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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-204517

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This preliminary prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT TO

PROSPECTUS DATED JULY 14, 2015

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 12, 2016

5,000,000 Shares

 

SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE HOLDINGS, INC.

Common Stock

 

 

The selling stockholders identified in this prospectus supplement are offering 5,000,000 shares of common stock of Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares being sold by the selling stockholders.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SPWH.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on April 11, 2016 was $12.21 per share.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-12 of this prospectus supplement and the risk factors included in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to read about certain factors you should consider before buying our common stock.

 

		Price to Public		Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)		Proceeds to Selling Stockholders, Before Expenses
Per Share		$		$		$
Total		$		$		$

 

(1) See “Underwriting” for a description of the compensation payable to the underwriters.

The selling stockholders have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares of common stock from the selling stockholders. We will not receive any proceeds from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock to purchasers on or about                     , 2016.

 

Credit Suisse						Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Baird		William Blair		Piper Jaffray		D.A. Davidson & Co.		Sterne Agee CRT

The date of this prospectus supplement is                     , 2016.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
Prospectus Supplement
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT			S-ii
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			S-iii
INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE			S-iii
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			S-v
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY			S-1
RISK FACTORS			S-12
USE OF PROCEEDS			S-17
PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK			S-18
DIVIDEND POLICY			S-18
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			S-19
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS			S-20
UNDERWRITING			S-24
LEGAL MATTERS			S-32
EXPERTS			S-32
Prospectus
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			2
INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE			2
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			4
SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE HOLDINGS, INC.			5
RISK FACTORS			6
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			6
USE OF PROCEEDS			6
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS WITH SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			7
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			9
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			11
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			16
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			24
DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS			28
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			29
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			30
LEGAL MATTERS			33
EXPERTS			33

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which contains specific information about the selling stockholders and the terms on which the selling stockholders are offering and selling our common stock. The second part is the accompanying prospectus which contains and incorporates by reference important business and financial information about us and other information about this offering. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a shelf registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

In making your investment decision, you should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein as described herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus that we prepare and distribute. Neither we, the selling stockholders, nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any such free writing prospectus. Neither we, the selling stockholders, nor the underwriters are making an offer to sell, or soliciting an offer to buy, these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC is accurate only as of the date of the applicable document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

As permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement on Form S-3, including its exhibits, of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form a part. We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and therefore file reports and other information with the SEC. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are only summaries. If SEC rules require that any agreement or document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, you should refer to that agreement or document for its complete contents.

Before you invest in our common stock, you should read the registration statement of which this document forms a part and this document, including the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus that are described under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospects that we prepare and distribute.

If the description of this offering varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. Any statement made in this prospectus supplement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or in any other subsequently filed document that is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, we use the terms “Sportsman’s Warehouse,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar references to refer to Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

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No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside the United States to permit a public offering of the common stock or possession or distribution of this prospectus supplement in that jurisdiction. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus supplement in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement applicable to that jurisdiction.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed our registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC under the Securities Act. We also file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document that we file with the SEC, including the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement, at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. You may obtain further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be accessed on our web site at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com. Information contained on, or accessible from, our web site is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and you should not consider information contained on our web site to be part of this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement and the prospectus are part of a registration statement filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us as indicated above.

INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus supplement the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement. Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of the document to the extent that a statement contained in this document or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document modifies or supersedes the statement. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement the following information (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016 (filed with the SEC on March 24, 2016), including the information specifically incorporated by reference into such report from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A (filed with the SEC on March 28, 2016);

 

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2016 and March 28, 2016; and

 

•

the description of our common stock in our registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-194421) filed with the SEC on March 7, 2014, including any amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We also incorporate by reference each of the documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of the offering under this prospectus supplement. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements. We will not, however, incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement any documents or portions thereof that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of our Current Reports on Form 8-K after the date of this prospectus supplement unless, and except to the extent, specified in such Current Reports.

 

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We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus (or a notice of registration in lieu thereof) is delivered a copy of any of these filings (other than an exhibit to these filings, unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit to this prospectus supplement) at no cost, upon a request to us by writing or telephoning us at the following address and telephone number:

Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.

Attn: Chief Financial Officer

7035 South High Tech Drive

Midvale, Utah 84047

Telephone Number: (801) 566-6681

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, may contain or incorporate forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, are forward-looking statements. These statements may include words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “can have,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “positioned,” “predict,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events or trends. For example, all statements we make relating to our plans and objectives for future operations, growth or initiatives and strategies are forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and our management’s beliefs and assumptions. We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our own operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution predicting the impact of known factors is very difficult, and we cannot anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results.

All of our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to:

 

•

our retail-based business model is impacted by general economic conditions and economic and financial uncertainties may cause a decline in consumer spending;

 

•

our concentration of stores in the Western United States makes us susceptible to adverse conditions in this region, which could affect our sales and cause our operating results to suffer;

 

•

we operate in a highly fragmented and competitive industry and may face increased competition;

 

•

we may not be able to anticipate, identify and respond to changes in consumer demands, including regional preferences, in a timely manner;

 

•

we may not be successful in operating our stores in any existing or new markets into which we expand; and

 

•

current and future government regulations, in particular regulations relating to the sale of firearms and ammunition, may impact the demand for our products and our ability to conduct our business.

The above is not a complete list of factors or events that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations, and we cannot predict all of them. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements disclosed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 30, 2016, as such risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC, including subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in any prospectus supplement.

Potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements we make. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and are not guarantees of future performance or developments and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in many cases beyond our control. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements publicly, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as other information in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, including the factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and each subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and any risk factors set forth in our other filings with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, before deciding whether to invest in shares of our common stock. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information We Incorporate By Reference.” The occurrence of any of the events described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. In such an event, the trading price of our common stock may decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock and this Offering

Seidler will beneficially own approximately 24.5% of our common stock after this offering, and its interests may conflict with or differ from your interests as a stockholder.

After the completion of this offering, Seidler will beneficially own approximately 24.5% of our common stock (or approximately 22.7% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). As a result, Seidler will continue to have significant influence over the election of all of our directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions that require the approval of our board of directors or stockholders, such as mergers and the sale of substantially all of our assets. So long as Seidler continues to own a significant amount of the outstanding shares of our common stock, it will have the ability to exert significant influence over our corporate decisions. Seidler may act in a manner that advances its best interests and not necessarily those of other stockholders, including investors in this offering, by, among other things:

 

•

delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control transaction;

 

•

entrenching our management and/or our board of directors;

 

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impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us;

 

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discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us; or

 

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causing us to enter into transactions or agreements that are not in the best interests of all stockholders.

Additionally, Seidler is in the business of making investments in companies and may in the future acquire interests in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of our business or our suppliers or customers. Seidler may also pursue acquisitions that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

Seidler and the members of our board of directors who are affiliated with Seidler, by the terms of our certificate of incorporation, are not required to offer us any transaction opportunity of which they become aware and could take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to other companies in which they have an investment, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to them solely in their capacity as our directors. We, by the terms of our certificate of incorporation, expressly renounce any interest in any such corporate opportunity to the extent permitted under applicable law, even if the opportunity is one that we would reasonably be deemed to have pursued if given the opportunity to do so, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to any director or officer in his or her capacity as our director or officer. Our certificate of incorporation cannot be amended to eliminate our renunciation of any such corporate opportunity arising prior to the date of any such amendment. Seidler or its affiliates may also acquire competing businesses that may not be attractive to us, and have no obligation to refrain from acquiring competing businesses. Any competition could intensify if an affiliate or subsidiary of Seidler were to enter into or acquire a business similar to our specialty retail operations. Seidler or its affiliates may enter into or acquire a competing business in the future.

 

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Although we are no longer a “controlled company” within the meaning of The NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance standards, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements during a one-year transition period.

Affiliates of Seidler no longer control a majority of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we are no longer a “controlled company” within the meaning of The NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance standards. The NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance requirements require that:

 

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a majority of the board of directors consist of “independent directors” as defined under The NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance standards;

 

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our director nominees be selected, or recommended for our board of directors’ selection, either (1) by a majority of independent directors in a vote by independent directors, pursuant to a nominations process adopted by a board resolution, or (2) by a nominating and governance committee comprised solely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the nominations process; and

 

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the compensation of our executive officers be determined, or recommended to the board for determination, by a majority of independent directors in a vote by independent directors, or by a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors.

Currently, a majority of our board of directors consists of independent directors and we have an audit committee and a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors. However, our nominating and governance committee is not comprised solely of independent directors. The rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market require that our nominating and governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors within one year of the closing of our secondary public offering in September 2015 (the date we ceased to be a “controlled company”), or by September 30, 2016. During this transition period, however, we could avail ourselves of any of the exemptions described above even if we are not currently relying upon them. Accordingly, during this transition period, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of The NASDAQ Stock Market corporate governance standards.

