SEC Company Response from ELEPHANT & CASTLE GROUP INC (CIK 0000899849) — May 13, 2005
ELEPHANT & CASTLE GROUP INC (CIK 0000899849)
Date: May 13, 2005 · CIK: 0000899849 · Accession: 0001062993-05-001075
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-12134
Referenced dates: April 13, 2004
Show Raw Text
CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Filed by Automated Filing Services Inc. (604) 609-0244 - Elephant & Castle Group inc. - SEC Response Letter
Elephant & Castle Group Inc.
1190 Hornby Street
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6Z 2K5
May 12, 2005
Ms. Linda Cvrkel
Branch Chief
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporate Finance
Washington, DC 20549-0510
Re:
Elephant & Castle Group Inc. (the “Company”)
File No. 001-12134
Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2004 (the “Form 10-K”)
Dear Ms. Cvrkel:
We
are responding to your letter dated April 13, 2004, relating to the above-referenced
filings. The comments contained in that letter and our responses are set forth
below.
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
SEC COMMENT:
1.
Please revise your filing to include selected financial data for each
of your last five years, as required by Item 301(a) of Regulation S-K.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
The Company intends to further amend its Form 10-K to include the following
disclosure:
Five-Year Selected Data – Canadian GAAP
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Sales
28,202
26,725
27,716
30,235
33,723
Income (loss) from restaurant operations
2,918
2,740
2,640
3,041
1,417
Per share
0.56
0.53
0.51
0.78
0.54
Diluted per share
0.37
0.33
0.33
0.49
0.33
Earnings (loss) before income taxes
(710
)
173
(1,514
)
192
(8,335
)
Per share
(0.14
)
0.03
(0.29
)
0.05
(3.18
)
Diluted per share
n/a
0.02
n/a
0.03
n/a
Net income (loss)
(888
)
228
(1,344
)
192
(7,956
)
Per share
(0.17
)
0.04
(0.26
)
0.05
(3.04
)
Diluted per share
n/a
0.03
n/a
0.03
n/a
Total assets
15,164
10,677
10,656
13,043
12,974
Shareholders' equity (deficit)
(2,642
)
2,470
1,908
3,421
(1,945
)
Long term debt
15,262
4,622
5,142
6,012
10,622
Weighted average shares
5,244,507
5,163,271
5,163,354
3,890,000
2,619,000
Diluted weighted average shares
7,802,309
8,268,578
8,085,848
6,164,000
4,251,021
SEC COMMENT:
2.
Please revise your filing to present your data in the “selected
financial data section” also on the basis of any reconciliations of
such data to United States generally accepted accounting principles. Refer
to Instruction 6 of Item 301 of Regulation S-K.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
The Company intends to further amend its Form 10-K to include the following disclosure:
Five-Year Selected Data – United States GAAP
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Sales
27,615
26,270
27,716
30,235
33,723
Income (loss) from restaurant operations
2,744
2,677
2,669
2,967
1,489
Per share
0.52
0.52
0.52
0.76
0.57
Diluted per share
0.35
0.32
0.33
0.48
0.35
Earnings (loss) before income taxes
396
(1,743
)
(1,042
)
(470
)
(8,263
)
Per share
0.08
(0.34
)
(0.20
)
(0.12
)
(3.16
)
Diluted per share
0.05
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Net income (loss)
218
(166
)
(1,645
)
(39
)
(7,885
)
Per share
0.04
(0.03
)
(0.32
)
(0.01
)
(3.01
)
Diluted per share
0.03
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Total assets
12,876
10,046
9,886
12,058
12,309
Shareholders' equity (deficit)
(3,020
)
(4,483
)
(3,130
)
(860
)
(1,875
)
Long term debt
13,386
10,920
9,068
9,739
10,259
Weighted average shares
5,244,507
5,163,271
5,163,354
3,890,000
2,619,000
Diluted weighted average shares
7,802,309
8,268,578
8,085,848
6,164,000
4,251,021
Selected financial data - reconciliation from CDN GAAP to US GAAP
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Sales (CDN GAAP)
28,202
26,725
27,716
30,235
33,723
Less proportional share of San Fran JV
(587
