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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 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 April 28, 2018

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 1-9656

LA-Z-BOY INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (734) 242-1444

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

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

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   x

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

Large accelerated filer x  Accelerated filer o  Non-accelerated filer o  Smaller reporting company o  Emerging growth company o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Based on the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange on October 28, 2017, the aggregate market value of Registrant’s common shares held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on that date was $1,316.9 million.

The number of common shares outstanding of the Registrant was 46,638,907 as of June 12, 2018.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

(1)                                 Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A for its 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III.

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LA-Z-BOY INCORPORATED

FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL 2018

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Note: The responses to Items 10 through 14 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The required information is incorporated into this Form 10-K by reference to that document and is not repeated herein.

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Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

La-Z-Boy Incorporated and its subsidiaries (individually and collectively, “we,” “our” or the “Company”) make forward-looking statements in this report, and its representatives may make oral forward-looking statements from time to time. Generally, forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future actions, events or results of operations. More specifically, forward-looking statements may include information regarding:

Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “hopes,” “plans,” “could,” “intends” and “expects” or similar expressions. With respect to all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Actual results could differ materially from those we anticipate or project due to a number of factors, including: (a) changes in consumer confidence and demographics; (b) the possibility of a recession; (c) changes in the real estate and credit markets and their effects on our customers, consumers and suppliers; (d) international political unrest, terrorism or war; (e) volatility in energy and other commodities prices; (f) the impact of logistics on imports and exports; (g) tax rate, interest rate, and currency exchange rate changes; (h) changes in the stock market impacting our profitability and our effective tax rate; (i) operating factors, such as supply, labor or distribution disruptions (e.g. port strikes); (j) changes in legislation, including the tax code, or changes in the domestic or international regulatory environment or trade policies, including new or increased duties, tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, trade limitations and termination or renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement; (k) adoption of new accounting principles; (l) fires, severe weather or other natural events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes and tsunamis; (m) our ability to procure, transport or import, or material increases to the cost of transporting or importing, fabric rolls, leather hides or cut-and-sewn fabric and leather sets domestically or abroad; (n) information technology conversions or system failures and our ability to recover from a system failure; (o) effects of our brand awareness and marketing programs; (p) the discovery of defects in our products resulting in delays in manufacturing, recall campaigns, reputational damage, or increased warranty costs; (q) litigation arising out of alleged defects in our products; (r) unusual or significant litigation; (s) our ability to locate new La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores (or store owners) and negotiate favorable lease terms for new or existing locations; (t) the ability to increase volume through our e-commerce initiatives; (u) the impact of potential goodwill or intangible asset impairments; and (v) those matters discussed in Item 1A of this Annual Report and other factors identified from time-to-time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or new developments or for any other reason.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker started Floral City Furniture in 1927, and in 1928 the newly formed company introduced its first recliner. In 1941, we were incorporated in the state of Michigan as La-Z-Boy Chair Company, and in 1996 we changed our name to La-Z-Boy Incorporated. Today, our La-Z-Boy brand is the most recognized brand in the furniture industry.

We manufacture, market, import, export, distribute and retail upholstery furniture products. In addition, we import, distribute and retail accessories and casegoods (wood) furniture products. We are the leading global

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producer of reclining chairs and the second largest manufacturer/distributor of residential furniture in the United States. The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores retail network is the third largest retailer of single-branded furniture in the United States. We have seven major manufacturing locations and six regional distribution centers in the United States and one facility in Mexico to support our speed-to-market and customization strategy. We operate a wholesale sales office that is responsible for distribution of our product in the United Kingdom and Ireland and we also participate in two joint ventures in Thailand that support our international businesses; one of which operates a manufacturing facility and the other operates a wholesale sales office. We operate a global trading company in Hong Kong which helps us manage our Asian supply chain by establishing and maintaining relationships with our Asian suppliers, as well as identifying efficiencies and savings opportunities. Additionally, we have contracts with several suppliers in Asia to produce products that support our pure import model for casegoods.

We sell our products to furniture retailers or distributors in the United States, Canada, and approximately 60 other countries, including the United Kingdom, China, Australia and New Zealand, directly to consumers through stores that we own and operate, and through our website, la-z-boy.com. The centerpiece of our retail distribution strategy is our network of 350 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores and 535 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, each dedicated to marketing our La-Z-Boy branded products. We consider this dedicated space to be “proprietary.” We own 146 of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores. The remainder of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, as well as all 535 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, are independently owned and operated. La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores help consumers furnish their homes by combining the style, comfort, and quality of La-Z-Boy furniture with our available design services. La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations are defined spaces within larger independent retailers that are dedicated to displaying and selling La-Z-Boy branded products. In total, we have approximately 7.8 million square feet of proprietary floor space dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products in North America. Additionally, floor space outside of the United States and Canada dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products totals approximately 2.5 million square feet. Our other brands, England, American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid enjoy distribution through many of the same outlets, with approximately half of Hammary’s sales originating through the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network. Kincaid and England have their own dedicated proprietary in-store programs with 542 outlets and approximately 1.7 million square feet of proprietary floor space. In total, our proprietary floor space includes approximately 12.0 million square feet worldwide.

Principal Products and Industry Segments

Our reportable operating segments are the Upholstery segment, the Casegoods segment and the Retail segment.

Upholstery Segment. Our Upholstery reportable segment is our largest business segment and consists primarily of two operating segments: La-Z-Boy, our largest operating segment, and the operating segment for our England subsidiary. The Upholstery segment also includes our international wholesale businesses. These operating segments are aggregated into one reportable segment because they are economically similar and because they meet the other aggregation criteria for determining reportable segments. Our Upholstery segment manufactures and imports upholstered furniture such as recliners and motion furniture, sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, modulars, ottomans and sleeper sofas. The Upholstery segment sells directly to La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, operators of La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations and England Custom Comfort Center locations, major dealers, and a wide cross-section of other independent retailers.

Casegoods Segment. Our Casegoods segment consists of one operating segment, and sells furniture under three brands: American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid. Our Casegoods segment is an importer, marketer, and distributor of casegoods (wood) furniture such as bedroom sets, dining room sets, entertainment centers and occasional pieces, and also manufactures some coordinated upholstered furniture. The Casegoods segment sells directly to major dealers, as well as La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, and a wide cross-section of other independent retailers.

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Retail Segment. Our Retail segment consists of one operating segment, and includes our 146 company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores. The Retail segment primarily sells upholstered furniture, in addition to some casegoods and other accessories, to the end consumer through these stores.

We have provided additional detailed information regarding our segments and their products in Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements and our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” section, both of which are included in this report.

