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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 10, 2017

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

FDO Holdings, Inc.*
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2233 Lake Park Drive
Smyrna, Georgia 30080
(404) 471-1634
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)

Trevor S. Lang
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
FDO Holdings, Inc.
2233 Lake Park Drive
Smyrna, Georgia 30080
(404) 471-1634
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

                    If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.    o

                    If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

                    If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

                    If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

                    Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

(1)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(2)

Includes additional shares the underwriters have the option to purchase. See "Underwriting."

(3)

Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) based on an estimate of the proposed maximum aggregate offering price.

(4)

Prior to the initial filing of this registration statement, FDO Holdings, Inc. filed a registration statement on November 7, 2014 (Form S-1 No. 333-199973) and paid a filing fee of $11,620. The Registrant did not sell any securities pursuant to Registration Statement No. 333-199973, and it was withdrawn on April 15, 2016. Pursuant to Rule 457(p), $11,620 of the previously paid registration fee is offset against the registration fee otherwise due for this registration statement.

                    The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

*

FDO Holdings, Inc. is the registrant filing this Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to the date of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, FDO Holdings, Inc. will be renamed Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. The securities issued to investors in connection with this offering will be shares of Class A common stock in Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.

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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus dated                        , 2017.

PROSPECTUS

            Shares

Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.

Class A Common Stock

              This is Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.'s initial public offering. We are selling            shares of our Class A common stock.

              Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A common stock. We expect the public offering price to be between $        and $        per share. We intend to apply to list our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FND."

              Following this offering, we will have two classes of common stock outstanding: Class A common stock and Class C common stock. The rights of the holders of our Class A common stock and our Class C common stock are generally identical, except that shares of Class C common stock are non-voting. Our shares of Class C common stock also will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock upon certain circumstances. See "Description of Capital Stock—Common Stock—Conversion Rights."

              Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks that are described in the "Risk Factors" section beginning on page 20 of this prospectus.

              The underwriters may also exercise their option to purchase up to an additional            shares of Class A common stock from us, at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, for 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

              The shares will be ready for delivery on or about                        , 2017.

              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                        , 2017.

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              You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus that we authorize to be distributed to you. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares of Class A common stock offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus and the information in any free writing prospectus that we may provide you in connection with this offering is accurate only as of the date of such free writing prospectus.

              Persons who come into possession of this prospectus and any such free writing prospectus 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 and any such free writing prospectus applicable to that jurisdiction.

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TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES

              This prospectus includes our trademarks and trade names, including Floor & Decor and our logo, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of our wholly owned subsidiary, Floor and Decor Outlets of America, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("F&D"). This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ^TM symbols. We do not intend our use or display of other parties' trademarks, service marks or trade names to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.

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income to Adjusted EBITDA, see Note 8 to the information contained in "—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data."

Net Sales (in millions)		Comparable Store Sales Growth

Our Competitive Strengths

              We believe our strengths, described below, set us apart from our competitors and are the key drivers of our success.

              Unparalleled Customer Value Proposition.    Our customer value proposition is a critical driver of our business. The key components include:

Differentiated Assortment Across a Wide Variety of Hard Surface Flooring Categories. Our stores are generally larger than those of our specialty retail flooring competitors, and we allocate substantially more square footage to hard surface flooring and accessories than large home improvement retailers. We believe we have the most comprehensive in-stock, trend-right product assortment in the industry within our categories with on average approximately 3,500 stock keeping units ("SKUs") in each store. Additionally, we customize our product assortment at the store level for the regional preferences of each market. We have an ongoing product line review process across all categories that allows us to identify and interpret emerging trends in hard surface flooring. We work with our suppliers to quickly introduce new products and styles in our stores. We appeal to a wide range of customers through our "good/better/best" merchandise selection, as well as through our broad range of product styles from classic to modern, as well as new trend-right products. We consistently innovate with proprietary brands and products that appeal to certain customers with over 50 proprietary brands, including AquaGuard® and NuCore®.

Low Prices. We provide everyday low prices in the retail hard surface flooring market. Our merchandising and individual store teams competitively shop each market so that we can offer our flooring products and related accessories at low prices. We also work with our vendors to identify and create new, affordable products in categories traditionally considered high-end to further democratize hard surface flooring by providing a greater number of options to a larger customer base. We believe we are unique in our industry in employing an "everyday low price" strategy, where we strive to offer our products at consistently everyday low prices throughout the year instead of engaging in frequent promotional activities. Our ability to provide these low prices is supported by our direct sourcing model, which strives to eliminate third-party intermediaries and shortens time to market. We believe this strategy creates trust with our Pro, DIY and BIY customers because they consistently receive low prices at Floor & Decor without having to wait for a sale or negotiate to obtain the lowest price.

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RISK FACTORS

              You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our business, financial condition and operating results are dependent on general economic conditions and discretionary spending by our customers, which in turn are affected by a variety of factors beyond our control. If such conditions deteriorate, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

              Our business, financial condition and operating results are affected by general economic conditions and discretionary spending by our customers. Such general economic conditions and discretionary spending are beyond our control and are affected by, among other things:

•

consumer confidence in the economy;



•

unemployment trends;



•

consumer debt levels;



•

consumer credit availability;



•

data security and privacy concerns;



•

the housing market, including housing turnover and whether home values are rising or declining;



•

energy prices;



•

interest rates and inflation;



•

price deflation, including due to low-cost imports;



•

slower rates of growth in real disposable personal income;



•

natural disasters and unpredictable weather;



•

national security concerns and other geopolitical risks;



•

trade relations and tariffs;



•

tax rates and tax policy; and



•

other matters that influence consumer confidence and spending.

