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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): September 6, 2022

 

THE CHILDREN’S PLACE, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Delaware   000-23071   31-1241495
 (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)   (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

500 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

 

(201) 558-2400
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
 
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

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

 

 

Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.10 par value PLCE Nasdaq Global Select Market

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12-b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ¨

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On September 8, 2022, The Children’s Place, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that Robert Helm, Chief Financial Officer, would be leaving the Company following a transition period of up to 30 days. The termination of employment of Mr. Helm is not the result of any issues relating to financial disclosures or accounting matters, or any disagreements with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, polices or practices.

 

The Company is actively conducting a search for a Chief Financial Officer. Senior executives in the finance and accounting departments will assume the duties and reponsibilites of the Chief Financial Officer position, working in close coordination with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, until a new Chief Financial Officer is appointed.

 

In connection with the termination of employment of Mr. Helm, the Company and Mr. Helm entered into an agreement providing for, among other things, a release of claims by Mr. Helm, salary continuation payments by the Company for six months, and agreements by Mr. Helm regarding confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition. The Company intends to file a copy of such agreement as an exhibit to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending October 29, 2022 and the foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms of that agreement.

 

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Forward Looking Statements

 

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains or references forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to statements regarding the transition of the responsibilities of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate”, “guidance”, and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company’s current expectations and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially. Some of these risks and uncertainties are described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” section of its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022. Included among the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially are the risk that the Company will be unsuccessful in gauging fashion trends and changing consumer preferences, the risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of the Company’s business and its dependence on consumer spending patterns, which may be affected by changes in economic conditions, the risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business or the economy in general (including decreased customer traffic, schools adopting remote and hybrid learning models, closures of businesses and other activities causing decreased demand for our products and negative impacts on our customers’ spending patterns due to decreased income or actual or perceived wealth, and the impact of legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including any changes to such legislation), the risk that the Company’s strategic initiatives to increase sales and margin are delayed or do not result in anticipated improvements, the risk of delays, interruptions and disruptions in the Company’s global supply chain, including resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic or other disease outbreaks, foreign sources of supply in less developed countries, more politically unstable countries, or countries where vendors fail to comply with industry standards or ethical business practices, including the use of forced, indentured or child labor, the risk that the cost of raw materials or energy prices will increase beyond current expectations or that the Company is unable to offset cost increases through value engineering or price increases, various types of litigation, including class action litigations brought under consumer protection, employment, and privacy and information security laws and regulations, the imposition of regulations affecting the importation of foreign-produced merchandise, including duties and tariffs, and the uncertainty of weather patterns. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: September 8, 2022

 

  THE CHILDREN’S PLACE, INC.
 
  By: /s/ Jane Elfers
  Name: Jane Elfers
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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