Our bylaws and our certificate of incorporation contain, and Delaware law contains, provisions that could discourage another company from acquiring us and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions of Delaware law and our bylaws and amended and restated certificate of incorporation may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace or remove our board of directors. These provisions include:

 

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establishing a classified board of directors;

 

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providing that directors may be removed only for cause;

 

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not providing for cumulative voting in the election of directors;

 

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requiring at least a supermajority vote of our stockholders to amend our bylaws or certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation;

 

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eliminating the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;

 

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establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings;

 

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prohibiting stockholder action by written consent; and

 

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authorizing the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock without any need for action by stockholders.

 

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In addition, we will be subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law once Seidler ceases to beneficially own at least 15% of the total voting power of our then-outstanding shares of common stock. In general, subject to some exceptions, Section 203 prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any “business combination” with any “interested stockholder” (which is generally defined as an entity or person who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation), for a three-year period following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. Section 203 could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control that our stockholders might consider to be in their best interests.

Further, our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees and agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees and agents.

Together, these charter and statutory provisions could make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our common stock. The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby potentially reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.

The price of our common stock may be volatile and you may be unable to sell your shares at or above the offering price.

Volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your common stock at or above the price you paid for your common stock. Since the completion of our IPO in April 2014, the price of our stock has ranged from $5.43 to $14.91 per share. The market price for our common stock could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, including:

 

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our operating and financial performance and prospects, including seasonal fluctuations in our financial performance;

 

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conditions that impact demand for our products;

 

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the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;

 

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changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts who track our common stock;

 

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market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy;

 

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strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;

 

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changes in federal and state government regulation;

 

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changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;

 

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arrival or departure of key personnel;

 

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sales of common stock by us or members of our management team; and

 

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changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war and responses to such events.

 

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In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and distract our management.

Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

If our existing stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or are perceived by the public market as intending to sell, the trading price of our common stock could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

We are an EGC within the meaning of the JOBS Act, and the reduced reporting requirements applicable to EGCs may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

Because we qualify as an EGC under the JOBS Act, we have elected to comply with some of the reduced disclosure and other reporting requirements available to us as an EGC for a period of up to five years following our initial public offering if we remain an EGC. For example, for as long as we remain an EGC, we are not subject to certain governance requirements, such as holding a “say-on-pay” and “say-on-golden-parachute” advisory votes, we are not required to include a “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section in our proxy statements and reports filed under the Exchange Act, and we do not need to obtain an annual attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting from a registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We could be an EGC for a period up to the end of the fifth fiscal year after our IPO, although we will cease to be an EGC earlier than this five-year period if our total annual gross revenues equal or exceed $1 billion in a fiscal year, if we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt over a three-year period or if we become a “large accelerated filer” (which requires, among other things, the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates to be at least $700 million as of the last business day of our second fiscal quarter of any fiscal year).

Accordingly, for up to five fiscal years after our IPO, our stockholders may not receive the same level of disclosure that is afforded to stockholders of a non-EGC. It is possible that investors will find our common stock to be less attractive because we have elected to comply with the reduced disclosure and other reporting requirements available to us as an EGC, which could adversely affect the trading market for our common stock and the prices at which stockholders may be able to sell their common stock.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and results of operations and proxy or information statements in connection with matters upon which our stockholders may vote. As a result of our public disclosure of information in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition have become more visible, which could result in threatened or actual litigation, or other adverse actions taken by competitors and other third parties. In addition, our management team has limited experience managing a public company or complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies, and a number of our directors have limited experience serving on the boards of public companies. The time and resources necessary to comply with the requirements of being a public company and contend with any action that might be brought against us as a result of publicly available information could divert our resources and the attention of our management and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future.

We currently expect to retain all available funds and future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and growth of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to compliance with applicable law and any contractual provisions, including under the credit agreements governing our term loans and revolving credit facility and agreements governing any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future, that restrict or limit our ability to pay dividends, and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, earnings, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. Further, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends depends on our receipt of cash dividends from our operating subsidiaries, which may further restrict our ability to pay dividends as a result of the laws of their jurisdiction of organization, agreements of our subsidiaries or covenants under our existing or future indebtedness. All of our business operations are conducted through our wholly owned subsidiaries, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc. and Minnesota Merchandising Corporation and their subsidiaries. The ability of Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc. and Minnesota Merchandising Corporation to pay dividends to us, and our ability to pay dividends on our capital stock, is limited by our term loans. Our revolving credit facility also limits our ability to pay dividends on our capital stock. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred equity securities of ours or of our subsidiaries. Accordingly, if you purchase shares in this offering, you may not realize any returns on your investment unless the price of our common stock appreciates, which may never occur. Investors seeking cash dividends in the foreseeable future should not purchase our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about us, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business and our industry. Assuming we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about us, our business or our industry, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. We will bear the costs associated with this registration in accordance with the registration rights agreement. However, the selling stockholders will bear any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes or underwriting commissions and discounts attributable to their sale of shares of our common stock. For more information, see “Selling Stockholders.”

 

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

Our common stock has been listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SPWH” since April 17, 2014. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our common stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Global Select Market:

 

2014		High				Low
First Quarter of Fiscal 2014 (from April 17, 2014)		$	11.00			$	9.12
Second Quarter of Fiscal 2014		$	10.14			$	5.75
Third Quarter of Fiscal 2014		$	7.86			$	5.43
Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2014		$	8.32			$	6.15
2015		High				Low
First Quarter of Fiscal 2015		$	9.73			$	6.81
Second Quarter of Fiscal 2015		$	12.88			$	9.18
Third Quarter of Fiscal 2015		$	14.91			$	9.92
Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2015		$	13.78			$	9.26
2016		High				Low
First Quarter of Fiscal 2016 (through April 11, 2016)		$	14.18			$	11.11

On April 11, 2016, the last reported sale price on The NASDAQ Global Select Market of our common stock was $12.21 per share. As of March 24, 2016, we had approximately 90 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

DIVIDEND POLICY

We currently expect to retain all available funds and future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and growth of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to compliance with applicable law and any contractual provisions, including under the credit agreements governing our term loans and revolving credit facility and agreements governing any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future, that restrict or limit our ability to pay dividends, and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, earnings, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends depends on our receipt of cash dividends from our operating subsidiaries, which may further restrict our ability to pay dividends as a result of the laws of their jurisdiction of organization, agreements of our subsidiaries or covenants under our existing or future indebtedness. All of our business operations are conducted through our wholly owned subsidiaries, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc. and Minnesota Merchandising Corporation and their subsidiaries. The ability of Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc. and Minnesota Merchandising Corporation to pay dividends to us, and our ability to pay dividends on our capital stock, is limited by our term loans. Our revolving credit facility also limits our ability to pay dividends on our capital stock. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred equity securities of ours or of our subsidiaries.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

The table below sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock by each of the selling stockholders.

The number of shares disclosed in the table below as “beneficially owned” are those beneficially owned as determined under the rules of the SEC. Such information is not necessarily indicative of ownership for any other purpose. Under the rules of the SEC, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares “voting power,” which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of such security, or “investment power,” which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security.

The number of shares of our common stock outstanding and the percentage of beneficial ownership before and after this offering set forth below is based on 42,004,368 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 24, 2016. Beneficial ownership reflected in the table below includes the total shares held by each selling stockholder and his, her or its affiliates. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC.

For information about certain relationships between us and the selling stockholders, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions with Selling Stockholders” in the prospectus.

Unless otherwise indicated and subject to applicable community property laws, to our knowledge, each stockholder named in the following table possesses sole voting and investment power over the shares listed.

 

		Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned Prior to This Offering								Shares of Common Stock sold hereby(1)				Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned After This Offering Assuming Underwriters’ Option is not Exercised								Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned After This Offering Assuming Underwriters’ Option is Exercised in Full
Name		Number				Percent								Number				Percent				Number				Percent
New SEP SWH Holdings, L.P.(2)			7,730,179	(3)			18.4	%			2,526,316				5,203,863				12.4	%			4,824,916				11.5	%
SEP SWH Holdings, L.P.(2)			7,569,132	(3)			18.0				2,473,684				5,095,448				12.1				4,724,395				11.2

 

(1)	Assumes no exercise of the underwriters option to purchase an additional 750,000 shares of common stock from the SEP Funds. If the underwriters exercise their option, the additional shares will be sold pro rata among the SEP Funds based on the number of shares in this column.

(2)	The address of the SEP Funds is c/o Seidler Kutsenda Management Company, LLC, 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 1200, Marina del Rey, California 90292.