              If such conditions deteriorate, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected. In addition, increasing volatility in financial and capital markets may cause some of the above factors to change with a greater degree of frequency and magnitude than in the past.

The hard surface flooring industry depends on home remodeling activity and other important factors.

              The hard surface flooring industry is highly dependent on the remodeling of existing homes, businesses and, to a lesser extent, new home construction. In turn, remodeling and new home construction depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control, including interest rates, tax policy, trade policy, employment levels, consumer confidence, credit availability, real estate prices,

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existing home sales, demographic trends, weather conditions, natural disasters and general economic conditions. In particular:

•

the national economy or any regional or local economy where we operate could weaken;



•

home-price appreciation could slow or turn negative;



•

regions where we have stores could experience unfavorable demographic trends;



•

interest rates could rise;



•

credit could become less available;



•

tax rates and/or health care costs could increase; or



•

fuel costs or utility expenses could increase.

              Any one or a combination of these factors could result in decreased demand for our products, reduce spending on homebuilding or remodeling of existing homes or cause purchases of new and existing homes to decline. While the vast majority of our net sales are derived from home remodeling activity as opposed to new home construction, a decrease in any of these areas would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Any failure by us to successfully anticipate trends may lead to loss of consumer acceptance of our products, resulting in reduced net sales.

              Each of our stores is stocked with a customized product mix based on consumer demands in a particular market. Our success therefore depends on our ability to anticipate and respond to changing trends and consumer demands in these markets in a timely manner. If we fail to identify and respond to emerging trends, consumer acceptance of our merchandise and our image with current or potential customers may be harmed, which could reduce our net sales. Additionally, if we misjudge market trends, we may significantly overstock unpopular products, incur excess inventory costs and be forced to reduce the sales price of such products or incur inventory write-downs, which would adversely affect our operating results. Conversely, shortages of products that prove popular could also reduce our net sales through missed sales and a loss of customer loyalty.

If we fail to successfully manage the challenges that our planned new store growth poses or encounter unexpected difficulties during our expansion, our operating results and future growth opportunities could be adversely affected.

              We have 71 warehouse-format stores and one small-format standalone design center located throughout the United States as of February 10, 2017. We plan to open 14 stores in 2017 and to increase the number of new stores that we open during each of the next several years thereafter. This growth strategy and the investment associated with the development of each new store may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or decrease our profits. We cannot ensure that store locations will be available to us, or that they will be available on terms acceptable to us. If additional retail store locations are unavailable on acceptable terms, we may not be able to carry out a significant part of our growth strategy or our new stores' profitability may be lower. Our future operating results and ability to grow will depend on various other factors, including our ability to:

•

successfully select of new markets and store locations;



•

negotiate leases on acceptable terms;



•

attract, train and retain highly qualified managers and staff;



•

maintain our reputation of providing quality, safe and compliant products; and



•

manage store opening costs.

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              In addition, the availability of existing large-format retail and mixed use facilities is lower than it has been over the last five years, and occupancy costs are increasing, as well as the initial term of lease commitments. Further, consumers in new markets may be less familiar with our brand, and we may need to increase brand awareness in such markets through additional investments in advertising or high cost locations with more prominent visibility. Stores opened in new markets may have higher construction, occupancy or operating costs, or may have lower net sales, than stores opened in the past. In addition, laws or regulations in these new markets may make opening new stores more difficult or cause unexpected delays. Newly opened stores may not succeed or may reach profitability more slowly than we expect, and the ramp-up to profitability may become longer in the future as we enter more markets and add stores to markets where we already have a presence. Future markets and stores may not be successful and, even if they are successful, our comparable store sales may not increase at historical rates. To the extent that we are not able to overcome these various challenges, our operating results and future growth opportunities could be adversely affected.

Increased competition could cause price declines, decrease demand for our products and decrease our market share.

              We operate in the hard surface flooring industry, which is highly fragmented and competitive. We face competition from large home improvement centers, national and regional specialty flooring chains, Internet-based companies and independent flooring retailers. Among other things, we compete on the basis of breadth of product assortment, low prices, and the in-store availability of the products we offer in project- ready quantities, as well as the quality of our products and customer service. As we expand into new and unfamiliar markets, we may experience different competitive conditions than in the past.

              Some of our competitors are organizations that are larger, are better capitalized, have existed longer, have product offerings that extend beyond hard surface flooring and related accessories and have a more established market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we have. In addition, while the hard surface flooring category has a relatively low threat of new internet-only entrants due to the nature of the product, the growth opportunities presented by e-commerce could outweigh these challenges and result in increased competition. Competitors may forecast market developments more accurately than we do, offer similar products at a lower cost or adapt more quickly to new trends and technologies or evolving customer requirements than we do. Further, because the barriers to entry into the hard surface flooring industry are relatively low, manufacturers and suppliers of flooring and related products, including those whose products we currently sell, could enter the market and start directly competing with us. Intense competitive pressures from any of our present or future competitors could cause price declines, decrease demand for our products and decrease our market share. Also, if we continue to grow and become more well-known, other companies may change their strategies to present new competitive challenges. Moreover, in the future, changes in consumer preferences may cause hard surface flooring to become less popular than other types of floor coverings. Such a change in consumer preferences could lead to decreased demand for our products.

              All of these factors may harm us and adversely affect our net sales, market share and operating results.