)
(455
)
0
0
0
Sales (US GAAP)
27,615
26,270
27,716
30,235
33,723
Income (loss) from restaurant operations (CD N GAAP)
2,918
2,740
2,640
3,041
1,417
Amortization of improvement costs
6
(2
)
(6
)
(39
)
(41
)
Pre-opening costs expensed under US GAAP
45
(45
)
35
(36
)
112
Less proportional share of San Fran JV
(26
)
(16
)
0
0
0
Less asset impairment charge
(199
)
0
0
0
0
Income (loss) from restaurant operations (US
GAAP)
2,744
2,677
2,669
2,967
1,489
Earnings (loss) before income taxes (CDN GA AP)
(710
)
173
(1,514
)
192
(8,335
)
Amortization of improvement costs
6
(2
)
(6
)
(39
)
(41
)
Pre-opening costs expensed under US GAAP
45
(45
)
35
(36
)
112
Dividend on paid-in capital, interest under US GAAP
(333
)
(347
)
(330
)
(156
)
0
Gain on exchange of junior notes,
208
0
0
0
0
contributedd surplus under CDN GAAP
Gain/loss on translation of convertible notes,
1,180
(1,522
)
773
(431
)
0
using period end rate for US GAAP
Earnings (loss) before income taxes (US G
AAP)
396
(1,743
)
(1,042
)
(470
)
(8,263
)
Net income (loss) (CDN GAAP)
(888
)
228
(1,344
)
192
(7,956
)
Amortization of improvement costs
6
(2
)
(6
)
(39
)
(41
)
Pre-opening costs expensed under US GAAP
45
(45
)
35
(36
)
112
Dividend on paid-in capital, interest under US (GAAP)
(333
)
(347
)
(330
)
(156
)
0
Gain on exchange of junior notes,
208
0
0
0
0
contributedd surplus under CDN GAAP
Gain/loss on translation of convertible notes,
1,180
(1,522
)
773
(431
)
0
using period end rate for US GAAP
Net income (loss) (US GAAP)
218
(1,688
)
(872
)
(470
)
(7,885
)
Selected financial data - reconciliation from CDN GAAP to US GAAP
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Total assets (CDN GAAP)
15,164
10,677
10,656
13,043
12,974
Adjust for proportional share of assets in JV
(34
)
(40
)
0
0
0
Deferred financing costs
(1,876
)
(162
)
(387
)
(606
)
(363
)
Amortization of improvement costs
(378
)
(384
)
(382
)
(343
)
(302
)
Pre-opening costs expensed under US GAAP
0
(45
)
(1
)
(36
)
0
Total assets (US GAAP)
12,876
10,046
9,886
12,058
12,309
Shareholders' equity (deficit) (CDN GAAP)
(2,642
)
2,470
1,908
3,421
(1,945
)
Convertible notes, debt under US GAAP
0
(5,516
)
(4,655
)
(3,902
)
0
Amortization of improvement costs
(378
)
(384
)
(382
)
(343
)
(302
)
Pre-opening costs expensed under US GAAP
0
(45
)
(1
)
(36
)
0
Gain/loss on translation of convertible notes,
0
(1,008
)
342
(431
)
0
using period end rate for US GAAP
Shareholders' equity (deficit) (US GAAP)
(3,020
)
(4,483
)
(2,788
)
(1,290
)
(2,246
)
Long term debt (CDN GAAP)
15,262
4,622
5,142
6,012
10,622
Convertible notes, debt under US GAAP
0
6,524
4,313
4,333
0
Deferred financing costs
(1,876
)
(162
)
(387
)
(606
)
(363
)
Long term debt (US GAAP)
13,386
10,984
9,068
9,739
10,259
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
SEC COMMENT:
3.
In future filings please expand your MD&A section to include an introductory
section or overview to provide a balanced, executive-level discussion that
identifies the most important themes or other significant matters with which
management is concerned primarily in evaluating the company’s financial
condition and operating results. A good introduction or overview would:
•
Include economic or industry-wide factors relevant to the
company;
•
Serve to inform the reader about how the company earns revenues
and income, and generates cash;
to the extent necessary or useful to convey this information,
discuss the company’s lines of business, locations, and principle
products and services (but an introduction should not merely duplicate disclosures
in the Description of Business selection); and
•
provide insight into material opportunities, challenges and
risks, such as those presented by known trends and uncertainties, on which
the company’s executives are most focused for both the short and long
term, as well as the actions they are taking to address these opportunities,
challenges and risks.