(3)

Based on a Schedule 13G/A filed by Seidler Kutsenda Management Company, LLC (“SKMC”), Seidler Equity Partners III, L.P. (“SEP III”), SEP SWH Holdings GP, LLC (“SEP GP”), New SEP, and SEP with the SEC on February 2, 2016. According to the Schedule 13G/A, as of December 31, 2015, 7,730,179 shares of the common stock are held of record by New SEP and 7,569,132 shares of the common stock are held of record by SEP. SEP GP is the general partner of both New SEP and SEP, and SEP III is the sole member of SEP GP. SKMC as the investment manager of SEP III, has ultimate voting and dispositive power over all of the shares owned by the SEP Funds. SKMC’s Investment Committee makes all voting, investment and disposition decisions on behalf of SKMC. That committee is comprised of Peter Seidler, Robert Seidler and Eric Kutsenda. None of these individuals individually exercises control over SKMC, and therefore, each of them disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares owned by the SEP Funds, except to the extent of their respective indirect pecuniary interests, if any, in those shares. Each of SKMC, SEP III and SEP GP may be deemed, pursuant to Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, to beneficially own the common stock held by the SEP Funds. Each of SKMC, SEP III and SEP GP disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares of the Company except to the extent of its indirect pecuniary interests, if any, in those shares.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences generally applicable to non-U.S. holders (as defined below) with respect to the purchase, beneficial ownership and disposition of shares of our common stock, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax considerations related thereto. This summary is based on current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”) final, temporary or proposed U.S. Department of the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, administrative rulings and judicial opinions, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. We have not sought any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with such statements and conclusions.

This summary is limited to non-U.S. holders who purchase our common stock issued pursuant to this offering and who hold shares of our common stock as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment).

This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular non-U.S. holder in light of that non-U.S. holder’s individual circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income, nor does it address any aspects of U.S. federal estate or gift tax laws or tax considerations arising under the laws of any non-U.S., state or local jurisdiction. This discussion also does not address tax considerations applicable to a non-U.S. holder subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, including without limitation:

 

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banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions;

 

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partnerships or other entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (or investors therein);

 

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tax-exempt organizations;

 

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tax-qualified retirement plans;

 

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brokers, traders and dealers in securities or currencies;

 

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U.S. expatriates and certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

 

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controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

 

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persons that own, or have owned, actually or constructively, more than 5% of our common stock; and

 

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persons that will hold common stock as a position in a hedging, integrated or conversion transaction or “straddle,” wash sale, constructive sale or other risk reduction strategy.

Accordingly, we urge prospective investors to consult with their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax considerations of acquiring, holding and disposing of shares of our common stock.

If a partnership (or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares of our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership (or member in such other entity) will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any partner in a partnership (or such other entity) holding shares of our common stock should consult its own tax advisors.

PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE,

 

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OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX RULES OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. OR OTHER TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.

Definition of Non-U.S. Holder

In general, a “non-U.S. holder” is any beneficial owner of our common stock that is not a U.S. person or an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A “U.S. person” is any of the following:

 

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an individual citizen or resident of the United States;

 

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a corporation created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia (or entity treated as such for U.S. federal income tax purposes);

 

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an estate, the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

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a trust if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) it has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Department of the Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

Distributions on Our Common Stock

As described in the section titled “Dividend Policy,” we currently do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. If, however, we make cash or other property distributions on our common stock, such distributions will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current earnings and profits for that taxable year or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Amounts not treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes will constitute a return of capital and will first be applied against and reduce a holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock, but not below zero. Any excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of our common stock and will be treated as described below under “—Gain on Sale or Other Disposition of Our Common Stock.”

Any dividend paid to a non-U.S. holder of our common stock generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividend, or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty. To receive the benefit of a reduced treaty rate, a non-U.S. holder must furnish to us or our paying agent a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form) certifying, under penalties of perjury, such holder’s qualification for the reduced rate. This certification must be provided to us or our paying agent prior to the payment of dividends and must be updated periodically. If the non-U.S. holder holds the stock through a financial institution or other agent acting on the non-U.S. holder’s behalf, the non-U.S. holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the agent, which then will be required to provide certification to us or our paying agent, either directly or through other intermediaries. Non-U.S. holders that do not timely provide us or our paying agent with the required certification, but qualify for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible entitlement to benefits under a tax treaty.

If a non-U.S. holder provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividend is effectively connected with such holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States), the dividend will not be subject to the aforementioned U.S. federal withholding tax. Instead, the dividend generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the manner described below under “—Effectively Connected Income.”

 

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Gain on Sale or Other Disposition of Our Common Stock

Except as otherwise discussed below, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock unless:

 

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the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the non-U.S. holder in the United States (and, if an income tax treaty applies, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States);

 

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the non-U.S. holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other requirements are met; or

 

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our common stock constitutes a “United States real property interest” by reasons of our status as a U.S. real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the manner described below under “—Effectively Connected Income.” A non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on the net gain derived from the sale, exchange, or other taxable disposition, which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the non-U.S. holder, provided the non-U.S. holder has timely and properly filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.

With respect to the third bullet point above, we believe we are not currently and do not anticipate becoming a USRPHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair market value of our U.S. real property relative to the fair market value of our other business assets and our foreign real property interests, there can be no assurance we are not or will not become a USRPHC in the future. If we are or become a USRPHC, so long as our common stock is considered regularly traded on an established securities market, only a non-U.S. holder that actually or constructively holds or held more than 5% of our common stock at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or other taxable disposition or the non-U.S. holder’s holding period for our stock will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the disposition of our common stock. If gain on the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock were subject to taxation under the third bullet point above, any such taxable gain recognized by the non-U.S. holder would be taxed in the same manner as gain described in “—Effectively Connected Income” below, except that the branch profits tax would not apply.

Effectively Connected Income

Any dividend with respect to, or gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of, our common stock that is effectively connected with a trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, if an income tax treaty applies, that is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by such non-U.S. holder in the United States) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax, based on the non-U.S. holder’s net income, generally in the same manner as if the non-U.S. holder were a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a dividend or gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation, such corporate non-U.S. holder may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty), subject to certain adjustments. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Generally, annual reporting to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder will be required as to the amount of dividends paid to such non-U.S. Holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to such dividends. This information also may be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides

 

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or is established. Backup withholding generally will not apply to distributions to a non-U.S. holder of our common stock if the non-U.S. holder properly certifies as to its non-U.S. status, generally on an applicable IRS Form W-8, such as IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person as defined under the Code).

Information reporting will apply to the proceeds of a sale of a common stock within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related financial intermediaries. Depending on the circumstances, backup withholding may apply as well, unless the beneficial owner furnishes to us or our paying agent the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as by providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person as defined under the Code), or such owner otherwise establishes an exemption.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471-1474 of the Code (such Sections and related rules, regulations and guidance issued thereunder with any intergovernmental agreements and non-U.S. legislation implementing such agreements are commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or “FATCA”) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, subject to certain exceptions, Section 1471 of the Code generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends paid with respect to, and the gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of, our common stock, in each case paid to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (as defined in the Code) (“FFI”), unless the FFI enters into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department to perform due diligence and collect and report detailed information regarding its U.S. accounts and their holders (including certain account holders that are foreign entities that have U.S. owners), and satisfies certain other requirements and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” (as defined in the Code) (“NFFE”), unless the NFFE either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, and complies with certain other requirements. An intergovernmental agreement implementing FATCA between the United States and an applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction may modify these requirements.

Withholding under FATCA applies with respect to payments of dividends on our common stock and is scheduled to apply to gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of such stock occurring on or after January 1, 2019. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock might be eligible for refunds or credits of the tax. Prospective investors are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our common stock, including without limitation the interaction of FATCA withholding with the other withholding rules discussed above.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated as of the date of this prospectus supplement, the selling stockholders have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, for whom Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman, Sachs & Co. are acting as representatives, the following respective numbers of shares of common stock:

 

Underwriter		Number of Shares
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
William Blair & Company, L.L.C.
Piper Jaffray & Co.
D.A. Davidson & Co.
CRT Capital Group LLC
Total			5,000,000

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the shares of common stock in the offering if any are purchased, other than those shares covered by the option described below. The underwriting agreement also provides that if an underwriter defaults, the purchase commitments of non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the offering may be terminated.

The SEP Funds have granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares from the SEP Funds at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $             per share. After the public offering, the representatives may change the public offering price and concession and discount to broker/dealers.

The following table summarizes the compensation and underwriting discounts and commissions the selling stockholders will pay:

 

Per Share

Total

Without Option

With Option

Without Option

With Option

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by selling stockholders

$

$

$

$

We estimate that our out of pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $350,000. In addition, we have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain of their expenses in an amount up to $25,000.

The underwriters have informed us that they do not expect sales to accounts over which the underwriters have discretionary authority to exceed 5% of the shares of common stock being offered. The underwriters will not confirm sales to any accounts over which they exercise discretionary authority without first receiving a written consent from those accounts.

We have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, for the period specified below, we will not, directly or indirectly, take any of the following actions with respect to any class of our common equity or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any class of our common equity (which we refer to as “lock-up securities”): (1) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of lock-up securities, (2) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, contract to purchase or grant any option, right or warrant to purchase lock-up

 

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securities, (3) enter into any swap, hedge or any other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequences of ownership of lock-up securities, (4) establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position in lock-up securities within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, or (5) file with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act, relating to lock-up securities, or publicly disclose the intention to take any such action, without the prior written consent of the representatives.

In addition our executive officers, directors and the selling stockholders will have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, for the period specified below, they will not, without the prior written consent of the representatives, (1) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any lock-up securities, enter into a transaction which would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any lock-up securities, whether any such aforementioned transaction is to be settled by delivery of any lock-up securities or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any such transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement or (2) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any lock-up securities.