Any disruption in our distribution capabilities or our related planning and control processes may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Our success is highly dependent on our planning and distribution infrastructure, which includes the ordering, transportation and distribution of products to our stores and the ability of suppliers to meet distribution requirements. We also need to ensure that we continue to identify and improve our processes and supply chain and that our distribution infrastructure and supply chain keep pace with our

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anticipated growth and increased number of stores. The cost of these enhanced processes could be significant and any failure to maintain, grow, or improve them could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Due to our rapid expansion, we have had to increase the size of our distribution centers. Based on our growth intentions we may need to add additional distribution centers or increase the size of our existing distribution centers in the future. Increasing the size of our distribution centers may decrease the efficiency of our distribution costs.

              We took over management of our four distribution centers in 2014 from independent third-party logistics providers. We have limited experience managing our distribution centers and cannot assure you that we will be successful in doing so.

              In addition, we plan to open a new 1.4 million square foot distribution center near Savannah, Georgia in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017. The building is currently under construction, and we cannot guarantee that its opening will be on time or on budget. In connection with the opening of that distribution center, we plan to close our existing distribution centers near Savannah, Georgia and Miami, Florida and move those operations to our new facility near Savannah. We expect to close our distribution center near Miami in early 2018. While we complete this transition, we may incur unexpected costs, and our ability to distribute our products may be adversely affected. We recently moved our West Coast distribution center from Carson, California to Moreno Valley, California. Any disruption in the transition to or operation of our distribution centers could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, our long-term plan expects that we will be able to sublet a portion of our previously occupied distribution centers. Any failure to do so on favorable terms could have a negative impact on our financial condition and operating results.

              Our success is also dependent on our ability to provide timely delivery to our customers. Our business could also be adversely affected if fuel prices increase or there are delays in product shipments due to freight difficulties, inclement weather, strikes by our employees or employees of third-parties involved in our supply chain, or other difficulties. If we are unable to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis, they may decide to purchase products from our competitors instead of from us, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by fluctuations in material and energy costs.

              Our operating results may be affected by the wholesale prices of hard surface flooring products, setting and installation materials and the related accessories that we sell. These prices may fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including the price of raw materials used in the manufacture of hard surface flooring, energy costs, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, currency exchange rates, government regulation, duty and other import costs. In particular, energy costs have fluctuated dramatically in the past and may fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations may result in an increase in our transportation costs for distribution from the manufacturer to our distribution centers and from our distribution centers to our retail stores, utility costs for our distribution centers and retail stores and overall costs to purchase products from our suppliers.

              We may not be able to adjust the prices of our products, especially in the short-term, to recover these cost increases, and a continual rise in such costs could adversely affect consumer spending and demand for our products and increase our operating costs, both of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our future success is dependent on our ability to execute our business strategy effectively and deliver value to our customers.

              We believe our future success will depend on our ability to execute our business strategy effectively and deliver value to our customers. We believe that our breadth of product assortment across a variety of hard surface flooring categories, low prices, and in-store availability of the products

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we offer in project-ready quantities, as well as the quality of our products and customer service, are among the key competitive advantages and important elements of our total value proposition. If we are unsuccessful in staying competitive with our current value proposition, the demand for our products would decrease, and customers may decide to purchase products from our competitors instead of us. If this were to occur, our net sales, market share and operating results would be adversely affected.

Our operating results may be adversely affected if we are not successful in managing our inventory.

              We currently maintain a high level of inventory consisting of on average approximately 3,500 SKUs per store and an average inventory per store of approximately $2.6 million at cost in order to have a broad assortment of products across a wide variety of hard surface flooring categories in project-ready quantities. We also carry an additional $85.8 million of inventory outside our stores, primarily at our distribution centers. The investment associated with this high level of inventory is substantial, and efficient inventory management is a key component of our business success and profitability. If we fail to adequately project the amount or mix of our inventory, we may miss sales opportunities or have to take unanticipated markdowns or hold additional clearance events to dispose of excess inventory, which will adversely affect our operating results.

              In the past, we have incurred costs associated with inventory markdowns and obsolescence. Due to the likelihood that we will continue to incur such costs in the future, we generally include an allowance for such costs in our projections. However, the costs that we actually incur may be substantially higher than our estimate and adversely affect our operating results.

              We continue to focus on ways to reduce these risks, but we cannot assure you that we will be successful in our inventory management.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by inventory shrinkage and damage.

              We are subject to the risk of inventory shrinkage and damage, including the damage or destruction of our inventory by natural disasters or other causes. We have experienced charges in the past, and we cannot assure you that the measures we are taking will effectively address the problem of inventory shrinkage and damage in the future. Although some level of inventory shrinkage and damage is an unavoidable cost of doing business, we could experience higher-than-normal rates of inventory shrinkage and damage or incur increased security and other costs to combat inventory theft and damage. If we are not successful in managing our inventory balances, our operating results may be adversely affected.

If we are unable to enter into leases for additional stores on acceptable terms or renew or replace our current store leases, or if one or more of our current leases is terminated prior to expiration of its stated term, and we cannot find suitable alternate locations, our growth and profitability could be adversely affected.

              We currently lease all of our store locations and our store support center. Our growth strategy largely depends on our ability to identify and open future store locations, which can be difficult because our stores generally require at least 50,000 square feet of floor space. Our ability to negotiate acceptable lease terms for these store locations, to re-negotiate acceptable terms on expiring leases or to negotiate acceptable terms for suitable alternate locations could depend on conditions in the real estate market, competition for desirable properties, our relationships with current and prospective landlords, or on other factors that are not within our control. Any or all of these factors and conditions could adversely affect our growth and profitability.

