Notice on Forward Looking Statements
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Effective Date: December 2015
The website contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical statements of fact and those regarding our intent, belief or expectations for our business, operations, financial performance or financial condition in addition to statements regarding our expectations for the markets in which we operate, general business strategies, the market potential of our brands, trends in the housing market, the potential impact of costs, including material and labor costs, the potential impact of inflation, expected capital spending, expected pension contributions, the expected impact of acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic transactions, the anticipated impact of recently issued accounting standards on our financial statements, and other matters that are not historical in nature. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “plans,” “outlook,” “confident,” “opportunity,” “positioned” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections of our management about our industry, business and future financial results, available at the time such material was posted to the website. Although we believe that these statements are based on reasonable assumptions, they are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those indicated in such statements, including but not limited to: (i) our reliance on the North American and Chinese home improvement, repair and remodel and new home construction activity levels, (ii) the housing market, downward changes in the general economy, unfavorable interest rates or other business conditions, (iii) the competitive nature of consumer and trade brand businesses, (iv) our ability to execute on our strategic plans and the effectiveness of our strategies in the face of business competition, (v) our reliance on key customers and suppliers, including wholesale distributors and dealers and retailers, (vi) risks relating to rapidly evolving technological change, (vii) risks associated with our ability to improve organizational productivity and global supply chain efficiency and flexibility, (viii) risks associated with global commodity and energy availability and price volatility, as well as the possibility of sustained inflation, (ix) delays or outages in our information technology systems or computer networks or breaches of our information technology systems or other cybersecurity incidents, (x) risks associated with doing business globally, including changes in trade-related tariffs and risks with uncertain trade environments, (xi) risks associated with the disruption of operations, (xii) our inability to obtain raw materials and finished goods in a timely and cost-effective manner, (xiii) risks associated with strategic acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures, including difficulties integrating acquired companies and the inability to achieve the expected financial results and benefits of transactions, (xiv) impairments in the carrying value of goodwill or other acquired intangible assets, (xv) risks of increases in our defined benefit-related costs and funding requirements, (xvi) our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and other labor constraints, (xvii) the effect of climate change and the impact of related changes in government regulations and consumer preferences, (xviii) risks associated with environmental, social and governance matters, (xix) potential liabilities and costs from claims and litigation, (xx) changes in government and industry regulatory standards, (xxi) future tax law changes or the interpretation of existing tax laws, (xxii) our ability to secure and protect our intellectual property rights, and (xxiii) the impact of COVID-19 on the business. These and other factors are discussed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023. We undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any such obligation to, update or clarify any forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events, new information or changes to future results over time or otherwise, except as required by law.