The initial period during which the restrictions described in the preceding two paragraphs will apply, will commence on the date of this prospectus supplement and continue for 75 days after the date of this prospectus supplement or such earlier date that the representatives consent to in writing.

We and the selling stockholders have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters and their control persons against liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters or their control persons may be required to make in that respect.

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SPWH.”

In connection with the offering the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, options to purchase additional shares, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

 

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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

 

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Option to purchase additional shares involves sales by the underwriters of shares in excess of the number of shares the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of shares over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of shares that they may purchase in the option to purchase additional shares. In a naked short position, the number of shares involved is greater than the number of shares in the option to purchase additional shares. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares and/or purchasing shares in the open market.

 

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Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of common stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of shares to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option to purchase additional shares. If the underwriters sell more shares than could be covered by the option to purchase additional shares, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

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Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the common stock originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

 

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These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on The NASDAQ Global Select Market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

A prospectus supplement in electronic format may be made available on websites maintained by one or more of the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering, and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

Relationships

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. In the past, the underwriters and their affiliates have not rendered underwriting services to us. The underwriters and their affiliates have, however, provided traditional commercial lending services and certain other commercial investment banking services to us in the ordinary course of business for which they received customary fees and commissions. Credit Suisse arranged and serves as administrative agent and collateral agent under the credit agreement governing our term loans.

We expect that the underwriters and their respective affiliates will continue to perform various financial advisory, investment banking and lending services for us or our affiliates, from time to time in the future, for which they may receive customary fees and commissions. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investment and securities activities may involve our securities and instruments (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise). The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

No action has been taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of our common stock, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus supplement or any other material relating to us or our common stock, where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, our common stock may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with our common stock may be distributed or published, in any country or jurisdiction except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any that country or jurisdiction.

Australia. This prospectus supplement is not a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other type of disclosure document for the purposes of Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth of Australia) (the “Act”) and does not purport to include the information required of a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other

 

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disclosure document under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act. No product disclosure statement, prospectus, disclosure document, offering material or advertisement in relation to the offer of our common stock has been or will be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Australian Securities Exchange.

Accordingly, (1) the offer of our common stock under this prospectus supplement may only be made to persons: (i) to whom it is lawful to offer our common stock without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act under one or more exemptions set forth in Section 708 of the Act; and (ii) who are “wholesale clients” as that term is defined in section 761G of the Act; (2) this prospectus supplement may only be made available in Australia to persons as set forth in clause (1) above; and (3) by accepting this offer, the offeree represents that the offeree is such a person as set forth in clause (1) above, and the offeree agrees not to sell or offer for sale any of our common stock sold to the offeree within twelve months after their issue except as otherwise permitted under the Act.

Notice to Canadian Residents

Resale Restrictions

The distribution of common stock in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we and the selling stockholders prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the common stock in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.

Representations of Canadian Purchasers

By purchasing common stock in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us, the selling stockholders and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

 

•

the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the common stock without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 –Prospectus Exemptions,

 

•

the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103—Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

 

•

where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and

 

•

the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

Conflicts of Interest

Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 –Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

Statutory Rights of Action

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

 

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Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein and the selling stockholders may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

Taxation and Eligibility for Investment

Canadian purchasers of common stock should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the common stock in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the common stock for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

Cayman Islands. This prospectus supplement does not constitute a public offer of our common stock, whether by way of sale or subscription, in the Cayman Islands. No offer or sale, directly or indirectly, of any common stock will be made to any member of the public in the Cayman Islands.

European Economic Area. In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, or a Relevant Member State, from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, or the Relevant Implementation Date, an offer of common stock to the public may not be made in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to our common stock that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and the competent authority in that Relevant Member State has been notified, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of our common stock to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time,

(a) to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities;

(b) to any legal entity that has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts;

(c) to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive); or

(d) in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by you of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive;

provided that no such offer of common stock shall result in a requirement for the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

For purposes of the above provision, the expression “an offer of common stock to the public” in relation to any common stock in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and our common stock to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for our common stock, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

 

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Hong Kong. Our common stock may not be offered or sold by means of this document or any other document other than (i) in circumstances that do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong) or the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances that do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to our common stock may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), that is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to common stock that is or is intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Israel. In the State of Israel, our common stock offered hereby may not be offered to any person or entity other than the following:

(a) a fund for joint investments in trust (i.e., mutual fund), as such term is defined in the Law for Joint Investments in Trust, 5754-1994, or a management company of such a fund;

(b) a provident fund as defined in Section 47(a)(2) of the Income Tax Ordinance of the State of Israel, or a management company of such a fund;

(c) an insurer, as defined in the Law for Oversight of Insurance Transactions, 5741-1981, a banking entity or satellite entity, as such terms are defined in the Banking Law (Licensing), 5741-1981, other than a joint services company, acting for their own account or for the account of investors of the type listed in Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;

(d) a company that is licensed as a portfolio manager, as such term is defined in Section 8(b) of the Law for the Regulation of Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers, 5755-1995, acting on its own account or for the account of investors of the type listed in Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;

(e) a company that is licensed as an investment advisor, as such term is defined in Section 7(c) of the Law for the Regulation of Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers, 5755-1995, acting on its own account;

(f) a company that is a member of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, acting on its own account or for the account of investors of the type listed in Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;

(g) an underwriter fulfilling the conditions of Section 56(c) of the Securities Law, 5728-1968;

(h) a venture capital fund (defined as an entity primarily involved in investments in companies that, at the time of investment, (i) are primarily engaged in research and development or manufacture of new technological products or processes and (ii) involve above-average risk);

(i) an entity primarily engaged in capital markets activities in which all of the equity owners meet one or more of the above criteria; and

(j) an entity, other than an entity formed for the purpose of purchasing our common stock in this offering, in which the shareholders’ equity (including pursuant to foreign accounting rules, international accounting regulations and U.S. generally accepted accounting rules, as defined in the Securities Law Regulations (Preparation of Annual Financial Statements), 1993) is in excess of NIS 250 million.

Japan. The underwriters will not offer or sell any of our common stock directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except, in each case, pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and

 

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otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

People’s Republic of China. This prospectus supplement may not be circulated or distributed in the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, and our common stock may not be offered or sold, and this prospectus supplement will not offer for sale any common stock to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any resident of the PRC, except pursuant to applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. For the purpose of this paragraph, PRC does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Singapore. This prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of our common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may our common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA; (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA; or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where our common stock is subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person that is:

(a) a corporation (that is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

(b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired our common stock under Section 275 except:

(1) to an institutional investor (for corporations, under 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;

(2) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

(3) where the transfer is by operation of law.

Taiwan. Our common stock has not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that require a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer or sell our common stock in Taiwan.

Switzerland. Our common stock will not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus supplement has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland.

 

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Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to our company or our common stock has been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus supplement will not be filed with, and the offer of our common stock will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, and the offer of our common stock has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (the “CISA’’). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of our common stock.

United Arab Emirates and Dubai International Financial Centre. This offering of our common stock has not been approved or licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (the “UAE”), the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority or any other relevant licensing authority in the UAE, including any licensing authority incorporated under the laws and regulations of any of the free zones established and operating in the territory of the UAE, in particular the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the “DFSA’’), a regulatory authority of the Dubai International Financial Centre (the “DIFC”). This offering does not constitute a public offer of securities in the UAE, DIFC and/or any other free zone in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law, Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 (as amended), DFSA Offered Securities Rules and the Dubai International Financial Exchange Listing Rules, respectively, or otherwise.

Our common stock may not be offered to the public in the UAE and/or any of the free zones. Our common stock may be offered, and this prospectus supplement may be issued, only to a limited number of investors in the UAE or any of its free zones who qualify as sophisticated investors under the relevant laws and regulations of the UAE or the free zone concerned. Our common stock will not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered to the public in the UAE or any of its free zones.

United Kingdom. An offer of our common stock may not be made to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of Section 102B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or the FSMA, except to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities or otherwise in circumstances that do not require the publication by the company of a prospectus pursuant to the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Services Authority, or the FSA.

An invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of FSMA) may only be communicated to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which Section 21 of FSMA does not apply to us.

All applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by the underwriters in relation to our common stock in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom must be complied with.

Russia. The common stock to which this prospectus supplement relates will not be offered, advertised, transferred or sold as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter to or for the benefit of any persons (including legal entities) resident, incorporated, established or having their usual residence in Russia or to any person located within the territory of Russia who is not a qualified investor in accordance with Russian law unless and to the extent otherwise permitted under Russian law.

This prospectus supplement should not be considered as a public offer or advertisement of the common stock to which this prospectus supplement relates in Russia and is not an offer, or an invitation to make offers, to purchase any such common stock in Russia. Neither the common stock nor any prospectus or other document relating to the common stock has been registered with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and is not intended for “placement” or “public circulation” in Russia.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the common stock to be issued in this offering and certain other legal matters with respect to the offering will be passed upon for us by O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Latham & Watkins LLP, Los Angeles, California.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. as of January 30, 2016 and January 31, 2015, and for each of the fiscal years in the three-year period ended January 30, 2016, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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PROSPECTUS

Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.