If we are unable to enter into leases to expand our existing store support center and we cannot find suitable alternate locations at an acceptable cost, our financial results could be adversely affected.

              The lease for our current store support center in Smyrna, Georgia, which serves as our corporate headquarters, only provides sufficient space to support our projected growth through 2018.

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We are exploring various alternatives, but if we cannot find an acceptable solution, our financial results could be adversely effected.

If we fail to identify and maintain relationships with a sufficient number of suppliers, our ability to obtain products that meet our high quality standards at attractive prices could be adversely affected.

              We purchase flooring and other products directly from suppliers located around the world. We do not have long-term contractual supply agreements with our suppliers that obligate them to supply us with products exclusively or at specified quantities or prices. As a result, our current suppliers may decide to sell products to our competitors and may not continue selling products to us. In order to retain the competitive advantage that we believe results from these relationships, we need to continue to identify, develop and maintain relationships with qualified suppliers that can satisfy our high standards for quality and safety and our requirements for delivery of flooring and other products in a timely and efficient manner at attractive prices. The need to develop new relationships will be particularly important as we seek to expand our operations and enhance our product offerings in the future. The loss of one or more of our existing suppliers or our inability to develop relationships with new suppliers could reduce our competitiveness, slow our plans for further expansion and cause our net sales and operating results to be adversely affected.

We will require significant capital to fund our expanding business, which may not be available to us on satisfactory terms or at all. If we are unable to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow or if we do not have sufficient availability under the Amended Wells Facility, we may not meet our growth expectations or we may require additional financing, which could adversely affect our financial health and impose covenants that limit our business activities.

              We plan to continue investing for growth, including opening new stores, remodeling existing stores, adding staff, adding distribution center capacity and upgrading our information technology systems and other infrastructure. These investments will require significant capital, which we plan on funding with cash flow from operations and borrowings under the Amended Wells Facility.

              If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund these activities or if these investments do not yield cash flows in line with past performance or our expectations, we may need additional equity or debt financing. If such financing is not available to us, or is not available on satisfactory terms, our ability to operate and expand our business or respond to competitive pressures would be curtailed, and we may need to delay, limit or eliminate planned store openings or operations or other elements of our growth strategy. If we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, your ownership would be diluted.

Our net sales growth could be adversely affected if comparable store sales growth is less than we expect.

              While future net sales growth will depend substantially on our plans for new store openings, our comparable store sales growth is a significant driver of our net sales, profitability and overall business results. Because numerous factors affect our comparable store sales growth, including, among others, economic conditions, the retail sales environment, the home improvement spending environment, housing turnover, housing appreciation, interest rates, the hard surface flooring industry and the impact of competition, the ability of our customers to obtain credit, changes in our product mix, the in-stock availability of products that are in demand, changes in staffing at our stores, cannibalization resulting from the opening of new stores in existing markets, lower than expected ramp-up in new store net sales, changes in advertising and other operating costs, weather conditions, retail trends and our overall ability to execute our business strategy and planned growth effectively, it is possible that we will not achieve our targeted comparable store sales growth or that the change in comparable store sales could be negative. If this were to happen, it is likely that overall net sales growth would be adversely affected.

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We depend on a number of suppliers, and any failure by any of them to supply us with quality products on attractive terms and prices may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              We depend on our suppliers to deliver quality products to us on a timely basis at attractive prices. Additionally, we source the products that we sell from over 180 domestic and international suppliers. However, in the future, we may not be able to acquire desired merchandise in sufficient quantities on terms acceptable to us, which may impair our relationship with our customers, impair our ability to attract new customers, reduce our competitiveness and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Changes in tax laws, trade policies and regulations or in our operations may impact our effective tax rate and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Additionally, results of the November 2016 United States elections and reform proposals advanced by the U.S. Congress have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to the deductibility of net interest expense, tax and trade policies, tariffs and government regulations affecting trade between the United States and other countries. We import approximately 68% of the products we sell, including a significant amount of product from China. Major developments in tax policy or trade relations, such as the disallowance of tax deductions for imported merchandise or the imposition of unilateral tariffs on imported products, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity. If there are any adverse changes in tax laws or trade policies that result in an increase in our costs, we may not be able to adjust the prices of our products, especially in the short-term, to recover such costs, and a rise in such costs could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

The failure of our suppliers to adhere to the quality standards that we set for our products could lead to government investigations, litigation, write-offs and recalls, which could damage our reputation and our brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely affect our business.

              We do not control the operations of our suppliers. Although we conduct an initial due diligence investigation prior to engaging our suppliers and require our suppliers to certify compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that our suppliers will comply with applicable laws and regulations or operate in a legal, ethical and responsible manner. Additionally, it is possible that we may not be able to identify noncompliance by our suppliers notwithstanding these precautionary measures. Violation of applicable laws and regulations by our suppliers or their failure to operate in a legal, ethical or responsible manner, could expose us to legal risks, cause us to violate laws and regulations and reduce demand for our products if, as a result of such violation or failure, we attract negative publicity. In addition, the failure of our suppliers to adhere to the quality standards that we set for our products could lead to government investigations, litigation, write-offs and recalls, which could damage our reputation and our brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely affect our business.