Raw Materials and Parts

The principal raw materials and parts used in our Upholstery segment are purchased cover (primarily fabrics and leather), polyester batting and polyurethane foam for cushioning and padding, lumber and plywood for frames, steel for motion mechanisms, electrical components for power units and various other metal components for fabrication of product. We purchase about 50% of our polyurethane foam from one supplier, which has several facilities across the United States that deliver to our plants. We purchase cover from a variety of sources, but we rely on a limited number of major suppliers. We purchase approximately half of our cover in a raw state (fabric rolls or leather hides) and cut and sew it into cover, and purchase the remainder in covers that have already been cut and sewn to our specifications by third-party offshore suppliers. We buy cut-and-sewn leather and fabric products from six primary suppliers. Of the products that we import, four suppliers that operate in China manufacture over 95% of the leather cut-and-sewn sets, and three suppliers that also operate in China manufacture over 90% of the fabric products. One of the six primary suppliers manufactures both leather cut-and-sewn sets and fabric products. We use these suppliers primarily for their product design capabilities, to leverage our buying power, and to control quality and product flow, in addition to their ability to handle the volume of product we require to operate our business. If any of these suppliers experienced financial or other difficulties, we could experience temporary disruptions in our manufacturing process until we obtained alternate suppliers.

We manage our Asian supply chain through our global trading company in Hong Kong, which works to identify efficiencies, savings opportunities, and manage the relationship with our Asian suppliers. During fiscal 2018, the prices of materials we use in our upholstery manufacturing process increased moderately compared with fiscal 2017. We expect to experience an increase in raw material costs in fiscal 2019 as well as increases in transportation costs. In an effort to offset these projected increases, we have increased our selling prices to our customers.

Finished Goods Imports

We import all of the casegoods (wood) furniture that we sell. In fiscal 2018, we purchased approximately 55% of this imported product from three suppliers. We use these suppliers primarily to leverage our buying power, to control quality and product flow, and because their capabilities align with our product design needs. In addition, these suppliers have the ability to handle the volume of product we require. If any of these suppliers experienced financial or other difficulties, we could experience disruptions in our product flow until we obtained alternate suppliers, which could be lengthy due to the longer lead time required for sourced wood furniture from Asian manufacturers.

We use an all-import model for our wood furniture primarily to remain competitive for these products. The prices we paid for these imported products, including associated transportation costs, increased slightly in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017. We currently expect the product costs to increase more in fiscal 2019 than fiscal 2018. We have increased our selling prices to help offset the expected rise in product costs. Looking across our wholesale segments, imported finished goods represented 8% of our consolidated sales in both fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017.

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Seasonal Business

We believe that the demand for furniture generally reflects sensitivity to overall economic conditions, including consumer confidence, housing market conditions and unemployment rates. The table below shows our highest and lowest sales quarters based on historical experience, including fiscal 2018, by segment:

We schedule production to maintain consistent manufacturing activity throughout the year whenever possible. We typically shut down our domestic plants for one week each fiscal year to perform routine maintenance on our equipment.

Economic Cycle and Purchasing Cycle

Our sales are impacted by the overall growth of the furniture industry, which is primarily influenced by consumer discretionary spending and existing and new housing activity. In addition, consumer confidence, employment rates, and other factors could affect demand. Upholstered furniture has a shorter life cycle than casegoods furniture because upholstered furniture is typically more fashion and design-oriented, and is often purchased one or two pieces at a time. Casegoods products, in contrast, are longer-lived and frequently purchased in groupings or “suites,” resulting in a much larger cost to the consumer. As a result, casegoods sales are more sensitive to economic conditions, and upholstered furniture normally exhibits a less volatile sales pattern over an economic cycle.

Practices Regarding Working Capital Items

The following describes our significant practices regarding working capital items.

Inventory: For our Upholstery segment, we maintain raw materials and work-in-process inventory at our manufacturing locations. Finished goods inventory is maintained at our six regional distribution centers as well as our manufacturing locations. Our regional distribution centers allow us to streamline the warehousing and distribution processes for our La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network, including both company-owned stores and independently-owned stores. Our regional distribution centers also allow us to reduce the number of individual warehouses needed to supply our retail outlets and help us reduce inventory levels at our manufacturing and retail locations.

For our Casegoods segment, we import wood furniture from Asian vendors, resulting in long lead times on these products. To address these long lead times and meet our customers’ delivery requirements, we maintain higher levels of finished goods inventory in our domestic warehouses, as a percentage of sales, of our casegoods products than our upholstery products.

Our company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores maintain finished goods inventory at the stores for display purposes.

Our inventory increased $9.7 million during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017. The majority of the inventory growth is being driven by higher finished goods in our Upholstery segment due to increasing our on-hand inventory to better service our customers as we move into fiscal 2019. We will continue to manage our inventory levels to ensure they are appropriate relative to our sales volume, while maintaining our focus on service to our customers.

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Accounts Receivable: During fiscal 2018, our accounts receivable increased $3.2 million compared with fiscal 2017. The increase in accounts receivable was due to fourth quarter sales in fiscal 2018 being higher than those in the fourth quarter of the prior year. We monitor our customers’ accounts and limit our credit exposure to certain independent dealers and strive to decrease our days’ sales outstanding where possible. Our days’ sales outstanding is a measure of the time needed to collect outstanding accounts receivable once we have completed a sale. Our days’ sales outstanding decreased slightly during fiscal 2018.

Accounts Payable: During fiscal 2018, our accounts payable increased $11.1 million compared with fiscal 2017. This increase was primarily due to standardizing payment terms with our vendors, which resulted in many payment terms being extended. Additionally, a portion of the increase was for amounts due to vendors for the construction of our new Innovation Center located on our Dayton, Tennessee campus.

Customer Deposits: We collect a deposit on a portion of the total merchandise price at the time a customer order is placed in one of our company-owned Retail stores, and on la-z-boy.com. These customer deposits increased $4.7 million during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017. This increase was attributable to a higher volume of orders placed in the last quarter of fiscal 2018 compared with the prior fiscal year, which had not been delivered as of fiscal year end.

Customers

Our wholesale customers are furniture retailers. While primarily located throughout the United States and Canada, we also have customers located in various other countries, including the United Kingdom, China, Australia and New Zealand.  Sales in our Upholstery and Casegoods segments are almost entirely to furniture retailers, but we also sell directly to end consumers through our company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores that make up our Retail segment and through our website, la-z-boy.com.

We have formal agreements with many furniture retailers for them to display and merchandise products from one or more of our operating units and sell them to consumers in dedicated retail space, either in stand-alone stores or dedicated proprietary galleries or studios within their stores. We consider this dedicated space to be “proprietary.” For our Upholstery and Casegoods segments, our fiscal 2018 customer mix based on sales was 57% proprietary, 16% major dealers such as Art Van Furniture, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Slumberland Furniture, and 27% other independent retailers.

The success of our product distribution model relies heavily on having retail floor space that is dedicated to displaying and marketing our products. The 350-store La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® network is central to this approach. In addition, we sell product through proprietary space within other retail furniture stores, primarily La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, England Custom Comfort Center locations, Kincaid Shoppes, and other international locations.