$125,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Rights

Units

and

23,993,990 Shares

of

Common Stock

Offered by the Selling Stockholders

 

 

From time to time, we may offer and sell up to $125,000,000 in aggregate of the securities described in this prospectus separately or together in any combination, in one or more classes or series, in amounts, at prices and on terms that we will determine at the time of the offering.

In addition, the selling stockholders identified in this prospectus may, from time to time, offer and sell up to 23,993,990 shares of our common stock. The registration of the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus does not necessarily mean that any of our common stock will be sold by the selling stockholders. We will not receive any proceeds from the resale of shares of common stock from time to time by the selling stockholders, but we have agreed to pay all registration expenses other than brokerage commissions, transfer taxes, or, if applicable, underwriting commissions and discounts.

This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. We may provide specific terms of securities to be offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also provide a specific plan of distribution for any securities to be offered in a prospectus supplement. Prospectus supplements may also add, update or change information in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with any documents incorporated by reference herein, before you invest in our securities.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market, or NASDAQ, under the symbol “SPWH.” On July 13, 2015, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $12.64 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to the listing of any other securities covered by the prospectus supplement other than our common stock on NASDAQ or any other securities exchange.

 

 

Investing in any of our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please read carefully the section entitled “Risk Factors” on page 6 of this prospectus, the “Risk Factors” section contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and the information included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules and will be eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is July 14, 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
About This Prospectus			1
Where You Can Find More Information			2
Information We Incorporate by Reference			2
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			4
Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.			5
Risk Factors			6
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges			6
Use of Proceeds			6
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions with Selling Stockholders			7
Selling Stockholders			9
Description of Capital Stock			11
Description of Debt Securities			16
Description of Warrants			24
Description of Rights			28
Description of Units			29
Plan of Distribution			30
Legal Matters			33
Experts			33

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration or continuous offering process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total aggregate offering price of $125,000,000 and our selling stockholders may sell up to 23,993,990 shares of common stock in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. We may provide specific terms of securities to be offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also provide a specific plan of distribution for any securities to be offered in a prospectus supplement. Prospectus supplements may also add, update or change information in this prospectus. If the information varies between this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the heading “Information We Incorporate by Reference.” You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. None of us, any selling stockholder, or any underwriters have authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

This prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate. Neither we nor any selling stockholder are making offers to sell common stock or any other securities described in this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, we use the terms “Sportsman’s Warehouse,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar references to refer to Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed our registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. We also file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document that we file with the SEC, including the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement, at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. You may obtain further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be accessed on our web site at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com. Information contained on our web site is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider information contained on our web site to be part of this prospectus.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us as indicated above. Forms of any indenture or other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are filed as exhibits to the registration statement or will be filed through an amendment to our registration statement on Form S-3 or under cover of a Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated into this prospectus by reference.

INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of the document to the extent that a statement contained in this document or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document modifies or supersedes the statement. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the following information (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015 (filed with the SEC on April 2, 2015);

 

•

the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2015 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A (filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015);

 

•

our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended May 2, 2015 (filed with the SEC on May 29, 2015);

 

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on March 11, 2015 and June 29, 2015; and

 

•

the description of our common stock in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-194421) filed with the SEC on March 7, 2014, including any amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We also incorporate by reference each of the documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offerings under this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements. We will not, however, incorporate by

 

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reference in this prospectus any documents or portions thereof that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of our Current Reports on Form 8-K after the date of this prospectus unless, and except to the extent, specified in such Current Reports.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus (or a notice of registration in lieu thereof) is delivered a copy of any of these filings (other than an exhibit to these filings, unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit to this prospectus) at no cost, upon a request to us by writing or telephoning us at the following address and telephone number:

Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.

Attn: Chief Financial Officer

7035 South High Tech Drive

Midvale, Utah 84047

Telephone Number: (801) 566-6681

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, may contain or incorporate forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, are forward-looking statements. These statements may include words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “can have,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “positioned,” “predict,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events or trends. For example, all statements we make relating to our plans and objectives for future operations, growth or initiatives and strategies are forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and our management’s beliefs and assumptions. We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our own operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution predicting the impact of known factors is very difficult, and we cannot anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results.

All of our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to:

 

•

our retail-based business model is impacted by general economic conditions and economic and financial uncertainties may cause a decline in consumer spending;

 

•

our concentration of stores in the Western United States makes us susceptible to adverse conditions in this region, which could affect our sales and cause our operating results to suffer;

 

•

we operate in a highly fragmented and competitive industry and may face increased competition;

 

•

we may not be able to anticipate, identify and respond to changes in consumer demands, including regional preferences, in a timely manner;

 

•

we may not be successful in operating our stores in any existing or new markets into which we expand; and

 

•

current and future government regulations, in particular regulations relating to the sale of firearms and ammunition, may impact the demand for our products and our ability to conduct our business.

The above is not a complete list of factors or events that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations, and we cannot predict all of them. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements disclosed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2015, as such risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in any prospectus supplement.

Potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements we make. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and are not guarantees of future performance or developments and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in many cases beyond our control. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements publicly, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

 

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SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE HOLDINGS, INC.

Company Overview

We are a high-growth outdoor sporting goods retailer focused on meeting the everyday needs of the seasoned outdoor veteran, the first-time participant and every enthusiast in between. Our mission is to provide a one-stop shopping experience that equips our customers with the right hunting, shooting, fishing and camping gear to maximize their enjoyment of the outdoors. We strive to accomplish this goal by tailoring our broad and deep merchandise assortment to meet local conditions and demand, offering everyday low prices, providing friendly support from our knowledgeable, highly trained staff and offering extensive in-store events and educational programming. These core strategies help position Sportsman’s Warehouse as the “local outdoor experts” and the preferred place to both shop and share outdoor-based experiences in the communities we serve. As a result, we are expanding our loyal customer base in existing markets and increasing our store footprint in new markets, which we believe will further drive our growth and profitability.

We were founded in 1986 as a single retail store in Midvale, Utah and have grown to 58 stores across 18 states. Today, we have the largest outdoor specialty store base in the Western United States and Alaska. Our store layout is adaptable to both standalone locations and strip centers. Based on publicly available information, we believe it is less capital-intensive for us to open new stores compared to our principal competitors because our “no frills” store layout requires less initial cash investment to build out and our stores generally require less square footage than the stores of our competitors. Together, these features enable us to effectively serve markets of multiple sizes, from Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, with populations of less than 75,000 to major metropolitan areas with populations in excess of 1,000,000, while generating consistent four-wall Adjusted EBITDA margins and returns on invested capital across a range of store sales volumes.

Corporate Structure and Information

On December 4, 2013, our predecessor, previously a Utah corporation, reincorporated in Delaware by merging with its wholly owned subsidiary SWH Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, with the Delaware corporation being the surviving entity and being renamed Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.

Affiliates of Seidler Equity Partners III, L.P. (collectively, “Seidler”), initially invested in us in 2007 and, prior to the consummation of our IPO, beneficially owned all of our outstanding common stock. Seidler currently beneficially owns approximately 52.5% of our outstanding common stock. We qualify for the “controlled company” exemption under the corporate governance rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market and will continue to until affiliates of Seidler do not control a majority of our outstanding common stock.

All of our business operations are conducted through our wholly owned subsidiaries, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc., a Utah corporation, and Minnesota Merchandising Corporation, a Minnesota corporation, and their subsidiaries. Our principal executive office is located at 7035 South High Tech Drive, Midvale, Utah 84047, our telephone number is (801) 566-6681 and our fax number is (801) 304-4388. Our website is www.sportsmanswarehouse.com. However, the information located on, or accessible from, our website is not, and should not be deemed to be, part of this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus or incorporated into any other filing that we submit to the SEC.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider any risk factors set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and each subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and any risk factors set forth in our other filings with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information We Incorporate By Reference.” Each of the risks described in these documents could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and could result in a partial or complete loss of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also adversely affect our business. In addition, past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods indicated. The following table is qualified by the more detailed information appearing in the computation table set forth in Exhibit 12.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus is part and the historical financial statements, including the notes to those financial statements, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

Thirteen Weeks Ended May 2, 2015

Fiscal Year Ended

January 31, 2015

February 1, 2014

February 2, 2013

January 28, 2012

January 29, 2011

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges

0.64x(1)

1.95x

2.02x

5.01x

3.49x

1.78x

 

(1)	Earning were insufficient to cover fixed charges in the amount of $2.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2015.

For purposes of computing the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings include pre-tax income (loss) and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense and the interest portion of rent expense.