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We procure the majority of our products from suppliers located outside of the United States, and as a result, we are subject to risks associated with obtaining products from abroad that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

              We procure the majority of our products from suppliers located outside of the United States. As a result, we are subject to risks associated with obtaining products from abroad, including:

•

political unrest, acts of war, terrorism and economic instability resulting in the disruption of trade from foreign countries where our products originate;



•

currency exchange fluctuations;



•

the imposition of new or more stringent laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental, health and safety matters and climate change issues, labor conditions, quality and safety standards, trade restrictions and restrictions on funds transfers;



•

the imposition of new or different duties (including antidumping and countervailing duties), tariffs, taxes and/or other charges on exports or imports, including as a result of errors in the classification of products upon entry or changes in the interpretation or application of rates or regulations relating to the import or export of our products;



•

the risk that one or more of our suppliers will not adhere to applicable legal requirements, including fair labor standards, the prohibition on child labor, environmental, product safety or manufacturing safety standards, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA") and sourcing laws such as the Lacey Act;



•

disruptions or delays in production, shipments, delivery or processing through ports of entry (including those resulting from strikes, lockouts, work-stoppages or slowdowns, or other forms of labor unrest);



•

changes in local economic conditions in countries where our suppliers are located; and



•

differences in product standards, acceptable business practice and legal environments.

              Additionally, we import approximately 49% of the products we sell from China. The Chinese government has in the past imposed restrictions on manufacturing facilities, including a shut-down of transportation of materials and power plants to reduce air pollution. If, in the future, restrictions are imposed that include our operations, our suppliers' ability to supply current or new orders would be significantly impacted. These and other factors beyond our control could disrupt the ability of our suppliers to ship certain products to us cost-effectively or at all, expose us to significant operational and legal risk and negatively affect our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to offer compelling products, particularly products made of more exotic species or unique stone, depends on the continued availability of sufficient suitable natural products.

              Our business strategy depends on offering a wide assortment of compelling products to our customers. We sell, among other things, flooring made from various wood species and natural stone from quarries throughout the world. Our ability to obtain an adequate volume and quality of hard-to-find products depends on our suppliers' ability to furnish those products, which, in turn, could be affected by many things, including events such as forest fires, insect infestation, tree diseases, prolonged drought, other adverse weather and climate conditions and the exhaustion of stone quarries. Government regulations relating to forest management practices also affect our suppliers' ability to harvest or export timber and other products, and changes to regulations and forest management policies, or the implementation of new laws or regulations, could impede their ability to do so. If our suppliers cannot deliver sufficient products, and we cannot find replacement suppliers, our net sales and operating results may be adversely affected.

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Our business exposes us to personal injury, product liability and warranty claims and related governmental investigations, which could result in negative publicity, harm our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Our stores and distribution centers are warehouse environments that involve the operation of forklifts and other machinery and the storage and movement of heavy merchandise, all of which are activities that have the inherent danger of injury or death to employees or customers despite safety precautions, training and compliance with federal, state and local health and safety regulations. While we have insurance coverage in place in addition to policies and procedures designed to minimize these risks, we may nonetheless be unable to avoid material liabilities for an injury or death arising out of these activities.

              In addition, we face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability or warranty claims or governmental investigations in the event that the use of our products is alleged to have resulted in economic loss, personal injury or property damage or violated environmental or other laws. If any of our products proves to be defective or otherwise in violation of applicable law, we may be required to recall or redesign such products. Further, in such instances, we may be subject to legal action. We generally seek contractual indemnification from our suppliers. However, such contractual indemnification may not be enforceable against the supplier, particularly because many of our suppliers are located outside of the United States. Any personal injury, product liability or warranty claim made against us, whether or not it has merit, or governmental investigation related to our products, could be time-consuming and costly to defend or respond to, may not be covered by insurance carried by us, could result in negative publicity, could harm our brand and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, any negative publicity involving our suppliers, employees, and other parties who are not within our control could adversely affect us.

Unfavorable allegations, government investigations and legal actions surrounding our products and us could harm our reputation, impair our ability to grow or sustain our business, and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              We rely on our reputation for offering great value, superior service and a broad assortment of high-quality, safe products. If we become subject to unfavorable allegations, government investigations or legal actions involving our products or us, such circumstances could harm our reputation and our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If this negative impact is significant, our ability to grow or sustain our business could be jeopardized.

              For example, a 60 Minutes segment that aired on March 1, 2015 alleged that another retailer of home flooring products sold flooring containing unsafe levels of formaldehyde. Flooring products that use formaldehyde resins, including laminate and engineered flooring, are subject to applicable laws and regulations governing formaldehyde emissions. The 60 Minutes segment alleged that the retailer's products were falsely labeled as being compliant with the emissions standards of CARB. The report also suggested that the flooring could cause adverse health effects. The retailer became subject to numerous lawsuits and government investigations, including by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

              In December 2015, a similar lawsuit was filed as a putative nationwide class action against our subsidiary F&D. The lawsuit alleged that certain Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring products sold by F&D were falsely labeled as compliant with formaldehyde emissions standards established by CARB. In September 2016, F&D entered into a classwide settlement to resolve the lawsuit. The settlement class was defined as all end users of Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring sold by F&D nationwide between January 1, 2012 and August 1, 2015. As part of the settlement, all settlement class members who did not exclude themselves from the settlement granted F&D a release of all claims arising out of or relating to their purchase of Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring from F&D, with the exception of personal injury claims. The settlement did not involve an admission of liability by F&D. Seven

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members of the settlement class excluded themselves from the settlement. The settlement was granted final approval by the court on January 10, 2017.