Maintaining, updating, and, when appropriate, expanding our proprietary distribution network is a key part of our overall sales and marketing strategy. We intend to not only increase the number of stores in the network but also to improve their quality, including upgrading old-format stores to our new concept design through remodels and relocations. At the end of fiscal 2018, less than five percent of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores in the network were in the old format. As we continue to maintain and update our current stores to improve the quality of the network, the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network plans to open, relocate or remodel 20 to 25 stores during fiscal 2019, all of which will feature the new concept store design.

We select independent dealers for our proprietary La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network based on factors such as their management and financial qualifications and the potential for distribution in specific geographical areas. This proprietary distribution benefits La-Z-Boy, our dealers and our consumers. It enables La-Z-Boy to concentrate our marketing with sales personnel dedicated to our entire product line, and only that line and approved accessories. It allows dealers that join this proprietary group to take advantage of best practices with which other proprietary dealers have succeeded, and we facilitate forums for these

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dealers to share best practices. These La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores provide our consumers a full-service shopping experience with a large variety of products, knowledgeable sales associates, and design service consultants.

Orders and Backlog

We typically build upholstery units based on specific dealer orders, either for dealer stock or to fill consumers’ custom orders. We import casegoods product primarily to fill our internal orders, rather than customer or consumer orders, resulting in higher finished goods inventory on hand as a percentage of sales. Because the size of our backlog at a given time may not be indicative of our future sales, we do not rely entirely on backlogs to predict future sales.

Our Upholstery segment backlogs as of April 28, 2018, and April 29, 2017, were approximately $69.7 million and $54.3 million, respectively, and our Casegoods segment backlogs were approximately $7.3 million and $6.9 million, respectively. Our Upholstery segment backlog for fiscal 2018 increased compared with the prior year due to the timing of shipments near the end of the fiscal year relative to orders placed. Our Casegoods segment backlog for fiscal 2018 was higher than the prior year due to strong orders on a collection that was introduced at the end of fiscal 2017 and became available to consumers in the middle of fiscal 2018. Due to the high demand for this new collection, orders for the product outpaced our shipments.

Competitive Conditions

We are the second largest manufacturer/distributor of residential (living and family room, bedroom, and dining room) furniture in the United States, as measured by annual sales volume.

Alternative distribution channels have increasingly affected our retail markets. Furniture companies that operate primarily online, such as JoyBird and Article, or that have developed a product that can be shipped more easily than traditional upholstered furniture, have increased competition for our products. The increased ability of consumers to purchase furniture through various furniture manufacturers’ and retailers’ internet websites, including companies such as Amazon, QVC, and Wayfair, which operate with lower overhead costs than a brick-and-mortar retailer, has also increased competition in the industry. Companies such as Costco, Home Depot, IKEA, Sam’s Club, Target, Wal-Mart, and others, also offer products that compete with some of our product lines.

The home furnishings industry competes primarily on the basis of product styling and quality, customer service (product availability and delivery), price, and location. We compete primarily by emphasizing our brand and the value, comfort, quality, and styling of our products. In addition, we remain committed to innovation while striving to provide outstanding customer service, exceptional dealer support, and efficient on-time delivery. Maintaining, updating, and expanding our proprietary distribution system, including identifying desirable retail locations, is a key strategic initiative for us in striving to remain competitive. We compete in the mid-to-upper-mid price point, and a shift in consumer taste and trends to lower priced products could negatively affect our competitive position.

In the Upholstery segment, our largest competitors are Ashley, Bassett, Best Chair, Ethan Allen, Flexsteel, Klaussner, Kuka, Man Wah, Natuzzi, and Southern Motion.

In the Casegoods segment, our main competitors are Bassett, Bernhardt, Ethan Allen, Heritage Home Group, Hooker Furniture, and Lacquer Craft. The Casegoods segment faces additional market pressures from foreign manufacturers entering the United States market and increased direct purchases from foreign suppliers by large United States retailers.

The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores operate in the retail furniture industry in the United States and Canada, and different stores have different competitors based on their geographic locations. Competitors

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include: Arhaus, Ashley, Bassett Furniture Direct, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Crate and Barrel, Ethan Allen, Restoration Hardware, Havertys, Williams-Sonoma, several other regional competitors (for example Art Van Furniture, Raymour & Flanigan Furniture, and Slumberland Furniture), and family-owned independent furniture stores.

In addition to the larger competitors listed above, a substantial number of small and medium-sized companies operate within our business segments, all of which are highly competitive.

Research and Development Activities

We remain committed to innovation and the construction of our new state-of-the-art Innovation Center located in Dayton, Tennessee, will replace our existing structure and house a model shop, technology center, test lab, and three-dimensional printing lab. This new Innovation Center will help us continue to develop new products to meet our customers’ needs. We expect construction of the Innovation Center to be completed during the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

We provide additional information regarding our research and development activities in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, which is included in Item 8 of this report.

Trademarks, Licenses and Patents

We own several trademarks, including the La-Z-Boy trademark, which is essential to the Upholstery and Retail segments of our business. To protect our trademarks, we have registered them in the United States and various other countries where our products are sold. These trademarks have a perpetual life, subject to renewal. We license the use of the La-Z-Boy trademark to our major international partners and dealers outside of North America. We also license the use of the La-Z-Boy trademark on contract office furniture, outdoor furniture, and non-furniture products, as these arrangements enhance our brand awareness, broaden the perceptions of La-Z-Boy, and create visibility of the La-Z-Boy brand in channels outside of the residential furniture industry. In addition, we license to our branded dealers the right to use our La-Z-Boy trademark in connection with the sale of our products and related services, on their signs, and in other ways, which we consider to be a key part of our marketing strategies. We provide more information about those dealers, under “Customers.”

We hold a number of patents that we actively enforce, but we believe that the loss of any single patent or group of patents would not significantly affect our business.

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

Our manufacturing operations involve the use and disposal of certain substances regulated under environmental protection laws, and we are involved in a small number of remediation actions and site investigations concerning these substances. Based on a review of all currently known facts and our experience with previous environmental matters, we currently do not believe it is probable that we will have any additional loss for environmental matters that would be material to our consolidated financial statements.

Employees

We employed approximately 9,000 full-time equivalent employees as of April 28, 2018, compared with 8,950 employees at the end of fiscal 2017. We employed approximately 7,400 in our Upholstery segment, 200 in our Casegoods segment, 1,100 in our Retail segment, and the remaining employees as corporate personnel. We employ the majority of our employees on a full-time basis except in our Retail segment, where many of our employees are part-time.