There was no preferred stock outstanding for any of the periods shown above. Accordingly, the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends was identical to the ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each period.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Unless otherwise specified in any prospectus supplement, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities offered under this prospectus for working capital and general corporate purposes including, but not limited to, capital expenditures, working capital, and other business opportunities, or for repayment of debt. Pending any specific application, we may initially invest funds in short-term marketable securities or apply them to the reduction of short-term indebtedness.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock that may be sold from time to time pursuant to this prospectus by the selling stockholders. We will bear the costs associated with this registration in accordance with the registration rights agreement. However, the selling stockholders will bear any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes, or underwriting commissions and discounts attributable to their sale of shares of our common stock.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS WITH SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

Registration Rights Agreement

We entered into a registration rights agreement with affiliates of Seidler where we grant to Seidler registration rights for the common stock it beneficially owns. Under the registration rights agreement, Seidler may require us to use our reasonable best efforts to register for resale their registrable shares of our common stock under the Securities Act. These registration rights include the following provisions:

Demand Registration Rights. We will grant up to three demand registrations to affiliates of Seidler so long as the holders of 20% of our common stock held by affiliates of Seidler and their permitted transferees request such registration.

Form S-3 Registration Rights. At such time as we have qualified for the use of Form S-3, affiliates of Seidler and certain of their permitted transferees may require us to use our reasonable best efforts to register the resale of any of their registrable shares on Form S-3.

Piggyback Registration Rights. If at any time, we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act for our common stock (excluding the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or any registration on Form S-4 or Form S-8), we will offer to include the registrable shares of Seidler and certain of their permitted transferees in the registration statement subject only to a determination by the managing underwriter that the success of the marketing (including pricing) would not be adversely affected by the inclusion of securities of the parties.

Expenses. We are responsible for paying all registration expenses in connection with any registration pursuant to the registration rights agreement, excluding any underwriting fees, commissions, discounts and allowances, and fees of underwriter’s counsel (other than “blue sky”).

Indemnification. We have agreed to indemnify each of the stockholders party to the registration rights agreement against certain liabilities under the Securities Act in connection with any registration of their registrable shares.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our current executive officers and directors. These agreements require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses reasonably incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified. Additionally, we may enter into indemnification agreements with any future directors or executive officers. See “Description of Capital Stock—Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers.”

Policies and Procedures for Related Party Transactions

Our board of directors has adopted a formal written policy providing that our audit committee is responsible for reviewing “related party transactions,” which are transactions (i) in which we are or will be a participant, (ii) in which the aggregate amount involved exceeds or may be expected to exceed $120,000, or such lower threshold as our audit committee may determine, and (iii) in which a related person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. For purposes of this policy, a related person will be defined as a director, nominee for director, executive officer or greater than 5% beneficial owner of our common stock and their immediate family members. Under this policy, all related party transactions may be consummated or continued only if approved or ratified by our audit committee. In reviewing and approving any such transactions, our audit committee will be tasked to consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in an arm’s length transaction and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.

 

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No member of our audit committee may participate in the review, approval or ratification of a transaction with respect to which he or she is a related party, except that such member can be counted for purposes of a quorum and shall provide such information with respect to the transaction as may be reasonably requested by other members of the committee.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

The selling stockholders named below may offer from time to time in the future up to an aggregate of 23,993,990 shares of our common stock, subject to adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications. The following table sets forth the names of the selling stockholders (and/or the beneficial owners) and the number of shares of common stock held by each of them as of the date of this prospectus.

Information in the table below with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each of the selling stockholders. There are currently no agreements, arrangements or understandings with respect to the sale of any of the shares. The shares are being registered to permit public secondary trading of the shares, and selling stockholders may offer the shares for resale from time to time. Beneficial ownership reflected in the table below includes the total shares held by the individual and his or her affiliates. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC.

The selling stockholders listed in the table below may have sold, transferred, otherwise disposed of or purchased, or may sell, transfer, otherwise dispose of or purchase, at any time and from time to time, shares of our common stock in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act or in the open market after the date on which they provided the information set forth in the table below.

Information about additional selling stockholders, if any, including their identities and the common stock to be registered on their behalf, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment or in filings that we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Information concerning the selling stockholders may change from time to time. Any changes to the information provided below will be set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in a post-effective amendment or in filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus if and when necessary.

Unless otherwise indicated and subject to applicable community property laws, to our knowledge, each stockholder named in the following table possesses sole voting and investment power over the shares listed. Unless otherwise noted below, the address of each person or entity listed on the table is c/o Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc., 7035 South High Tech Drive, Midvale, Utah 84047.

 

		Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to This Offering								Shares of Common Stock that May be Sold Hereby				Shares Beneficially Owned After This Offering+
Name		Number				Percent(1)								Number				Percent(1)
New SEP SWH Holdings, L.P. (2)(3)			11,140,211				26.5				11,140,211				—				—
SEP SWH Holdings, L.P. (2)(3)			10,908,122				26.0				10,908,122				—				—
John V. Schaefer (4)			1,503,350				3.6				1,503,350				—				—
Kevan P. Talbot (5)			442,307				1.1				442,307				—				—

 

+	Assumes that the selling shareholders will sell all of their common stock subject to resale pursuant to this prospectus. There is no assurance that the selling shareholders will resell all or any of their common stock.

(1)	Percentage of common stock is based on 42,003,599 shares of our common stock outstanding as of July 14, 2015.

(2)

Based on a Schedule 13G filed by Seidler Kutsenda Management Company, LLC (“SKMC”), Seidler Equity Partners III, L.P. (“SEP III”), SEP SWH Holdings GP, LLC (“SEP GP”), New SEP SWH Holdings, L.P. (“New SEP”), SEP SWH Holdings, L.P. (“SEP” and together with New SEP, the “SEP Funds”) on February 3, 2015. According to the Schedule 13G, 11,140,211 shares of the Common Stock are held of record by New SEP and 10,908,122 shares of the Common Stock are held of record by SEP. SEP GP is the general partner of both New SEP and SEP, and SEP III is the sole member of SEP GP. SKMC as the investment manager of SEP III, has ultimate voting and dispositive power over all of the shares owned by the SEP Funds. SKMC’s Investment Committee makes all voting, investment and disposition decisions on

 

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behalf of SKMC. That committee is comprised of Peter Seidler, Robert Seidler and Eric Kutsenda. None of these individuals individually exercises control over SKMC, and therefore, each of them disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares owned by the SEP Funds, except to the extent of their respective indirect pecuniary interests, if any, in those shares. Each of SKMC, SEP III and SEP GP may be deemed, pursuant to Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, to beneficially own the Common Stock held by the SEP Funds. Each of SKMC, SEP III and SEP GP disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares of the Company except to the extent of its indirect pecuniary interests, if any, in those shares.

(3)	The address of each of SEP and New SEP is c/o Seidler Kutsenda Management Company, LLC, 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 1200, Marina del Rey, California 90292.

(4)	Includes 428,333 restricted stock units which have vested as of April 27, 2015 and does not include another 428,333 restricted stock units which are scheduled to vest on April 16, 2016 and 2017, subject to Mr. Schaefer’s continued employment or service.

(5)	The shares are held by the Kevan P. Talbot Revocable Trust.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock and provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are summaries only. For more detailed information, please see our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to reports we file with the SEC.

Authorized Capitalization

Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value of $0.01 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of July 14, 2015, there were 42,003,599 shares of common stock outstanding and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

Voting Rights

Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election or removal of directors. Our directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote on the election. All other matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of common stock present in person or represented by proxy, subject to any voting rights granted to holders of any preferred stock.

There are no cumulative voting rights for the election of directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock voted are entitled to elect all of our directors.

Dividends

Subject to the rights of holders of any then-outstanding shares of our preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends that may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Liquidation

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, either voluntary or involuntary, holders of our common stock would be entitled to share ratably in all assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of or provision for all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then-outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Other Rights

Holders of our common stock do not have preemptive rights to purchase shares of our stock. The shares of our common stock are not subject to any redemption provisions and are not convertible into any other shares of our capital stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock we may issue in the future.

Blank Check Preferred Stock

Under the terms of our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences.

The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock and determine its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of

 

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preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions, future financings and other corporate purposes, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders by restricting dividends on the common stock, diluting the voting power of the common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of the common stock or delaying or preventing a change in control without further action by the stockholders. As a result of these or other factors, the issuance of preferred stock could have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

As of July 14, 2015, no shares of preferred stock were issued and outstanding. All shares of preferred stock offered hereby will, when issued, be fully paid and non-assessable and, unless otherwise stated in a prospectus supplement relating to the series of preferred stock being offered, will not have any preemptive or similar rights. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to the class or series of preferred stock being offered the specific terms of each series of our preferred stock, including the price at which the preferred stock may be purchased, the number of shares of preferred stock offered, and the terms, if any, on which the preferred stock may be convertible into common stock or exchangeable for other securities.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Delaware Law, the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws

Set forth below is a summary of the relevant provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and certain applicable sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law. For additional information we refer you to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws and such sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and that could make it more difficult to acquire control of our company by means of a tender offer, open market purchases, a proxy contest or otherwise. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give our board of directors the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor. A description of these provisions is set forth below.

Classified Board

Our certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors, other than those directors elected by the holders of any series of preferred stock, will be divided into three classes, with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms. Because our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights, our stockholders holding a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding will be able to elect all of our directors. A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time-consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board.

Removal of Directors Only for Cause

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, except for any director elected by the holders of any series of preferred stock, directors can be removed only for cause once Seidler ceases to beneficially own shares of our common stock representing a majority of the total voting power of our then-outstanding shares of capital stock.

