SEC Company Response from NATUZZI S P A (NTZ) (CIK 0000900391) (NTZ) — Oct 11, 2005
NATUZZI S P A (NTZ) (CIK 0000900391)
Date: Oct. 11, 2005 · CIK: 0000900391 · Accession: 0001157523-05-008695
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Show Raw Text
CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Natuzzi S.p.A. Correspondence
October
10, 2005
Mr.
Rufus Decker
Accounting
Branch Chief
Division
of Corporation Finance
United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
100
F Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
U.S.A.
Natuzzi
S.p.A.
Re:
Form
20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
Filed
June 30, 2005
SEC
File No. 1-11854
Dear
Mr. Decker:
By
letter dated dated September 26, 2005 (the “Comment
Letter”),
the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff”)
provided certain comments on the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal
year
ended December 31, 2004, as filed on June 30, 2005 by Natuzzi S.p.A.
(“Natuzzi”
or the “Group”).
In
accordance with the Staff’s request, Natuzzi is submitting its responses in this
letter via EDGAR as correspondence.
For
ease of reference, the text of each of the Staff’s comments is set forth in full
in this letter in italics with the response immediately following each
italicized comment.
Natuzzi
SpA - Via Iazzitiello 47,
70029
Santeramo in Colle (BA)
Italy
1/10
Natuzzi
SpA is directed and coordinated by
Invest
2003 Srl
Mr.
Rufus Decker, Accounting Branch Chief
Page
2 of 10
FORM
20-F FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004
General
1.
Where
a comment below requests additional disclosures or other revisions to be
made,
please show us in your supplemental response what the revisions will look
like.
Some of our comments refer to US GAAP literature. If your accounting under
Italian GAAP differs from your accounting under US GAAP, please also show
us the
additional disclosures that will be included in your US GAAP reconciliation
footnote. These revisions should be included in your future
filings.
Natuzzi
notes the instructions regarding future filings and confirms that it will
include disclosure in future annual reports on Form 20-F as appropriate to
comply with the Staff’s comments. Where revisions or additional disclosures are
required in response to the Staff’s comments, Natuzzi has shown in the response
to the comment what the revisions or additional disclosures would look like
if
applied to the relevant periods. Our proposed disclosures set forth in this
letter are subject to change based on the facts and circumstances at the
time we
make future filings.
Contractual
Obligations and Commitments, page 32
2.
Please
revise your table of contractual obligations to include the
following:
·
Estimated
interest payments on your
debt;
·
Estimated
payments under interest rate swap agreements;
and
·
Planned
funding of pension and other postretirement benefit
obligations.
Because
the table is aimed at increasing transparency of cash flow, we believe
these
payments should be included in the table. Please also disclose any assumptions
you made to derive these amounts.
Natuzzi
SpA - Via Iazzitiello 47,
70029
Santeramo in Colle (BA)
Italy
2/10
Natuzzi
SpA is directed and coordinated by
Invest
2003 Srl
Mr.
Rufus Decker, Accounting Branch Chief
Page
3
of 10
o
Natuzzi
respectfully submits that it did not include estimated interest
payments
in the table of contractual obligations because the amounts of
such
interest payments were not material to Natuzzi’s cash flows. Nevertheless,
Natuzzi supplementally confirms to the Staff that the revised disclosure
in footnote 1 to the table below would have been accurate as of
December
31, 2004, and that it will disclose the amounts of estimated interest
payments, if such amounts are applicable and can be reasonably
estimated,
in the table of contractual obligations in future annual reports
on Form
20-F beginning with its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal
year
ending December 31, 2005 (if then applicable).
Payments
Due by Period (in euro thousands)
Contractual
Obligations
Total
Less
than
1
year
1-3
years
4-5
years
After
5
years
Long-Term
Debt(1)
5,569
571
3,221
410
1,367
(1)
Amounts presented exclude the related interest expense that will be paid
when
due. The amount of interest due on the total amount of long-term debt is
€ 555
thousands; the amount of interest due in less than one year is € 133 thousands;
the amount of interest due in 1-3 years is € 248 thousands; the amount of
interest due in 4-5 years is € 79 thousands; and the amount due after 5 years is
€ 95 thousands. Interests due on debt are calculated using fixed rates
contractually agreed with the lenders. Please see Note 16 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements included in this annual report for more information
on the
Group’s long-term debt.
o
Natuzzi
supplementally informs the Staff that it did not enter into interest
rate
swap agreements.
o
Natuzzi
supplementally informs the Staff that it has no planned funding
of pension
and other postretirement benefit obligations.
Item
15. Controls and Procedures, page 65
Natuzzi
SpA - Via Iazzitiello 47,
70029
Santeramo in Colle (BA)
Italy
3/10
Natuzzi
SpA is directed and coordinated by
Invest
2003 Srl
Mr.