See FR-72 for guidance.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
In future filings, the Company will include an overview section in its MD&A that provides (i) economic or industry-wide factors relevant to the Company, (ii) information about how the Company earns revenue and income and generates cash, (iii)
information about the Company’s locations and principle products and services, and (iv) insight regarding known trends and uncertainties and how the Company intends to address such trends and uncertainties.
SEC COMMENT:
4.
We remind you that under existing MD&A disclosure requirements,
a company should address material implications of uncertainties associated
with the methods, assumptions and estimates underlying the company’s
critical accounting measurements. In this regard, please revise future filings
to include a “Critical Accounting Policies” section within MD&A
that includes, a discussion of your most critical accounting policies and
estimates which appear to be impairment of long-lived assets and your valuation
allowance for the deferred tax assets. Your discussion should address the
factors as to how you arrived ad the estimate(s), how accurate the estimate/assumption
has been in the past, how much the estimate/assumptions has changed in the
past and whether the estimate/assumptions is reasonably likely to change
in the future. Additionally, you should consider the following when determining
what other items should go in to your critical accounting policy disclosure:
•
the nature of the estimate or assumptions is materials due to levels
of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters
or the susceptibility of such matters to change; and
•
the impact of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition or
operation performance is material.
Such disclosure should supplement, not duplicate, the description
of accounting policies that are already disclosed in the notes to the financial
statements. See FR-72 for guidance.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
In future filings, the Company will include a section in its MD&A that discusses its critical accounting policies that will include, but not be limited to, impairment of long-lived assets and its valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets,
and will address material implications and uncertainties associated with the methods, assumptions and estimates underlying such critical accounting measures.
SEC COMMENT:
5.
Please revise your filing to include a tabular disclosure of your contractual
obligations as of the most recent balance sheet date presented, as required
by Item 303(a)(5) of Regulation S-K.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
The Company intends to further amend its Form 10-K to include the following disclosure:
Tabular disclosure of contractual obligations
US$000
Payments due by period
Less than
1to 3
3 to 5
More than
Contractual obligations
Total
1 year
years
years
5 years
Long-term debt obligations
15,236
0
1,364
13,871
1
Capital (finance) lease obligations
27
19
8
0
0
Operating lease obligations
9,962
1,722
4,329
1,865
2,046
Purchase obligations
96
96
Other long-term obligations
9
9
Total contractual obligations
25,330
1,837
5,701
15,745
2,047
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
SEC COMMENT:
6.
As it appears the Company has significant exposure to changes in foreign
currency rates due to its Canadian operations, please revise to include
the disclosures with respect to this market risk outlined in Item 305(a)
of Regulation S-K. Note that the disclosures provided should be presented
in one of the suggested formats outlined in Item 305(a)(i), (ii) or (iii)
of Regulation S-K.
ELEPHANT & CASTLE’S RESPONSE:
The Company intends to further amend its Form 10-K to include the following disclosure:
Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact the Company’s financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. The Company’s market risk exposure is primarily a result of fluctuations in foreign
currency exchange risks. The Company’s borrowings are at fixed interest rates, so the Company is not significantly exposed to changes in interest rates.
Market Risk – Foreign Exchange
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is US dollars. The Company generates approximately CDN $2,400,000 of operating cash flow from its Canadian restaurants each year. These cash flows are generated in Canadian dollars.
Offsetting this, the Company incurs approximately CDN $2,700,000 of general and administrative expenses, and approximately CDN $600,000 interest on long-term debt in Canadian dollars.
The Company’s reported earnings are, therefore, subject to exchange rate fluctuations on the approximately CDN $900,000 net loss from Canadian dollar sources each year.
Also, the Company’s reported earnings include gains/losses on foreign exchange, which largely reflect revaluation of the Company’s approximately CDN $13,000,000 of long term debt.
Sensitivity