Special Meetings of Stockholders

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the board of directors, or by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, if any, or the president. Stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting or require our board of directors to call a special meeting.

 

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Supermajority Vote to Amend Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the approval of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of our common stock is required to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of our common stock is required to amend our bylaws. Our bylaws may also be amended by a majority of our board of directors.

No Cumulative Voting

Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our certificate of incorporation does not grant stockholders the right to vote cumulatively. Therefore, stockholders holding a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding are able to elect all of our directors.

No Written Consent of Stockholders

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, once Seidler owns less than a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock, all stockholder actions, other than those actions required or permitted to be taken by holders of any then-outstanding series of preferred stock, are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting.

Advance Notice Procedure

Our bylaws provide that our board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, if any, or the president may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.

Our bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholders to make nominations of candidates for election as directors, or bring other business before an annual or special meeting of the stockholders. This notice procedure provides that only persons who are nominated by, or at the direction of, our board of directors or any duly authorized committee of the board of directors, or by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given timely written notice to the secretary of our company prior to the meeting at which directors are to be elected, will be eligible for election as directors. The procedure also requires that, in order to raise matters at an annual or special meeting, those matters must be raised before the meeting pursuant to the notice of meeting the company delivers or by, or at the direction of, our board of directors or any duly authorized committee of the board of directors, or by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given timely written notice to our secretary of his, her or its intention to raise those matters at the annual or special meeting. If the officer presiding at a meeting determines that a person was not nominated, or other business was not brought before the meeting, in accordance with the notice procedure, that person is not be eligible for election as a director, or that business will not be conducted at the meeting, as applicable.

Blank Check Preferred Stock

Our certificate of incorporation provides for 20,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interest of us and our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder

 

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group. In this regard, our certification of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

Authorized but Unissued Shares

Under Delaware law, our authorized but unissued shares of common stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may use these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

Our certificate of incorporation elects not to be subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law until such time as Seidler ceases to beneficially own shares of our common stock representing at least 15% of the total voting power of our then-outstanding shares of capital stock. Accordingly, we are not subject to any anti-takeover effects of Section 203. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes, among other things, a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or did own within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

 

•

before the stockholder became interested, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

•

upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances; or

 

•

at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Corporate Opportunities

Our largest stockholder, Seidler, is in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Corporate opportunities may therefore arise in the area of potential acquisitions of competitive businesses that may be attractive to us as well as to Seidler. Seidler and members of our board of directors affiliated with Seidler and its affiliates, by the terms of our certificate of incorporation, will not, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be required to offer us any transaction opportunity of which they become aware and could take such opportunity for themselves or offer it to other companies in which they have an investment, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to them solely in their capacity as members of our board of directors.

 

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Choice of Forum

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

The overall effect of the foregoing provisions may be to deter a future tender offer. Stockholders might view such an offer to be in their best interest should the offer include a substantial premium over the market price of our common stock at that time. In addition, these provisions may have the effect of assisting our management to retain its position and place it in a better position to resist changes that the stockholders may want to make if dissatisfied with the conduct of our business

Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers

Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. The effect of these provisions is to eliminate the rights of us and our stockholders, through stockholders’ derivative suits on behalf of us, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation does not apply to any director if the director has acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized illegal dividends or redemptions or derived an improper benefit from his or her actions as a director.

In addition, our certificate of incorporation allows and our bylaws require that we indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. We also expect to continue to maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. We believe that these indemnification provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders.

In addition to the indemnification in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our current directors and officers. These agreements provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers for all reasonable expenses and liabilities incurred in connection with any action or proceeding brought against them by reason of the fact that they are or were our agents. We believe that these bylaw provisions and indemnification agreements, as well as our maintaining directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, help to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Shareowner Services.

Exchange Listing

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SPWH.”

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer in one or more series under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations.

We will issue the debt securities under the indenture that we will enter into with a national banking association or other eligible party, as trustee. The indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We have filed the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

The following summary of material provisions of the debt securities and the indenture is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities.

General

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth in an officer’s certificate or a supplemental indenture. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet), including the following terms, if applicable:

 

•

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

 

•

the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

 

•

the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities being offered and any limit on the aggregate principal amount of such series of debt securities;

 

•

whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees;

 

•

the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

 

•

the interest rate, if any, and the method for calculating the interest rate;

 

•

the dates from which interest will accrue, the interest payment dates and the record dates for the interest payments;

 

•

the place or places where principal of, and any interest on, the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

 

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•

any mandatory or optional redemption terms;

 

•

any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

•

any dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;

 

•

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued;

 

•

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

 

•

the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be U.S. dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

 

•

the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of, and any interest on, the debt securities will be made;

 

•

if payments of principal of, any interest on, the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;

 

•

the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, or any interest on, the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

 

•

any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

 

•

any addition to, deletion of or change in the events of default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents appointed with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any series of debt securities, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, the securities or other property into which the debt securities will be convertible, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the holders thereof or at our option, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such series of debt securities are redeemed; and

 

•

any other terms of the series of debt securities that may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon maturity or a declaration of acceleration of their maturity following an event of default pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the depositary, or a nominee of the depositary (we will refer to any such debt security as a “global debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificate as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth below, global debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities

You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System

Each global debt security will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the depositary, and registered in the name of the depositary or a nominee of the depositary. Beneficial interests in global debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form unless (i) the depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for such global debt security or has ceased to be qualified to act as such as required by the indenture and we fail to appoint a successor depositary within 90 days of such event, (ii) we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities or (iii) any other circumstances shall exist, in addition to or in lieu of those described above, as may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless and until a global debt security is exchanged for certificated debt securities under the limited circumstances described in the previous sentence, a global debt security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.

No Protection In the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

 

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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

Sportsman’s Warehouse may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

 

•

Sportsman’s Warehouse is the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than Sportsman’s Warehouse) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes Sportsman’s Warehouse’s obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

 

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of Sportsman’s Warehouse’s subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

•

default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

 

•

default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

 

•

default in the performance or breach of any covenant by us in the indenture (other than defaults described above or defaults relating to a covenant that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee, or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

 

•

certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Sportsman’s Warehouse; and

 

•

any other event of default provided with respect to a series of debt securities, including any events of default relating to guarantors, if any, or subsidiaries that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

No event of default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an event of default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of certain events of default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

If an event of default with respect to any series of debt securities at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization), then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal amount (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a

 

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declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by written notice to us and the trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration of acceleration and its consequences if all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an event of default.

The indenture provides that the trustee will be under no obligation to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right of power. Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

 

•

that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default with respect to debt securities of that series;

 

•

the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request to the trustee to institute the proceedings in respect of such event of default in its own name as trustee under the indenture;

 

•

such holder or holders have offered to the trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the trustee in compliance with such request;

 

•

the trustee has failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; and

 

•

no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the trustee during such 60-day period by holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series.

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any interest on, that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such holder.

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture from our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer. If a default or event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to the debt securities of any series and if it is actually known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each holder of the debt securities of that series notice of a default or event of default within 60 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such default or event of default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any default or event of default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.

 

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Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify and amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of one or more series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

 

•

to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of a series or secure debt securities of a series;

 

•

to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

 

•

to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of any series of debt securities;

 

•

to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

 

•

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

•

to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

•

to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

 

•

to make any change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

 

•

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

 

•

to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee;

 

•

to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; and

 

•

for certain other reasons set forth in any prospectus supplement.

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then-outstanding if that amendment will:

 

•

reduce the principal amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

 

•

reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

 

•

reduce the principal of, or change the fixed maturity of, any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

 

•

reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

 

•

waive a default in the payment of the principal of, or interest, if any, on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

 

•

make the principal of, or any interest on, any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

 

•

make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, and any interest on, those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment;

 

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•

make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to waivers or amendments; or

 

•

waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security, provided that such redemption is made at our option.

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, by written notice to the trustee, waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture or the debt securities with respect to such series. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series, waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or any interest on, any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance

The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred.

Defeasance of Certain Covenants

The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

•

we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

 

•

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a default or an event of default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

 

•

depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in

 

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accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

 

•

delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York (without regard to the conflicts of laws provisions thereof other than Section 5-1401 of the General Obligations Law).

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

General

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which consist of warrants to purchase shares of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. Warrants may be offered independently or together with shares of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from those securities.

While the terms we have summarized below will generally apply to any future warrants we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any warrants that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The specific terms of any warrants may differ from the description provided below as a result of negotiations with third parties in connection with the issuance of those warrants, as well as for other reasons. Because the terms of any warrants we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus.

We will issue the warrants under a warrant agreement, which we will enter into with a warrant agent to be selected by us. We use the term “warrant agreement” to refer to any of these warrant agreements. We use the term “warrant agent” to refer to the warrant agent under any of these warrant agreements. The warrant agent will act solely as an agent of ours in connection with the warrants and will not act as an agent for the holders or beneficial owners of the warrants.