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Financial Information about Foreign and Domestic Operations and Export Sales

In fiscal 2018, our direct export sales, including sales in Canada, were approximately 12% of our total sales. We operate a wholesale sales office in the United Kingdom which sells and distributes furniture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. We are part of a manufacturing joint venture in Thailand which distributes furniture in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and other countries in Asia, including China. We sell and distribute furniture in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, Malaysia, and other Asian countries through a sales and marketing joint venture in Asia. In addition, our global trading company in Hong Kong continues to enhance our ability to source products and materials from our Asian suppliers, and provides quality assurance, procurement and logistics expertise. We operate a facility in Mexico which produces cut-and-sewn fabric sets for our domestic upholstery manufacturing facilities.

We provide information on sales in the United States, Canada, and other countries in Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements, which is included in Item 8 of this report. Our net property, plant, and equipment value in the United States was $173.6 million and $161.6 million at the end of fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively. Our net property, plant, and equipment value in foreign countries was $7.3 million and $7.5 million in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively.

See Item 1A of this report for information about the risks related to our foreign operations.

Internet Availability

Our Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, proxy statements on Schedule 14A, and amendments to those reports are available free of charge through links on our internet website, www.la-z-boy.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Copies of any materials we file with the SEC can also be obtained free of charge through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The information on our website is not part of this report.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Our business is subject to a variety of risks. Interest rates, consumer confidence, housing starts and the overall housing market, increased unemployment, tightening of the financial and consumer credit markets, downturns in the economy, and other general economic factors that affect many other businesses are particularly significant to us because our principal products are consumer goods.

The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we currently believe may significantly affect our business. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are unaware or that we do not currently deem significant may also become important factors that affect us at a later date. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the other information provided in this document and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any of the following risks could significantly and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials could cause delays that could result in our inability to provide goods to our customers or could increase our costs, either of which could decrease our earnings.

In manufacturing furniture, we use various types of wood, fabrics, leathers, upholstered filling material including polyurethane foam, steel, and other raw materials. Because we are dependent on outside suppliers for our raw materials, fluctuations in their price, availability, and quality could have a negative effect on our cost of sales and our ability to meet our customers’ demands. Competitive and marketing pressures may prevent us from passing along price increases to our customers, and the inability to meet our customers’ demands could cause us to lose sales. We have a higher concentration in upholstery sales, including motion furniture, than many of our competitors, and the effects of steel, polyurethane foam, wood, electrical

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components for power units, leather and fabric price increases or quantity shortages could be significant to our business.

About 50% of our polyurethane foam comes from one supplier. This supplier has several facilities across the United States, but severe weather or natural disasters could result in delays in shipments of polyurethane foam to our plants.

A change in the financial condition of some of our domestic and foreign fabric suppliers could impede their ability to provide products to us in a timely manner. Upholstered furniture is fashion oriented, and if we were unable to acquire sufficient fabric variety, or to predict or respond to changes in fashion trends, we might lose sales and have to sell excess inventory at reduced prices. Doing so would have a negative effect on our sales and earnings.

Changes in United States trade policy, availability and cost of foreign sourcing, and economic uncertainty in countries outside of the United States in which we operate or from which we purchase product, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We have operations in countries outside the United States, some of which are located in emerging markets. Long-term economic and political uncertainty in some of the countries in which we operate, such as the United Kingdom, Mexico and Thailand, could result in the disruption of markets and negatively affect our business. Our Casegoods segment imports products manufactured by foreign sources, mainly in China and Vietnam, and our Upholstery segment purchases cut-and-sewn fabric and leather sets, electronic component parts, and some finished goods from Chinese and other foreign vendors. Our cut-and-sewn leather sets are primarily purchased from four suppliers that operate in China, and the majority of our fabric products are purchased from three suppliers that also operate in China. One of these primary suppliers provides both cut-and-sewn leather sets and fabric products. Our sourcing partners may not be able to produce goods in a timely fashion or the quality of their product may lead us to reject it, causing disruptions in our domestic operations and delays in our shipments to our customers.

There are other risks that are inherent in our operations, including the potential for changes in socio-economic conditions, changes in laws and regulations, including import, export, labor and environmental laws, port strikes, tariffs, duties and trade barriers, monetary and fiscal policies, investments, taxation, and exchange controls. Additionally, unsettled political conditions, possible terrorist attacks, organized crime, and public health concerns present a risk to our operations. All of these items could make servicing our customers more difficult or cause disruptions in our plants that could reduce our sales, earnings, or both in the future.

Changes in the political environment in the United States may also have a material adverse effect on our business in the future or require us to modify our current business practices. Because we manufacture components in Mexico and purchase components and finished goods manufactured in foreign countries including China, we are subject to risks relating to increased tariffs on U.S. imports, changes in the North American Free Trade Agreement, and other changes affecting imports. Our business in the United Kingdom could be affected by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, and our sales and margins there and in other foreign countries could be adversely affected by the imposition in foreign countries of import bans, quotas, and increases in tariffs.

Inability to maintain and enhance our brand and respond to changes in our current and potential consumers’ tastes and trends in a timely manner could adversely affect our business and operating results.

The success of our business depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brands to increase our business by retaining consumers and attracting new ones. Furniture product is fashion oriented so changes in consumers’ tastes and trends and the resultant change in our product mix, as well as failure to offer our

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consumers multiple avenues for purchasing our products, could adversely affect our business and operating results. We attempt to minimize these risks by maintaining strong advertising and marketing campaigns promoting our brands. We also attempt to minimize our risk by updating our current product designs, styles, quality, prices, and options to purchase our products in-store or online. If these efforts were unsuccessful or required us to incur substantial costs, our business, operating results and financial or competitive condition could be adversely affected.

Loss of market share and other financial or operational difficulties due to competition would likely result in a decrease in our sales, earnings, and liquidity.

The residential furniture industry is highly competitive and fragmented. We compete with many other manufacturers and retailers, including online retailers, some of which offer widely advertised products, and others, several of which are large retail furniture dealers offering their own store-branded products. Competition in the residential furniture industry is based on quality, style of products, perceived value, price, service to the customer, promotional activities, and advertising. The highly competitive nature of the industry means we are constantly subject to the risk of losing market share, which would likely decrease our future sales, earnings, and liquidity. In addition, due to the large number of competitors and their wide range of product offerings, we may not be able to differentiate our products (through styling, finish, and other construction techniques) from those of our competitors. Additionally, a majority of our sales are to distribution channels that rely on physical stores to merchandise and sell our products and a significant shift in consumer preference toward purchasing products online could have a materially adverse impact on our sales and operating margin. In the past several fiscal years we have experienced lower traffic to our company-owned stores, similar to other furniture retailers, as consumers have shifted to purchasing more furniture products online. We are attempting to meet these consumers where they prefer to shop by expanding our online capabilities and improving the user experience at la-z-boy.com to drive more traffic to both our online site and our physical stores. These and other competitive pressures could result in a decrease in our sales, earnings, and liquidity.

Our current retail markets and other markets that we enter in the future may not achieve the growth and profitability we anticipate. We could incur charges for the impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill, or other intangible assets if we fail to meet our earnings expectations for these markets.

