Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Jul. 04, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Nature of business and basis of presentation
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation
 
Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. and subsidiaries (“we,” the “Company” or “ARCA”) are in the business of providing turnkey appliance recycling and replacement services for electric utilities and other sponsors of energy efficiency programs.  We also sell new major household appliances through a chain of Company-owned stores under the name ApplianceSmart®.  In addition, we have a 50% interest in a joint venture operating under the name ARCA Advanced Processing, LLC (“AAP”), which recycles appliances from twelve states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States for General Electric Company (“GE”) acting through its GE Appliances business component.  These appliances include units manufactured by GE as well as by other manufacturers.
 
The accompanying balance sheet as of January 3, 2015, which has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements and the unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America for interim financial information and Article 8 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).  Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.  In the opinion of management, normal and recurring adjustments and accruals considered necessary for a fair presentation for the periods indicated have been included.  Operating results for the three-month and six-month periods ended July 4, 2015 and June 28, 2014, are presented using 13-week and 26-week periods, respectively.  The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results for the year.

In preparation of the Company’s financial statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.  As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended January 3, 2015, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 18, 2015.
Principles of consolidation
Principles of consolidation:  The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. and our subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
 
ApplianceSmart, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary that was formed through a corporate reorganization in July 2011 to hold our business of selling new major household appliances through a chain of Company-owned retail stores.  ARCA Canada Inc., a Canadian corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary that was formed in September 2006 to provide turnkey recycling services for electric utility energy efficiency programs.  ARCA Recycling, Inc., a California corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary that was formed in November 1991 to provide turnkey recycling services for electric utility energy efficiency programs.  The operating results of our wholly owned subsidiaries are consolidated in our financial statements.
 
AAP is a joint venture that was formed in October 2009 between ARCA and 4301 Operations, LLC (“4301”) to support ARCA’s agreement, as amended, with GE acting through its GE Appliances business component.  Both ARCA and 4301 have a 50% interest in AAP.  GE sells its recyclable appliances generated from twelve states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States to ARCA, which collects, processes and recycles the appliances.  The agreement requires that ARCA will only recycle, and will not sell for re-use or resale, the recyclable appliances purchased from GE.  The term of the agreement is for six years from the first date of appliance collection, which was March 31, 2010.  AAP established a regional processing center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at which the recyclable appliances are processed.  AAP commenced operations in February 2010 and has the exclusive rights to service the GE agreement as a subcontractor for ARCA.  The financial position and results of operations of AAP are consolidated in our financial statements based on our conclusion that AAP is a variable interest entity due to our contribution in excess of 50% of the total equity, subordinated debt and other forms of financial support. We have a controlling financial interest in AAP, through our contractual agreement with GE, which is material to AAP, and we have provided substantial financial support to fund the operations of AAP since its inception.
New Accounting Standards Not Yet Effective
New Accounting Standards Not Yet Effective

Revenue from Contracts with Customers: In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance creating Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Section 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. The new section will replace Section 605, “Revenue Recognition” and creates modifications to various other revenue accounting standards for specialized transactions and industries. The section is intended to conform revenue accounting principles with a concurrently issued International Financial Reporting Standards with previously differing treatment between United States practice and those of much of the rest of the world, as well as, to enhance disclosures related to disaggregated revenue information. Entities will have the option to apply the standard retrospectively to all prior periods presented, or to apply it retrospectively only to contracts existing at the effective date, with the cumulative effect of the standard recorded as an adjustment to beginning retained earnings. The updated guidance will be effective for us for the annual reporting period beginning with our fiscal 2018, and interim periods within that year. We will adopt the new provisions of this accounting standard at the beginning of fiscal year 2018, given that early adoption is not an option. We will further study the implications of this statement in order to evaluate the expected impact on the consolidated financial statements.
 
ASU 2015-02, Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis:  This standard, which will become effective January 1, 2016 for the Company, provides amended guidance on whether reporting entities should consolidate certain legal entities, including limited partnerships.  We are evaluating the impact of the standard on the consolidated financial statements.
 
ASU 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs:  This standard, which will be effective January 1, 2016 for the Company, requires that debt issuance costs be presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of long-term debt on the balance sheet.  Presently, debt issuance costs are reported as an asset.  The new guidance aligns the presentation of debt issuance costs with debt discounts and premiums.  The standard is to be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented.  As of July 4, 2015, we had $0.1 million of unamortized debt issuance costs.  This amount is recorded in other non-current assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

In July 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) Related to Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory applies to all inventory except that which is measured using last-in, first-out (LIFO) or the retail inventory method. Inventory measured using first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost is included in the new amendments.  Inventory within the scope of the new guidance should be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method.  The amendments will take effect for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after Dec. 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The new guidance should be applied prospectively, and earlier application is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period.  We are evaluating the impact of the standard on the consolidated financial statements.