
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.30 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 17, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Amended and Restated Restricted Stock Unit Agreement, effective December 26, 2019, by and between Mark Cosby and
The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.5  to  Form  8-K  filed  by  the  Company  on  December  27,
2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Amended  and  Restated  Non-Statutory  Stock  Option Agreement,  effective  December  26,  2019,  by  and  between  Mark
Cosby  and  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  (previously  filed  as  Exhibit  10.4  to  Form  8-K  filed  by  the  Company  on
December 27, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Letter  Agreement,  dated  December  26,  2019,  by  and  among  Ashley  Buchanan,  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.,  and
Michaels Stores, Inc. (previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 27, 2019, SEC
File No. 001-36501).

Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement, by and between Ashley Buchanan and The Michaels Companies, Inc. (previously
filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 27, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Restricted Stock Unit Agreement, by and between Ashley Buchanan and The Michaels Companies, Inc. (previously filed
as Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 27, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Form  of  Restricted  Stock  Award  Agreement,  by  and  between  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  and  Philo  T.  Pappas
(previously filed as Exhibit 10.36 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 17, 2020, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Letter Agreement,  dated  October  11,  2019,  by  and  among  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  and  certain  investment  funds
affiliated with The Blackstone Group Inc. and Bain Capital Private Equity, L.P.

    
Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number

21.1

23.1

31.1

31.2

32.1

(previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on October 11, 2019, SEC File No. 001-36501).

Description of Exhibit

Subsidiaries of the Company (filed herewith).

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP (filed herewith).

Certifications of Ashley Buchanan pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).

Certifications of Michael F. Diamond pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).

Certification  pursuant  to  18  U.S.C.  §1350,  as  adopted  pursuant  to  §906  of  the  Sarbanes-Oxley  Act  of  2002  (filed
herewith).

101.INS

Inline XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema

101.CAL

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase

101.DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase

101.LAB

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase

101.PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

* Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

    
Table of Contents

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this

report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SIGNATURES

Date: March 9, 2021

THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.

By:

/s/ Michael F. Diamond
Michael F. Diamond
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on

behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

/s/ Ashley Buchanan
Ashley Buchanan

/s/ Michael F. Diamond
Michael F. Diamond

/s/ James E. Sullivan
James E. Sullivan

/s/ Mark S. Cosby
Mark S. Cosby

/s/ Joshua Bekenstein
Joshua Bekenstein

/s/ Ryan Cotton
 Ryan Cotton

/s/ Monte E. Ford
Monte E. Ford

/s/ Karen Kaplan
Karen Kaplan

/s/Matthew S. Levin
Matthew S. Levin

/s/ John J. Mahoney
John J. Mahoney

/s/James A. Quella
James A. Quella

/s/ Beryl B. Raff
Beryl B. Raff

Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

Chief Accounting Officer and Controller
(Principal Accounting Officer)

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Exhibit 4.6

The following summary of the terms of our common stock is based upon our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
as amended (our “Certificate of Incorporation”), and our amended and restated bylaws (our “Bylaws”). The summary is not
complete, and is qualified by reference to our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to this Annual
Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated by reference herein. We encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, our
Bylaws, and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law for additional information.

The Michaels Companies, Inc. (“Michaels,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) has one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: our common stock, $0.06775 par value per share.

Authorized Shares of Capital Stock

Our total amount of our authorized capital stock consists of 350,000,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.06775 per

share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.10 per share.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “MIK.”

Voting Rights

Except as required by law or matters relating solely to the terms of preferred stock, each outstanding share of common stock is
entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Holders of shares of our common stock have no cumulative
voting rights.