From time to time we acquire retail locations and related assets, remodel and relocate existing stores, experiment with new store formats, and close underperforming stores. Our assets include goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets acquired in connection with these acquisitions. Profitability of acquired, remodeled, relocated, and new format stores will depend on lease rates (for stores we lease) and retail sales and profitability justifying the costs of acquisition, remodeling, and relocation. If we do not meet our sales or earnings expectations for these stores, we may incur charges for the impairment of long-lived assets, the impairment of goodwill, or the impairment of other indefinite-lived intangible assets.

We operate a wholesale sales office that is responsible for distributing La-Z-Boy products in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Our assets include goodwill and other intangible assets, including acquired customer relationships, in connection with our acquisition of this business. If we do not meet our sales or earnings expectations for this operation, we may incur charges for the impairment of goodwill or the impairment of our intangible assets.

Changes in regulation of our international operations could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Because we have operations outside of the United States and sell product in various countries, we are subject to many laws governing international relations, including the UK Bribery Act 2010, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.S. Export Administration Act. These laws include prohibitions on improper payments to government officials, restrictions on where we can do business, what products we can supply to

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certain countries, and what information we can provide to certain governments. We are also subject to laws and regulations on the collection and use of electronic data, including the General Data Protection Regulation that became effective in May 2018 in the European Union and subjects violators that operate in the European Union to penalties of up to 4% of their global revenue. Violations of these laws, which are complex, may result in criminal penalties or sanctions that could have a significant adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies.

We rely extensively on information technology systems to process transactions, summarize results, and manage our business and that of certain independent dealers. Disruptions in both our primary and back-up systems could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our primary and back-up information technology systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, viruses, phishing attempts, cyber attacks, security breaches, natural disasters, and errors by employees. Though losses arising from some of these issues would be covered by insurance, interruptions of our critical business information technology systems or failure of our back-up systems could reduce our sales or result in longer production times. If our critical information technology systems or back-up systems were damaged or ceased to function properly, we might have to make a significant investment to repair or replace them.

We may be subject to product liability claims or undertake to recall one or more products, with a negative impact on our financial results and reputation.

Millions of our products, sold over many years, are currently used by consumers. We may be named as a defendant in lawsuits instituted by persons allegedly injured while using one of our products. We have insurance that we believe is adequate to cover such claims, but we are self-insured for the first $1.5 million in liability and for all defense costs. Furthermore, such claims could damage our brands and reputation and negatively affect our operating results. We have voluntarily recalled products in the past, and while none of those recalls has resulted in a material expense or other significant adverse effect, it is possible that recalls could result in future additional expense, penalties, and injury to our brands and reputation, and negatively impact our operating results.

Our business and our reputation could be adversely affected by cybersecurity incidents and the failure to protect sensitive employee, customer, consumer, vendor or Company data, or to comply with evolving regulations relating to our obligation to protect such data.

Cyber attacks designed to gain access to sensitive information by breaching security systems of large organizations leading to unauthorized release of confidential information have occurred over the last several years at a number of major U.S. companies. Despite widespread recognition of the cyber attack threat and improved data protection methods, cyber attacks on organizations continue to be persistent and ever-changing making it difficult to prevent and detect these attacks. Similar to many other retailers, we receive and store certain personal information about our employees, customers, consumers, and vendors. Additionally, we rely on third-party service providers to execute certain business processes and maintain certain information technology systems and infrastructure, and we supply such third-party providers with the personal information required for those services.

During fiscal 2018, we were subject, and will likely continue to be subject, to attempts to breach the security of our networks and IT infrastructure through cyber attack, malware, computer viruses, and other means of unauthorized access. To the best of our knowledge, attempts to breach our systems have not been successful to date. A breach of our systems that resulted in the unauthorized release of sensitive data could adversely affect our reputation, drive existing and potential customers away, lead to financial losses from remedial actions or potential liability, possibly including punitive damages, or we could incur regulatory fines or

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penalties. An electronic security breach resulting in the unauthorized release of sensitive data from our information systems or those of our third party service providers could also materially increase the costs we already incur to protect against these risks. We continue to balance the additional risk with the cost to protect us against a breach, and have taken steps to ensure that losses arising from a breach would be covered in part by insurance that we carry.

Changes in the inputs we used to calculate our acquisition-related contingent consideration liabilities could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

Certain acquisitions include contingent consideration liabilities relating to payments based on the future performance of the operations acquired. Under generally accepted accounting principles, we are required to estimate the fair value of any contingent consideration. Our estimates of fair value are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable but the assumptions are uncertain and involve significant judgment by management. Changes in business conditions or other events could materially change the projection of future cash flows or the discount rate we used in the fair value calculation of the contingent consideration. We reassess the fair value quarterly, and we record in our results of operations increases or decreases based on the actual or expected future performance of the acquired operations. These quarterly adjustments could have a material effect on our results of operations.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

We owned or leased approximately 11.1 million square feet of active manufacturing, warehousing and distribution centers, office, showroom, and retail facilities, and had approximately 0.3 million square feet of idle facilities, at the end of fiscal 2018. Of the 11.1 million square feet occupied at the end of fiscal 2018, our Upholstery segment occupied approximately 6.7 million square feet, our Casegoods segment occupied approximately 1.4 million square feet, our Retail segment occupied approximately 2.8 million square feet, and our Corporate and other operations occupied the balance.

Our active facilities and retail locations are located in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,  Washington D.C., Wisconsin, Coahuila (Mexico), Bangkok (Thailand), Alberta and Manitoba (Canada), Dongguan (China), Hong Kong, and Berks (United Kingdom). All of our plants and stores are well maintained and insured. We do not expect any major land or building additions will be needed to increase capacity in the foreseeable future for our manufacturing operations. We own all of our domestic plants, and our joint venture owns our Thailand plant. We lease the majority of our retail stores and regional distribution centers, as well as our manufacturing facility in Mexico and our office spaces in China, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. For information on terms of operating leases for our properties, see Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, which is included in Item 8 of this report.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are involved in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. Based on a review of all currently known facts and our experience with previous legal matters, we have recorded expense in respect of probable and reasonably estimable losses arising from legal matters and we currently do not believe it is probable that we will have any additional loss that would be material to our consolidated financial statements.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Listed below are the names, ages and current positions of our executive officers and, if they have not held those positions for at least five years, their former positions during that period. All executive officers serve at the pleasure of the board of directors.

Kurt L. Darrow, age 63

· Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2011

Louis M. Riccio Jr., age 55

· Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since July 2006

J. Douglas Collier, age 51

· Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer and President, International since May 2017

· Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and President, International from August 2014 through May 2017

· Chief Marketing Officer and President, International from August 2011 through August 2014

Darrell D. Edwards, age 54

· Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer since August 2014

· Senior Vice President of Operations, Residential Division from May 2012 through August 2014

Otis S. Sawyer, age 60

· Senior Vice President and President, La-Z-Boy Portfolio Brands since February 2017

· Senior Vice President and President, England, Inc. from February 2008 through February 2017

· President of La-Z-Boy Casegoods from November 2015 through February 2017

· President of Non-Branded Upholstery from February 2008 through August 2014

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PART II

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

Dividend and Market Information

The New York Stock Exchange is the principal market on which our common stock is traded. The tables below show the high and low sale prices of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange during each quarter of our last two fiscal years.