              Although the claims asserted in the December 2015 lawsuit have been resolved, we cannot predict whether we will face additional lawsuits that are not covered by the settlement or the release. If additional lawsuits are filed, we could incur significant costs, be liable for damages, be subject to fines, penalties, injunctive relief, criminal charges or other legal risks, which could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Negative publicity surrounding such matters, including publicity about other retailers, may harm our reputation and affect the demand for our products. In addition, if more stringent laws or regulations are adopted in the future, we may have difficulty complying with the new requirements imposed by such laws and regulations, and in turn, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. Moreover, regardless of whether any such changes are adopted, we may become subject to claims or governmental investigations alleging violations of applicable laws and regulations. Any such matter may subject us to fines, penalties, injunctions, litigation and/or potential criminal violations. Any one of these results could negatively affect our business, financial condition and operating results and impair our ability to grow or sustain our business.

If we violate or are alleged to have violated environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could incur significant costs and other negative effects that could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              In addition to the applicable laws and regulations discussed above, certain portions of our operations are subject to laws and regulations governing the environmental protection of natural resources and health and safety, including the use, storage, handling, generation, transportation, treatment, emission, release, discharge and disposal of certain hazardous materials and wastes. In addition, certain of our products are subject to laws and regulations relating to the importation, exportation, acquisition or sale of certain plants and plant products, including those illegally harvested, and the emissions of hazardous materials.

              While we operate our business in accordance with standards and procedures designed to comply with the applicable laws and regulations in these areas and work closely with our suppliers in order to comply with such laws and regulations, recently we and certain of our competitors have incurred significant expenses responding to allegations of violations of these laws. If we violate or are again alleged to have violated such laws, we could incur significant costs, be liable for damages, experience delays in shipments of our products, be subject to fines, penalties, criminal charges or other legal risks, or suffer reputational harm, any of which could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, there can be no assurance that such laws or regulations will not become more stringent in the future or that we will not incur additional costs in the future in order to comply with such laws or regulations.

We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, while we cannot predict the outcomes of such proceedings and other contingencies with certainty, this litigation and any potential future litigation could have an adverse impact on us.

              We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including claims related to breach of contract, product liabilities, intellectual property matters and employment related matters resulting from our business activities. As with most actions such as these, an estimate of any possible and/or ultimate liability cannot always be determined. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors. Additionally, we cannot guarantee that we will not become engaged in additional legal actions, claims, proceedings or

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governmental investigations in the future. Any such action could result in negative publicity, harm to our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Labor activities could cause labor relations difficulties for us.

              Currently none of our employees are represented by a union; however, our employees have the right at any time to form or affiliate with a union. As we continue to grow, enter different regions and operate distribution centers, unions may attempt to organize all or part of our employee base at certain stores or distribution centers within certain regions. We cannot predict the adverse effects that any future organizational activities will have on our business, financial condition and operating results. If we were to become subject to work stoppages, we could experience disruption in our operations and increases in our labor costs, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Federal, state or local laws and regulations, or our failure to comply with such laws and regulations, could increase our expenses, restrict our ability to conduct our business and expose us to legal risks.

              We are subject to a wide range of general and industry-specific laws and regulations imposed by federal, state and local authorities in the countries in which we operate including those related to customs, foreign operations (such as the FCPA), truth-in-advertising, consumer protection (such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act), privacy, product safety, the environment (such as the Lacey Act), intellectual property infringement, zoning and occupancy matters as well as the operation of retail stores and distribution facilities. In addition, various federal and state laws govern our relationship with, and other matters pertaining to, our employees, including wage and hour laws, laws governing independent contractor classifications, requirements to provide meal and rest periods or other benefits, family leave mandates, requirements regarding working conditions and accommodations to certain employees, citizenship or work authorization and related requirements, insurance and workers' compensation rules and anti-discrimination laws. In recent years, we and other parties in the flooring industry have been or currently are parties to litigation involving claims that allege violations of the foregoing laws, including claims related to product safety and patent claims. See "—Unfavorable allegations, government investigations and legal actions surrounding our products and us could harm our reputation and impair our ability to grow or sustain our business." In addition, there has been an increase in the number of wage and hour class action claims that allege misclassification of overtime eligible workers and/or failure to pay overtime-eligible workers for all hours worked, particularly in the retail industry. Although we believe that we have complied with these laws and regulations, there is nevertheless a risk that we will become subject to claims that allege we have failed to do so. Any claim that alleges a failure by us to comply with any of the foregoing laws and regulations may subject us to fines, penalties, injunctions, litigation and/or potential criminal violations, which could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

              Certain of our products may require us to spend significant time and resources in order to comply with applicable advertising, labeling, importation, exportation, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations because if we violate these laws or regulations, we could experience delays in shipments of our goods, be subject to fines or penalties, be liable for costs and damages or suffer reputational harm, any of which could reduce demand for our merchandise and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Any changes to the foregoing laws or regulations or any new laws or regulations that are passed or go into effect may make it more difficult for us to operate our business and in turn adversely affect our operating results.

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              We may also be subject to audits by various taxing authorities. Similarly, changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, given the nature of our business, certain of our sales are exempt from state sales taxes. If we are audited and fail to maintain proper documentation, any adjustments resulting from such audits could increase our tax liability, including any interest or penalties.