Preferences

Our board of directors (the “Board”) may, without further action by our stockholders, from time to time, direct the issuance of

shares of preferred stock in series and may, at the time of issuance, determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and
relative participating, optional or special rights as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend
rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the
rights of the common stock. Satisfaction of any dividend preferences of outstanding shares of preferred stock would reduce the amount
of funds available for the payment of dividends on shares of our common stock. Holders of shares of preferred stock may be entitled to
receive a preference payment in the event of our liquidation before any payment is made to the holders of shares of our common stock.
Under specified circumstances, the issuance of shares of preferred stock may render more difficult or tend to discourage a merger,
tender offer or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of a large block of our securities or the removal of incumbent
management. Our Board, without stockholder approval, may issue shares of preferred stock with voting and conversion rights, which
could adversely affect the holders of shares of our common stock and the market value of our common stock. Subject to the rights of
the holders of shares of preferred stock, the number of authorized shares of preferred stock may be increased or decreased (but not
below the number of shares thereof

then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of
the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. There are no shares of preferred
stock currently outstanding.

Anti-takeover effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws contain additional provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another

party from acquiring control of us. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover
practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first
negotiate with the Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our
stockholders; however, these provisions also give the Board the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor.

Authorized but unissued capital stock . The General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) does not

require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of The Nasdaq Stock
Market, which would apply as long as our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, require stockholder
approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of
shares of common stock. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public
offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.

One of the effects of the existence of authorized but unissued common stock or preferred stock may be to enable our
Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an
attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the
continuity of our management and possibly deprive the stockholder of opportunities to sell their shares of common stock at prices
higher than prevailing market prices.

Board of Directors. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only

by resolution of the Board. Our Certificate of Incorporation also states that a director may be removed only for cause by the
affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of our voting stock. Any vacancy on our Board, including a vacancy resulting from
an enlargement of our Board, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.

Action by written consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders may be effected only at a duly

called annual or special meeting of our stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by our stockholders.

Special meeting of stockholders and advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals. Our Certificate of
Incorporation provides that, except as otherwise required by law and subject to any rights of the holders of preferred stock, special
meetings of the stockholders can only be called by (a) our chairman or any vice chairman of the Board or (b) the Board pursuant to
a written resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of directors that our Board would have if there were no vacancies.

In addition, our Bylaws require advance notice procedures for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual
meeting of the stockholders, including the nomination of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider the
proposals specified in the notice of

-2-

meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board, or by a stockholder of record on the record date for the
meeting who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who has delivered a timely written notice in proper form to our secretary of the
stockholder’s intention to bring such business before the meeting, who attends (or has a qualified representative attend) the
stockholder meeting and who has otherwise complied with the provisions of our Bylaws and applicable law.

These provisions could have the effect of delaying any stockholder actions until the next stockholder meeting, even if they

are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting stock.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.  The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a

majority of the outstanding stock entitled to vote on amendments to a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws is
required to approve such amendment, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a
greater percentage. Our Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by a majority vote of our Board or, in addition to any other
vote otherwise required by law, the affirmative vote of at least 75% of our outstanding common stock. Additionally, the
affirmative vote of at least 75% of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote on the adoption,
alteration, amendment or repeal of our Certificate of Incorporation, voting as a single class, is required to amend or repeal or to
adopt any provision inconsistent with the “Board of Directors”, “Director Liability”, “Action by Written Consent”, “Special
Meetings of Stockholders”, “Amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws”, “Business Combinations”,
“Renouncement of Corporate Opportunity” and “Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions” provisions described in our Certificate
of Incorporation. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging the removal of any anti-takeover
defenses provided for in our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws.

Business combinations. We have elected in our Certificate of Incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL,

an antitakeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business
combination, such as a merger, with a person or group owning 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock for a period of three
years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the business combination or
the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Accordingly, we are not
subject to any anti-takeover effects of Section 203. However, our Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that have the
same effect as Section 203, except that they provide that investment funds affiliated with Bain Capital Partners, LLC and The
Blackstone Group L.P., and their respective successors and affiliates (collectively, the “Sponsors”), will not be deemed to be
“interested stockholders”, regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them and accordingly will not be subject to
such restrictions.

