Note 4: Note receivable

On December 30, 2017, we signed an agreement to dispose of our retail appliance segment. ApplianceSmart Holdings LLC (the “Purchaser”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Live Ventures Incorporated, entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Company and ApplianceSmart, then a subsidiary of the Company. ApplianceSmart is a retail chain specializing in new and out-of-the-box appliances. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Purchaser purchased from the Company all the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock (the “Stock”) of ApplianceSmart in exchange for $6.5 million (the “Purchase Price”). The Purchase Price per the Agreement was due and payable on or before March 31, 2018.

Between March 31, 2018 and April 24, 2018, the Purchaser and the Company negotiated in good faith the method of payment of the remaining outstanding balance of the Purchase Price. On April 25, 2018, the Purchaser delivered to the Company a promissory note (the “ApplianceSmart Note”) in the original principal amount of approximately $3.9 million (the “Original Principal Amount”), as such amount may be adjusted per the terms of the ApplianceSmart Note. The ApplianceSmart Note is effective as of April 1, 2018 and matures on April 1, 2021 (the “Maturity Date”). The ApplianceSmart Note bears interest at 5% per annum with interest and principal payable at the Maturity Date. ApplianceSmart provided the Company a guaranty of repayment of the ApplianceSmart Note. The remaining approximately $2.6 million of the Purchase Price was paid in cash by the Purchaser to the Company. The Purchaser may reborrow funds, and pay interest on such re-borrowings, from the Company up to the Original Principal Amount. Subsequent to December 30, 2017, ApplianceSmart assumed approximately $1.9 million in liabilities from the Company. For the 52 weeks ended December 29, 2018, the original balance owed to the Company of $6.5 million, increased with new borrowings of approximately $1.8 million, and decreased with repayments of approximately $2.6 million, and debt assumed of approximately $1.9 million represents a net amount due from the Purchaser, now in the form of a note receivable.

On December 26, 2018, the ApplianceSmart Note was amended and restated to grant the Company a security interest in the assets of the Purchaser, ApplianceSmart, and ApplianceSmart Contracting Inc. in exchange for modifying the repayments terms to provide for the payment in full of all accrued interest and principal on the Maturity Date of the ApplianceSmart Note.

On March 15, 2019, the Company entered into agreements with third parties pursuant to which it agreed to subordinate the payment of indebtedness under the ApplianceSmart Note and the Company’s security interest in the assets of ApplianceSmart in exchange for a prepayment of up to $1.2 million. Additionally, the Company advanced ApplianceSmart $355,000 during fiscal 2019 under the ApplianceSmart Note.

On December 9, 2019, ApplianceSmart filed a voluntary petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York seeking relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code. Consequently, the Company recorded an impairment charge of approximately $3.0 million for the amount owed by ApplianceSmart to the Company as of December 28, 2019.

As of January 1, 2022, ApplianceSmart Affiliated Holdings LLC and ApplianceSmart, Inc. (collectively “ApplianceSmart”) operated one store in Ohio.

On October 13, 2021, a hearing was held to consider approval of the Disclosure Statement filed by ApplianceSmart in conjunction with its bankruptcy proceedings. On December 14, 2021, a hearing was held to confirm ApplianceSmart’s plan for reorganization (the “Plan”). The outstanding balance of the ApplianceSmart Note at January 1, 2022 and January 2, 2021 was approximately $3.0 million and approximately $3.0 million, respectively, exclusive of the impairment charge. On January 10, 2022, ApplianceSmart paid $25,000 to JanOne in settlement of its debt, as provided for in the confirmed Plan. A final decree was issued by the court on February 28, 2022, upon the full satisfaction of the Plan, at which time ApplianceSmart emerged from Chapter 11.