Our credit agreement allows us to pay dividends or purchase shares as long as we are not in default and our excess availability, as defined in the credit agreement, is above 17.5% of the revolving credit commitment. If excess availability falls between 12.5% and 17.5%, then to continue paying dividends or purchasing shares, we must maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.00 to 1.00 on a pro-forma basis and not be in default. Currently we are not prohibited from paying dividends or purchasing shares. Refer to Note 9 of the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 for further discussion of our credit agreement. The payment of future cash dividends is within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, capital requirements and operating and financial condition, as well as excess availability under the credit agreement, among other factors.

Shareholders

We had approximately 14,800 shareholders of record at May 2, 2018.

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Equity Plans

The table below provides information concerning our compensation plans under which common shares may be issued.

Equity Compensation Plan Information as of April 28, 2018

Note 1: These shares were issued under our 2010 Omnibus Incentive Plan. Effective April 29, 2018, no additional shares can be awarded under this plan.

Note 2: This amount is the aggregate number of shares that were available for future issuance under our 2010 Omnibus Incentive Plan at April 28, 2018. Effective April 29, 2018, no additional shares can be awarded under this plan.

Note 3: Effective April 29, 2018, awards may be issued under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, which provides for awards of stock options, restricted stock, and performance awards (awards of our common stock based on achievement of pre-set goals over a performance period) to selected key employees and non-employee directors. We have 5,850,000 shares available for future issuance under this plan.

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Performance Graph

The graph below shows the cumulative total return for our last five fiscal years that would have been realized (assuming reinvestment of dividends) by an investor who invested $100 on April 27, 2013, in our common shares, in the S&P 500 Composite Index, and in the Dow Jones U.S. Furnishings Index.

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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

Our board of directors has authorized the purchase of company stock. As of April 28, 2018, 6.7 million shares remained available for purchase pursuant to this authorization. We spent $56.7 million in fiscal 2018 to purchase 2.0 million shares. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, pursuant to the existing board authorization, we adopted a plan to purchase company stock pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The plan was effective April 6, 2018. Under this plan, our broker has the authority to purchase company shares on our behalf, subject to SEC regulations and the price, market volume and timing constraints specified in the plan. The plan expires at the close of business on June 22, 2018. With the cash flows we anticipate generating in fiscal 2019, we expect to continue being opportunistic in purchasing company stock.

The following table summarizes our purchases of company stock during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018:

(1)         In addition to the 351,946 shares purchased during the quarter as part of our publicly announced director authorization described above, this column includes 1,816 shares purchased from employees to satisfy their withholding tax obligations upon vesting of restricted shares and performance based shares.

(2)         On October 28, 1987, our board of directors announced the authorization of the plan to repurchase company stock. The plan originally authorized 1.0 million shares, and since October 1987, 27.0 million shares were added to the plan for repurchase. The authorization has no expiration date.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

There were no sales of unregistered securities during fiscal year 2018.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The following table presents our selected financial data. The table should be read in conjunction with Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This information is derived from our audited financial statements and should be read in conjunction with those statements, including the related notes.

Consolidated Five-Year Summary of Financial Data

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(1)    Equal to total La-Z-Boy Incorporated shareholders’ equity divided by the number of outstanding shares on the last day of the fiscal year

(2)    Equal to income from continuing operations divided by average two year equity

(3)    Based on income from continuing operations

(4)    Equal to total current assets divided by total current liabilities

(5)    Equal to total debt divided by total equity

(6)    Equal to total debt divided by total debt plus total equity

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Unaudited Quarterly Financial Information Fiscal 2018

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Unaudited Quarterly Financial Information Fiscal 2017

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

We have prepared this Management’s Discussion and Analysis as an aid to understanding our financial results. It should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We begin with an introduction to our key businesses and then provide discussions of our results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, and critical accounting policies. It is important to note that our fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2017 included 52 weeks, whereas fiscal year 2016 included 53 weeks. The additional week in fiscal year 2016 was included in our fourth quarter.

Introduction

Our Business

We manufacture, market, import, export, distribute and retail upholstery furniture products. In addition, we import, distribute and retail accessories and casegoods (wood) furniture products. We are the leading global producer of reclining chairs and the second largest manufacturer/distributor of residential furniture in the United States. The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores retail network is the third largest retailer of single-branded furniture in the United States. We have seven major manufacturing locations and six regional distribution centers in the United States and one facility in Mexico to support our speed-to-market and customization strategy. We operate a wholesale sales office that is responsible for distribution of our product in the United Kingdom and Ireland and we also participate in two joint ventures in Thailand that support our international businesses; one of which operates a manufacturing facility and the other operates a wholesale sales office. We operate a global trading company in Hong Kong which helps us manage our Asian supply chain by establishing and maintaining relationships with our Asian suppliers, as well as identifying efficiencies and savings opportunities.  Additionally, we have contracts with several suppliers in Asia to produce products that support our pure import model for casegoods.

We sell our products to furniture retailers or distributors in the United States, Canada, and approximately 60 other countries, including the United Kingdom, China, Australia and New Zealand, directly to consumers through stores that we own and operate, and through our website, la-z-boy.com. The centerpiece of our retail distribution strategy is our network of 350 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores and 535 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, each dedicated to marketing our La-Z-Boy branded products. We consider this dedicated space to be “proprietary.” We own 146 of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores. The remainder of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, as well as all 535 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, are independently owned and operated. La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores help consumers furnish their homes by combining the style, comfort, and quality of La-Z-Boy furniture with our available design services. La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations are defined spaces within larger independent retailers that are dedicated to displaying and selling La-Z-Boy branded products. In total, we have approximately 7.8 million square feet of proprietary floor space dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products in North America. Additionally, floor space outside of the United States and Canada dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products totals approximately 2.5 million square feet. Our other brands, England, American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid enjoy distribution through many of the same outlets, with approximately half of Hammary’s sales originating through the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network. Kincaid and England have their own dedicated proprietary in-store programs with 542 outlets and approximately 1.7 million square feet of proprietary floor space. In total, our proprietary floor space includes approximately 12.0 million square feet worldwide.

Our goal is to deliver value to our shareholders with improved sales and earnings over the long term through executing our strategic initiatives. The foundation of our strategic initiatives is driving profitable sales

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growth in all areas of our business, but most importantly in our flagship La-Z-Boy brand. We are planning for this growth in multiple ways:

·                  We are expanding our branded distribution channels, which include the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store network and the La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations, our store-within-a-store format. We expect this initiative to generate growth in our Retail segment through an increased company-owned store count and in our wholesale Upholstery segment as our proprietary distribution network expands. We are not only focused on growing the number of locations, but also on upgrading existing store locations to our new concept designs.