Renouncement of corporate opportunity

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to

participate in, any business opportunity that may from time to time be presented to the Sponsors or any of their respective officers,
directors, agents, stockholders, members, partners, affiliates and subsidiaries (other than us and our subsidiaries) and that may be a
business opportunity for the Sponsors, even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably have pursued or had the ability or desire
to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. No such person will be liable to us for breach of any fiduciary or other duty, as a director
or officer or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such

-3-

person, acting in good faith, pursues or acquires any such business opportunity, directs any such business opportunity to another
person or fails to present any such business opportunity, or information regarding any such business opportunity, to us unless, in the
case of any such person who is our director or officer, any such business opportunity is expressly offered to such director or officer
solely in his or her capacity as our director or officer. None of the Sponsors, any of the investment funds associated with the Sponsors
or any of their respective representatives has any duty to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business
activities or lines of business as us or any of our subsidiaries.

Exclusive jurisdiction of certain actions

Our Certificate of Incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding

brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other
employee of the Company to the Company or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company arising pursuant
to any provision of the DGCL or our Certificate of Incorporation or our Bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the
Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine will have to be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware.
Although we believe this provision benefits the Company by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the
types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Limitations on liability and indemnification of officers and directors

Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws limit the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by applicable

law and provide that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered into indemnification
agreements with our current directors and executive officers and expect to enter into a similar agreement with any new directors or
executive officers.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. Its address is P.O. Box 30170,

College Station, TX 77842-3170.

-4-

Significant Subsidiaries of The Michaels Companies, Inc.

Exhibit 21.1

Artistree, Inc., a Delaware corporation

Artistree of Canada, ULC, a Nova Scotia unlimited liability company

Michaels of Canada, ULC, a Nova Scotia unlimited liability company

Michaels Stores, Inc., a Delaware corporation

Michaels Stores Procurement Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation

Exhibit 23.1

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the following Registration Statements:           

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

1.
2.

Registration Statement (Form S-8 No. 333-219050) of The Michaels Companies, Inc., and
Registration Statement (Form S-8 No. 333-197218) pertaining to the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Long-Term
Incentive Plan of The Michaels Companies, Inc.;

of  our  reports  dated  March  9,  2021,  with  respect  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  The  Michaels  Companies,  Inc.  and  the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of The Michaels Companies, Inc. included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K)
of The Michaels Companies, Inc. for the year ended January 30, 2021.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Dallas, TX
March 9, 2021

Exhibit 31.1

I, Ashley Buchanan, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of The Michaels Companies, Inc.;

CERTIFICATIONS

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to
make  the  statements  made,  in  light  of  the  circumstances  under  which  such  statements  were  made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to  the
period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The  registrant’s  other  certifying  officer  and  I  are  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as
defined  in  Exchange Act  Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  and  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed
under  our  supervision,  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of
financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on
such evaluation; and

d. Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in  the  registrant’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  that  occurred  during  the
registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The  registrant’s  other  certifying  officer  and  I  have  disclosed,  based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which
are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
and

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s

internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 9, 2021

/s/ Ashley Buchanan
Ashley Buchanan
Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

Exhibit 31.2

I, Michael F. Diamond, certify that

1.

I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of The Michaels Companies, Inc.;

CERTIFICATIONS

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to
make  the  statements  made,  in  light  of  the  circumstances  under  which  such  statements  were  made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to  the
period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The  registrant’s  other  certifying  officer  and  I  are  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as
defined  in  Exchange Act  Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  and  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed
under  our  supervision,  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of
financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on
such evaluation; and

d. Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in  the  registrant’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  that  occurred  during  the
registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The  registrant’s  other  certifying  officer  and  I  have  disclosed,  based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which
are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
and

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s

internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 9, 2021

/s/ Michael F. Diamond
Michael F. Diamond
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. § 1350, 
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO § 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

Exhibit 32.1

In connection with the filing of the Annual Report on Form 10-K of The Michaels Companies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), for the year ended January 30, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”),
each of the undersigned officers of the Company certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act of 2002, that, to such officer’s knowledge:

1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations

of the Company.

6

Date: March 9, 2021

/s/ Ashley Buchanan
Ashley Buchanan
Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Michael F. Diamond
Michael F. Diamond
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

The foregoing certification is being furnished solely pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350 and is not being filed as part of the Report or as

a separate disclosure document.