If our efforts to ensure the privacy and security of information related to our customers, us, our employees, our suppliers and other third parties are not successful, we could become subject to litigation, investigations, liability and negative publicity that could significantly harm our reputation and relationships with our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Our business, like that of most retailers, involves the receipt, storage and transmission of customers' personal information, consumer preferences and payment card data, as well as other confidential information related to us, our employees, our suppliers and other third parties, some of which is entrusted to third-party service providers and vendors that provide us with technology, systems and services that we use in connection with the receipt, storage and transmission of such information. Cyber-attacks designed to gain access to these types of sensitive information by breaching critical systems of large organizations are constantly evolving, and high profile electronic security breaches leading to unauthorized release of sensitive information have occurred in recent years with increasing frequency at a number of major U.S. companies, including several large retailers, notwithstanding widespread recognition of the cyber-attack threat and improved data protection methods.

              Despite our security measures and those of third parties with whom we do business, such as our banks, merchant card processing and other technology vendors, our respective systems and facilities may be vulnerable to criminal cyber-attacks or security incidents due to malfeasance, intentional or inadvertent security breaches by employees, or other vulnerabilities such as defects in design or manufacture. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deception targeted at our customers, employees, suppliers and service providers. Any such incidents could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen.

              As noted above, the techniques used by criminals to obtain unauthorized access to sensitive data change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target; accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, advances in computer capabilities, new technological discoveries or other developments may also compromise or result in the obsolescence of the technology used to protect sensitive information. An actual or anticipated attack may cause us to incur additional costs, including costs related to diverting or deploying personnel, implementing preventative measures, training employees and engaging third-party experts and consultants. Further, any security breach could expose us to risks of data loss, regulatory and law enforcement investigations, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and any resulting negative publicity could significantly harm our reputation and relationships with our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

A material disruption in our information systems, including our website and call center, could adversely affect our business or operating results and lead to reduced net sales and reputational damage.

              We rely on our information systems to process transactions, summarize our results of operations and manage our business. In particular, our website and our call center are important parts of our integrated connected customer strategy and customers use these systems as information sources on the range of products available to them and as a way to order our products. Therefore, the reliability and capacity of our information systems is critical to our operations and the implementation

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of our growth initiatives. However, our information systems are subject to damage or interruption from planned upgrades in technology interfaces, power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, cyber-attacks or other security breaches and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, acts of war or terrorism and usage errors by our employees. If our information systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer losses of critical data and/or interruptions or delays in our operations. In addition, to keep pace with changing technology, we must continuously implement new information technology systems as well as enhance our existing systems. In particular, in 2017 we intend to implement a new human resources information system, and any disruption in doing so could negatively impact the operation of our business. Moreover, the successful execution of some of our growth strategies, in particular the expansion of our connected customer and online capabilities, is dependent on the design and implementation of new systems and technologies and/or the enhancement of existing systems. Any material disruption in our information systems, or delays or difficulties in implementing or integrating new systems or enhancing or expanding current systems, could have an adverse effect on our business, in particular our call center and online operations, and our operating results and could lead to reduced net sales and reputational damage.

We are subject to payments-related risks that could increase our operating costs, expose us to fraud, subject us to potential liability and potentially disrupt our business.

              We accept payments using a variety of methods, including credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and physical bank checks. These payment options subject us to many compliance requirements, including, but not limited to, compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, which represents a common set of industry tools and measurements to help ensure the safe handling of sensitive information. They also subject us to potential fraud by criminal elements seeking to discover and take advantage of security vulnerabilities that may exist in some of these payment systems. For certain payment methods, including credit cards and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. We rely on third parties to provide payment processing services, including the processing of credit cards, debit cards and gift cards, and it could disrupt our business if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules, including data security rules, certification requirements, and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, or if our data security systems are breached or compromised, there is the potential that parties could seek damages from us, we may be liable for card issuing banks' costs, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, and lose our ability to accept credit cards and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments, we could lose the confidence of customers and our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. We may also need to expend significant management and financial resources to become or remain compliant with relevant standards and requirements, which could divert resources from other initiatives and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our facilities and systems, as well as those of our suppliers, are vulnerable to natural disasters and other unexpected events, and as a result we may lose merchandise and be unable to effectively deliver it to our stores.

              Our retail stores, store support center and distribution centers, as well as the operations of our suppliers from which we receive goods and services, are vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, floods and similar events. If any of these events result in damage to our facilities, systems or equipment, or those of our suppliers, they could adversely affect our ability to stock our stores and deliver products to our customers, and could adversely affect our net sales and

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operating results. In addition, we may incur costs in repairing any damage beyond our applicable insurance coverage. In particular, any disruption to any of our distribution centers could have a material impact on our business.

Material damage to, or interruptions in, our information systems as a result of external factors, staffing shortages and difficulties in updating our existing software or developing or implementing new software could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              We depend largely upon our information technology systems in the conduct of all aspects of our operations. Such systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses and security breaches. Damage or interruption to our information systems may require a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim including issues operating our distribution centers and/or managing our inventory. In addition, costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology, or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems, could also disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations. Further, the software programs supporting many of our systems were licensed to us by independent software developers. The inability of these developers or us to continue to maintain and upgrade these information systems and software programs would disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations if we were unable to convert to alternate systems in an efficient and timely manner and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Any material interruptions or failures in our information systems may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

As we have a high concentration of stores in the southern region of the United States, we are subject to regional risks.