·                  We are growing the size of our company-owned retail business by opening new La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores or acquiring stores from existing dealers, primarily in markets that can be serviced through our regional distribution centers, where we see opportunity for growth, or where we believe we have opportunities for further market penetration.

·                  We are attempting to responsibly increase our market share by taking advantage of our unique multi-channel distribution network. In addition to our branded distribution channels, over 2,000 other dealers sell La-Z-Boy products, providing us the benefit of multi-channel distribution. These outlets include some of the best known names in the industry, including Art Van, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and Slumberland. Our other brands, England, American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid, enjoy distribution through many of the same outlets. We believe there is significant growth potential for our brands through these retail channels.

·                  We also aim to increase our market share in stationary upholstered furniture through a combination of our Live Life Comfortably® marketing campaign and our innovative and on-trend product. While we are known for our iconic recliners, they account for less than half of our sales in dollars, and we believe we have the potential to expand sales of our other products. To stimulate growth, we are focusing on expanding our digital marketing and e-commerce capabilities to build traffic across our multiple digital and physical properties. We are driving change throughout our digital platforms to improve the user experience, with a specific focus on the ease by which customers browse through our broad assortment, customize products to their liking, find stores to make a purchase, or purchase at la-z-boy.com.

·                  We are bringing innovative products to market, including stain-resistant iCleanTM fabric and our power products, some of which include dual mechanisms and articulating headrests. Our newest innovation, duoTM, is a revolutionary product line that features the look of stationary furniture with the power to recline at the push of a button. We are committed to innovation throughout our business, and to support these efforts we are building a new state-of-the-art Innovation Center at our Dayton, Tennessee campus. We expect the Innovation Center to be completed and operational in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

·                  We developed a multifaceted strategy to participate in the growing online furniture sales space. This strategy has three components: increasing online sales of La-Z-Boy furniture through la-z-boy.com and other digital companies, such as Wayfair and Amazon; leveraging the strength of our world-class supply chain to support other e-commerce brands; and investing in new online companies. We believe this three-pronged approach will position us for growth in the ever-changing online selling environment, and we will continue developing this strategy as we move forward.

Our reportable segments are the Upholstery segment, the Casegoods segment, and the Retail segment.

·                  Upholstery Segment. Our Upholstery reportable segment is our largest business segment and consists primarily of two operating segments: La-Z-Boy, our largest operating segment, and the operating segment for our England subsidiary. The Upholstery segment also includes our international wholesale businesses. These operating segments are aggregated into one reportable segment because they are economically similar and because they meet the other aggregation criteria for determining reportable segments. Our Upholstery segment manufactures and imports upholstered furniture such as recliners and motion furniture, sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, modulars, ottomans and sleeper sofas. The Upholstery segment sells directly to La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, operators of

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La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio® locations and England Custom Comfort Center locations, major dealers, and a wide cross-section of other independent retailers.

·                  Casegoods Segment. Our Casegoods segment consists of one operating segment, and sells furniture under three brands: American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid. The Casegoods segment is an importer, marketer, and distributor of casegoods (wood) furniture such as bedroom sets, dining room sets, entertainment centers and occasional pieces, and also manufactures some coordinated upholstered furniture. The Casegoods segment sells directly to major dealers, as well as La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores, and a wide cross-section of other independent retailers.

·                  Retail Segment. Our Retail segment consists of one operating segment, and includes our 146 company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores. The Retail segment primarily sells upholstered furniture, in addition to some casegoods and other accessories, to the end consumer through these stores.

Results of Operations
Fiscal Year 2018, Fiscal Year 2017, and Fiscal Year 2016

La-Z-Boy Incorporated

Sales

Our consolidated sales increased $63.9 million in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following a decrease of $5.3 million in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016. As a reminder, fiscal 2016 contained 53 weeks, while fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 contained 52 weeks. The additional week in fiscal 2016 resulted in approximately $29 million of additional sales based on the average weekly sales for that fiscal year.

·                  The increase in sales in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017 was driven by sales growth in all three of our operating segments. Our Upholstery segment benefited from the acquisition of the La-Z-Boy wholesale business in the United Kingdom and Ireland and a favorable change in our product mix. Our Casegoods segment grew sales volume by expanding floor space with existing retailers. Our Retail segment sales increased due to the addition of new stores that were not open in the prior-year period and from acquisitions we completed in the last 12 months.

·                  Sales were essentially flat in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016, due to lower sales in our Upholstery and Casegoods segments which were offset by higher sales in our Retail segment. The sales decline in our Upholstery and Casegoods segments were mostly due to fiscal 2017 including only 52 weeks while fiscal 2016 included 53 weeks. The sales increase in our Retail segment was driven by the sales from new stores that were not open in the prior-year period and acquired stores, partially offset by lower sales from stores that had been open a minimum of 12 months, and the impact of fiscal 2017 including one less week than fiscal 2016.

Operating Margin

Our operating margin decreased 0.6 percentage points in fiscal 2018 compared with the prior year, following an increase of 0.6 percentage points in fiscal 2017 compared with the prior year.

·                  Our gross margin decreased 0.8 percentage points during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following an increase of 1.7 percentage points in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016.

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·                  Our gross margin declined in fiscal 2018 compared with the prior year, mostly due to a decline in our Upholstery segment’s gross margin resulting from increased prices for our three core raw material components of steel, polyurethane foam and wood.

·                  Our gross margin improved in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016 due to an increase in our Upholstery segment’s gross margin due to favorable changes in our product mix, as well as improved efficiencies in our supply chain, including procurement, manufacturing operations, and logistics. In addition, our Casegoods segment’s gross margin improved in fiscal 2017 compared with the prior year due to lower promotional activity related to discontinued product and lower freight expense on imported product.

·                  Our Retail segment’s gross margin was essentially flat in both fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 compared with the prior years.

·                  Our gross margin improved 0.2 and 0.9 percentage points in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively, compared with each of the prior years, due to changes in our consolidated sales mix. Our consolidated sales mix changed due to the growth of our Retail segment, which has a higher gross margin than our wholesale segments.

·                  Additionally, each of fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016 included the benefit of favorable legal settlements, which provided a benefit of 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

·                  Our selling, general, and administrative (“SG&A”) expense as a percentage of sales decreased 0.2 percentage points during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following an increase of 1.1 percentage points in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016.