Rufus Decker, Accounting Branch Chief
Page
4
of 10
3.
We
note your disclosure that “the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures as of December
31,
2004 were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required
to
be disclosed in the reports the Company files and submits under the Exchange
Act
is recorded, processed, summarized and reported as and when required.” Revise to
clarify, if true, that your officers concluded that your disclosure controls
and
procedures are also effective to ensure that information required to be
disclosed in the reports you file or submit under the Exchange Act is
accumulated and communicated to your management, including your chief executive
officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure. See Exchange Act Rules 13(a)-15(e) and
15(d)-15(e).
Natuzzi
respectfully maintains that the wording of its disclosure under Item 15 is
substantively identical to the wording of Rule 13(a)-15(e) and that no change
to
the disclosure is necessary to comply with the requirements of Item
15.
Nevertheless,
Natuzzi supplementally confirms to the Staff that the language below would
accurately describe Natuzzi’s response to Item 15 as of December 31, 2004 and
will be included (if then true) in its annual report on Form 20-F for the
year
ending December 31, 2005:
Based
upon the Company’s evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of
December 31, 2004 were effective to provide reasonable assurance that (i)
information required to be disclosed in the reports the Company files and
submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
as and when required and (ii) that information required to be disclosed in
the
reports the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated
and
communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
Financial
Statements
Note
3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Natuzzi
SpA - Via Iazzitiello 47,
70029
Santeramo in Colle (BA)
Italy
4/10
Natuzzi
SpA is directed and coordinated by
Invest
2003 Srl
Mr.
Rufus Decker, Accounting Branch Chief
Page
5
of 10
m).
Government Grants, page F-14
4.
You
state that capital grants are recognized in the consolidated statement of
earnings as revenue based on a systematic basis over the useful life of the
related asset. Please disclose the amount of capital grant income recorded
in
revenue for each period presented and help us understand why your presentation
of these amounts as revenue is not discussed in Note 27.
Under
Italian GAAP, grants in the form of capital contributions are recognized
as “net
sales” in the statements of earnings over the useful life of the related asset.
For the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002, Natuzzi reported as
net
sales amortization of government grants of €864 thousand, €868 thousand, and
€784 thousand, respectively.
Natuzzi
supplementally confirms to the Staff that in its future annual reports on
Form
20-F, beginning with its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ending December
31, 2005, it will separately disclose Italian GAAP revenues derived from
government grants. Further, Natuzzi supplemental informs the Staff that the
following description relating to government grants, drafted to be part of
note
27 to the consolidated financial statements would have been accurate as of
December 31, 2004, and that it will include a similar discussion (if then
applicable) in its future annual reports on Form 20-F beginning with its
annual
report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2005:
Under
Italian GAAP until December 31, 2000 government grants related
to capital
expenditures were recorded, net of tax, within reserves in shareholders'
equity (see note 3 (m)). Subsequent to that date such
grants have
been recorded as deferred income and recognized in the statement
of
earnings as revenue on a systematic basis over the useful life
of the
asset.
Under
US GAAP, such grants would be classified either as a reduction
of the cost
of the related fixed asset or as a deferred credit and amortized
over the
estimated useful lives of the assets. The amortization
would be
treated as a reduction of depreciation expense and classified
in the
statement of earnings according to the nature of the asset to
which the
grant relates.
Natuzzi
SpA - Via Iazzitiello 47,
70029
Santeramo in Colle (BA)
Italy
5/10
Natuzzi
SpA is directed and coordinated by
Invest
2003 Srl
Mr.
Rufus Decker, Accounting Branch Chief
Page
6 of 10
The
adjustments to net income represent the annual amortization of
the capital
grants based on the estimated useful life of the related fixed
assets. The
adjustments to shareholders' equity are to reverse the amounts
of capital
grants credited directly to equity for Italian GAAP purposes,
net of the
amounts of amortization of such grants for US GAAP purposes.
In 1995 and
1997, the Group received certain grants relating to fixed assets
acquired
between 1989 and 1997 with various useful lives. For US GAAP
purposes, the
Group is amortizing such grants over the remaining useful lives
of the
assets to which the grants relate.
Grants
recognized as revenues under Italian GAAP of € 864 thousand, € 868
thousand and € 784 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003
and 2002 respectively would be reclassified as reductions to
depreciation
expense and recorded in cost of goods sold under US GAAP.
o).
Net Sales, Page F-15
5.
You
state that revenues are recorded net of returns, warranties and discounts.
Please disclose the amount of warranty costs recorded for each period presented
and help us understand why your presentation of these amounts as a reduction
of
revenues is not discussed in Note 27.
Natuzzi
notes that the term “warranties” used in the description of the accounting
principle relating to net sales in note 3(o) of the 2004 20-F refers to amounts
refunded to customers relating to products with defects or to produ