We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement applicable to a particular series of warrants. We urge you to read any applicable prospectus supplement related to the warrants that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreement that contain the terms of the warrants and defines your rights as a warrant holder.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants. If warrants for the purchase of debt securities are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, to the extent applicable:

 

•

the offering price and the aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

•

the currencies in which the warrants are being offered;

 

•

the designation, aggregate principal amount, currencies, denominations and terms of the series of debt securities that can be purchased if a holder exercises a warrant;

 

•

the designation and terms of any series of debt securities with which the warrants are being offered and the number of warrants offered with each such debt security;

 

•

the date on and after which the holder of the warrants can transfer them separately from the related series of debt securities;

 

•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants begins and the date on which that right expires;

 

•

federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants; and

 

•

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the warrants.

 

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Warrants for the purchase of debt securities will be in registered form only.

If warrants for the purchase of shares of common stock or preferred stock are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, to the extent applicable:

 

•

the offering price and the aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

•

the total number of shares that can be purchased if a holder of the warrants exercises them;

 

•

the number of warrants being offered with each share of common stock;

 

•

the date on and after which the holder of the warrants can transfer them separately from the related shares of common stock or preferred stock;

 

•

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that can be purchased if a holder exercises the warrant and the price at which those shares may be purchased upon exercise, including, if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price and in the securities or other property receivable upon exercise;

 

•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call, or accelerate the expiration of, the warrants;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants begins and the date on which that right expires;

 

•

federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants; and

 

•

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the warrants.

Warrants for the purchase of shares of common stock or preferred stock will be in registered form only.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase shares of common stock or preferred stock are exercised, holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying shares of common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or to exercise any voting rights, except to the extent set forth under “—Warrant Adjustments” below.

Exercise of Warrants

Each holder of a warrant is entitled to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, at the exercise price described in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the day when the right to exercise terminates (or a later date if we extend the time for exercise), unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrants may exercise them by following the general procedure outlined below:

 

•

deliver to the warrant agent the payment required by the applicable prospectus supplement to purchase the underlying security;

 

•

properly complete and sign the reverse side of the warrant certificate representing the warrants; and

 

•

deliver the warrant certificate representing the warrants to the warrant agent within five business days of the warrant agent receiving payment of the exercise price.

If you comply with the procedures described above, your warrants will be considered to have been exercised when the warrant agent receives payment of the exercise price, subject to the transfer books for the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrant not being closed on such date. After you have completed those procedures

 

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and subject to the foregoing, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver to you the debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock that you purchased upon exercise. If you exercise fewer than all of the warrants represented by a warrant certificate, a new warrant certificate will be issued to you for the unexercised amount of warrants. Holders of warrants will be required to pay any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with transferring the underlying securities in connection with the exercise of the warrants.

Amendments and Supplements to the Warrant Agreements

We may amend or supplement a warrant agreement without the consent of the holders of the applicable warrants to cure ambiguities in the warrant agreement, to cure or correct a defective provision in the warrant agreement, or to provide for other matters under the warrant agreement that we and the warrant agent deem necessary or desirable, so long as, in each case, such amendments or supplements do not materially adversely affect the interests of the holders of the warrants.

Warrant Adjustments

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, the exercise price of, and the number of securities covered by, a warrant for shares of common stock or preferred stock will be adjusted proportionately if we subdivide or combine our common stock or preferred stock, as applicable. In addition, unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, if we, without payment:

 

•

issue shares of common stock or preferred stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock or preferred stock, or any rights to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any of the foregoing, as a dividend or distribution to all or substantially all holders of our common stock or preferred stock;

 

•

pay any cash to all or substantially all holders of our common stock or preferred stock, other than a cash dividend paid out of our current or retained earnings;

 

•

issue any evidence of our indebtedness or rights to subscribe for or purchase our indebtedness to all or substantially all holders of our common stock or preferred stock; or

 

•

issue common stock, preferred stock or additional shares or other securities or property to all or substantially all holders of our common stock or preferred stock by way of spinoff, split-up, reclassification, combination of shares or similar corporate rearrangement;

then the holders of common stock warrants or preferred stock warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the warrants, in addition to the securities otherwise receivable upon exercise of the warrants and without paying any additional consideration, the amount of shares and other securities and property such holders would have been entitled to receive had they held the common stock or preferred stock issuable under the warrants on the dates on which holders of those securities received or became entitled to receive such additional shares and other securities and property.

Except as stated above, the exercise price and number of securities covered by a warrant for shares of common stock or preferred stock, and the amounts of other securities or property to be received, if any, upon exercise of those warrants, will not be adjusted or provided for if we issue those securities or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for those securities, or securities carrying the right to purchase those securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for those securities.

Holders of common stock warrants or preferred stock warrants may have additional rights under the following circumstances:

 

•

certain reclassifications, capital reorganizations or changes of the common stock or preferred stock;

 

•

certain share exchanges, mergers, or similar transactions involving us that result in changes of the common stock or preferred stock; or

 

•

certain sales or dispositions to another entity of all or substantially all of our property and assets.

 

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If one of the above transactions occurs and holders of our common stock or preferred stock are entitled to receive shares, securities or other property with respect to or in exchange for their securities, the holders of the common stock warrants or preferred stock warrants then-outstanding, as applicable, will be entitled to receive upon exercise of their warrants the kind and amount of shares and other securities or property that they would have received upon the applicable transaction if they had exercised their warrants immediately before the transaction.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the rights that we may offer under this prospectus. We may issue rights to our stockholders to purchase shares of our common stock and/or any of the other securities offered hereby. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as rights agent. When we issue rights, we will provide the specific terms of the rights and the applicable rights agreement in a prospectus supplement. Because the terms of any rights we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus. We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of rights agreement that describes the terms of the series of rights we are offering before the issuance of the related series of rights. The applicable prospectus supplement relating to any rights will describe the terms of the offered rights, including, where applicable, the following:

 

•

the date for determining the persons entitled to participate in the rights distribution;

 

•

the exercise price for the rights;

 

•

the aggregate number or amount of underlying securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights;

 

•

the number of rights issued to each stockholder and the number of rights outstanding, if any;

 

•

the extent to which the rights are transferable;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

 

•

the extent to which the rights include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities;

 

•

anti-dilution provisions of the rights, if any; and

 

•

any other terms of the rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of the rights.

Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than stockholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprising two or more securities described in this prospectus in any combination. For example, we might issue units consisting of a combination of debt securities and warrants to purchase common stock. The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the units that we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. The particular terms of the units and the extent, if any, to which the general terms and provisions may apply to the units so offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit also is the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. Units will be issued pursuant to the terms of a unit agreement, which may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately at any time or at any time before a specified date. A copy of the forms of the unit agreement and the unit certificate relating to any particular issue of units will be filed with the SEC each time we issue units, and you should read those documents for provisions that may be important to you. For more information on how you can obtain copies of the forms of the unit agreement and the related unit certificate, see “Where You Can Find More Information.”

The prospectus supplement relating to any particular issuance of units will describe the terms of those units, including, to the extent applicable, the following:

 

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the designation and terms of the units and the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

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any provision for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

 

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whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities, and the selling stockholders may sell some or all of the shares of common stock that they currently hold, from time to time, by a variety of methods, including the following:

 

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on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which our securities may be listed at the time of sale, including the NASDAQ;

 

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in the over-the-counter market;

 

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in transactions otherwise than on such exchange or in the over-the-counter market, which may include privately negotiated transactions and sales directly to one or more purchasers;

 

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through ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;

 

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through purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;

 

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through underwriters, broker-dealers, agents, in privately negotiated transactions, or any combination of these methods;

 

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through short sales;

 

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through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;

 

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a combination of any of these methods; or

 

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by any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

As used in this prospectus, “selling stockholders” includes donees, pledgees, transferees or other successors-in-interest selling shares received after the date of this prospectus from a selling stockholder as a gift, pledge, partnership distribution or other non-sale related transfer.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock that may be sold from time to time pursuant to this prospectus by the selling stockholders. We will bear the costs associated with this registration in accordance with the registration rights agreement. However, the selling stockholders will bear any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes, or underwriting commissions and discounts attributable to their sale of shares of our common stock.

The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

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at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

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at negotiated prices.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, or selling stockholders, or the purchasers of securities for whom

 

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the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum amount of underwriting compensation, including underwriting discounts and commissions, to be paid in connection with any offering of securities pursuant to this prospectus may not exceed 8% of the aggregate principal amount of securities offered. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, underwriters or other persons acting as agents may be authorized to solicit offers by institutions or other suitable purchasers to purchase the securities at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement, pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in the prospectus supplement. These purchasers may include, among others, commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. Delayed delivery contracts will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities covered by the delayed delivery contracts will not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and agents will not have any responsibility with respect to the validity or performance of these contracts.

We may engage in at-the-market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we or the selling stockholders may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us, the selling stockholders or borrowed from us, the selling stockholders or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of common stock, and may use securities received from us or the selling stockholders in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of our common stock. In addition, we or the selling stockholders may loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities using this

 

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prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters in connection with the offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus, and any supplement thereto, will be passed upon by O’Melveny  & Myers LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and schedule of Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. as of January 31, 2015 and February 1, 2014, and for each of the fiscal years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2015, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance on the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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