·                  Our SG&A expense as a percentage of sales was lower in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, primarily due to lower incentive compensation expense. As a percentage of sales, incentive compensation expense was 0.4 percentage points lower in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017 because our consolidated financial performance was lower when compared against our incentive-based targets in fiscal 2018. Additionally, we benefited from favorable absorption of fixed SG&A costs on the higher sales dollars and a reduction in discretionary SG&A spending in fiscal 2018. Partially offsetting these items was the impact of the previously announced legal settlement of a civil dispute, which increased SG&A expense as a percentage of sales by 0.3 percentage points in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017. With the announced settlement, which resolved all of our past and future obligations at issue in the litigation, we recognized an additional charge of $4.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

·                  Our SG&A expense as a percentage of sales was higher in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016, primarily due to higher advertising expense. As a percentage of sales, advertising expense was 0.8 percentage points higher because we strategically increased spending in our Live Life Comfortably® marketing campaign and on promotional marketing to support our retail stores and enhance our share of voice in selected markets. This was partly offset by professional fees and legal costs that were 0.7 percentage points lower as a percentage of sales during fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016, because we incurred higher legal costs in fiscal 2016 related to the previously announced civil dispute that was settled in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

·                  Additionally, our SG&A expense as a percentage of sales increased 0.3 and 1.2 percentage points in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively, compared with each of the prior years, due to changes in our consolidated sales mix. Our consolidated sales mix changed due to the growth of our Retail segment, which has a higher level of SG&A expense as a percentage of sales than our wholesale segments.

We explain these items further when we discuss each segment’s results later in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis.

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Upholstery Segment

Sales

Our Upholstery segment’s sales increased $35.9 million in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following a decrease of $24.4 million in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016. The additional week in fiscal 2016 resulted in approximately $23 million of additional sales based on the average weekly sales for that fiscal year.

·                  The segment’s sales increase in fiscal 2018 was primarily due to the following:

·                  The acquisition of the La-Z-Boy wholesale business in the United Kingdom and Ireland added sales of $18.9 million.

·                  Changes in our product mix resulted in an additional 2.0% increase in sales. Our product mix shifted from non-powered fabric units to more leather units with power that have a higher average selling price.

·                  Higher selling prices resulted in a 0.7% increase in sales. We raised our selling price in response to inflationary pressures on our raw materials.

·                  These increases were somewhat offset by lower overall unit volume, which resulted in a 2.5% decrease in sales.

·                  The segment’s sales decline in fiscal 2017 was mostly due to fiscal 2017 including only 52 weeks while fiscal 2016 included 53 weeks, in addition to the following:

·                  Lower overall unit volume resulted in a 2.4% decrease in sales.

·                  Higher promotional activity in fiscal 2017 resulted in a 0.5% decrease in sales. The higher promotional activity was due to our strategic decision to discount product to drive sales against weaker demand, and in connection with our phasing out certain frames and fabrics.

·                  These decreases were partially offset by changes in our product mix which resulted in a 0.7% increase in sales. Our product mix shifted to more motion units and more units with power. Motion units have a higher average selling price than stationary units, and units with power have a higher average selling price than units without power.

·                  Lastly, fiscal 2017 included the benefit of four months of sales from our acquisition of the La-Z-Boy wholesale business in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which contributed $8.9 million of sales in fiscal 2017.

Operating Margin

Our Upholstery segment’s operating margin decreased 1.9 percentage points in fiscal 2018 compared with the prior year, following an increase of 1.2 percentage points in fiscal 2017 compared with the prior year.

·                  The segment’s gross margin decreased 1.6 percentage points during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017.

·                  Increased prices, primarily for our three core raw material components of steel, polyurethane foam and wood, decreased the segment’s gross margin by 0.8 percentage points. The inflationary pressure we experienced from these raw materials was higher than we expected, and during fiscal 2018 we implemented sales price increases that we expect will offset the negative impact on our margins as we move into fiscal 2019, providing costs do not continue to escalate.

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·                  Lower absorption of fixed costs in our manufacturing facilities, driven primarily by a decline in production volume, decreased the segment’s gross margin by 0.7 percentage points.

·                  The benefit of a legal settlement during fiscal 2017 negatively impacted the comparison of the segment’s gross margin by 0.2 percentage points.

·                  The segment’s gross margin increased 0.7 percentage points during fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016.

·                  Changes in our product mix resulted in an improvement of 0.7 percentage points. The improvement was primarily due to a shift to more motion units with power, as well as a shift to more recliners.

·                  Improved efficiencies in our supply chain, including procurement, manufacturing operations and logistics, resulted in an improvement of 0.5 percentage points.

·                  Higher promotional activity related to our strategic decision to discount product to drive sales against the weaker demand in the home furnishings sector, and in connection with our phasing out of certain frames and fabric, resulted in a reduction of 0.3 percentage points in the segment’s gross margin.

·                  Favorable legal settlements provided a benefit of 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points in the segment’s gross margin during fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016, respectively.

·                  The segment’s SG&A expense as a percentage of sales increased 0.3 percentage points during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017.

·                  The previously announced legal settlement of a civil dispute increased SG&A expense as a percentage of sales by 0.3 percentage points. With the announced settlement, which resolved all of our past and future obligations at issue in the litigation, we recognized an additional charge of $4.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

·                  The segment’s SG&A expense as a percentage of sales decreased 0.5 percentage points during fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016.

·                  Professional fees and legal costs were 0.9 percentage points lower as a percent of sales. We incurred higher legal costs in fiscal 2016 related to the previously announced civil dispute that was settled in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

·                  Advertising expense was 0.2 percentage points higher as a percentage of sales as we strategically increased spending on our Live Life Comfortably® marketing campaign.

Casegoods Segment

Sales

Our Casegoods segment’s sales increased $11.2 million in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following a decrease of $2.3 million in fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016. The additional week in fiscal 2016 resulted in approximately $2 million of additional sales based on the average weekly sales for that fiscal year.

·                  The segment’s sales increase in fiscal 2018 was primarily due to higher volume we achieved through improved product styling, expanding our floor space with existing retailers, and a reliable in-stock position.

·                  The segment’s sales decrease in fiscal 2017 was mostly due to fiscal 2017 including only 52 weeks while fiscal 2016 included 53 weeks, in addition to a decline in unit volume. We believe the lower volume resulted from weaker demand throughout the home furnishings sector, which

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had been more prominent for casegoods product than for other product categories. The volume decline was somewhat offset by lower promotional activity on discontinued product.

Operating Margin

Our Casegoods segment’s operating margin increased 1.9 percentage points in fiscal 2018 compared with the prior year, following an increase of 1.1 percentage points in fiscal 2017 compared with the prior year.

·                  The segment’s gross margin increased 0.2 percentage points during fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017, following an increase of 1.4 percentage points during fiscal 2017 compared with fiscal 2016.

·                  During fiscal 2018, the segment’s gross margin increased due to increased volume and shift in our product mix to newer, higher margin collections, which was slightly offset by higher freight expense on imported product.

·                  During fiscal 2017, the segment’s gross margin increased due to lower promotional activity related to discontinued product and lower freight expense on imported product.