              We have a high concentration of stores in the southern region of the United States. If this market suffers an economic downturn or other significant adverse event, our comparable store sales, net sales, profitability and the ability to implement our planned expansion could be adversely affected. Any natural disaster, extended adverse weather or other serious disruption in this market due to fire, tornado, hurricane, or any other calamity could damage inventory and could result in decreased net sales.

Our success depends substantially upon the continued retention of certain key personnel.

              We believe that our success has depended and continues to depend to a significant extent on the efforts and abilities of our senior management team and our board of directors. Our failure to retain members of that team could impede our ability to build on the efforts they have undertaken with respect to our business.

We do not maintain "key man" life insurance policies on our key personnel.

              We do not have "key man" life insurance policies for any of our key personnel. If we were to obtain "key man" insurance for our key personnel, there can be no assurance that the amounts of such policies would be sufficient to pay losses experienced by us as a result of the loss of any of those personnel.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract, train and retain highly qualified managers and staff.

              Our success depends in part on our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified managers and staff. Purchasing hard surface flooring is an infrequent event for BIY and DIY consumers, and the typical consumer in these groups has little knowledge of the range, characteristics and suitability of the products available before starting the purchasing process. Therefore, consumers in the hard surface

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flooring market expect to have sales associates serving them who are knowledgeable about the entire assortment of products offered by the retailer and the process of choosing and installing hard surface flooring.

              Each of our stores is managed by a store manager who has the flexibility (with the support of regional managers) to use his or her knowledge of local market dynamics to customize each store in a way that is most likely to increase net sales and profitability. Our store managers are also expected to anticipate, gauge and quickly respond to changing consumer demands in these markets. Further, it generally takes a substantial amount of time for our store managers to develop the entrepreneurial skills that we expect them to have in order to make our stores successful.

              There is a high level of competition for qualified regional managers, store managers and sales associates among home improvement and flooring retailers in local markets, and as a result, we may not succeed in attracting and retaining the personnel we require to conduct our current operations and support our plans for expansion. If our recruiting and retention efforts are not successful, we may have a shortage of qualified employees in future periods. Any such shortage would decrease our ability to effectively serve our customers. Such a shortage would also likely lead to higher wages for employees and a corresponding reduction in our operating results. In addition, as we expand into new markets, we may find it more difficult to hire, develop and retain qualified employees and may experience increased labor costs. Any failure by us to attract, train and retain highly qualified managers and staff could adversely affect our operating results and future growth opportunities.

The effectiveness of our advertising strategy is a driver of our future success.

              We believe that our growth was in part a result of our successful investment in local advertising. As we enter new markets that often have more expensive advertising rates, we may need to increase our advertising expenses to broaden the reach and frequency of our advertising to increase the recognition of our brand. If our advertisements fail to draw customers in the future, or if the cost of advertising or other marketing materials increases significantly, we could experience declines in our net sales and operating results.

Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any failure to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brand and harm our business.

              We regard our intellectual property as having significant value, and our brand is an important factor in the marketing of our products. However, we cannot assure you that the steps we take to protect our trademarks or intellectual property will be adequate to prevent others from copying or using our trademarks or intellectual property without authorization. If our trademarks or intellectual property are copied or used without authorization, the value of our brand, its reputation, our competitive advantages and our goodwill could be harmed.

We may be involved in disputes from time to time relating to our intellectual property and the intellectual property of third parties.

              We may become parties to disputes from time to time over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property, and we may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise claims against us alleging infringement or violation of the intellectual property of that third-party. Even if we prevail in such disputes, the costs we incur in defending such dispute may be material and costly. Some third-party intellectual property rights may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for us to conduct our operations in such a way as to avoid violating those intellectual property rights. Any such intellectual property claim could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether such claim has merit. The liability insurance we maintain may not adequately cover potential claims of this type, and we may be required

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to pay monetary damages or license fees to third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our ability to control higher health care costs is limited and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              With the passage in 2010 of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (as amended, the "Affordable Care Act"), we are required to provide affordable coverage, as defined in the Affordable Care Act, to all employees, or otherwise be subject to a payment per employee based on the affordability criteria in the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, some states and localities have passed state and local laws mandating the provision of certain levels of health benefits by some employers. These requirements limit our ability to control employee health care costs.

              Efforts to modify, repeal or otherwise invalidate all, or certain provisions of, the Affordable Care Act and/or adopt a replacement healthcare reform law may impact our employee healthcare costs. At this time, there is uncertainty concerning whether the Affordable Care Act will be repealed or what requirements will be included in a new law, if enacted. If health care costs rise, we may experience increased operating costs, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We are a holding company with no business operations of our own and depend on cash flow from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

              We are a holding company with no business operations of our own or material assets other than the equity of our subsidiaries. All of our operations are conducted by our subsidiaries. As a holding company, we will require dividends and other payments from our subsidiaries to meet cash requirements.

              The terms of our Amended Wells Facility, a $200 million asset-based revolving credit facility, and our Term Loan Facility, a $350 million senior secured term loan facility, restrict our subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring cash or other assets to us except in certain limited circumstances. If we become insolvent or there is a liquidation or other reorganization of any of our subsidiaries, our stockholders likely will have no right to proceed against their assets. Creditors of those subsidiaries will be entitled to payment in full from the sale or other disposal of the assets of those subsidiaries before we, as an equity holder, would be entitled to receive any distribution from that sale or disposal. If our subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends or make other payments to us when needed, we will be unable to satisfy our obligations.

We face risks related to our indebtedness.

              As of                        , 2017, we were highly leveraged and the principal amount of our total indebtedness was approximately $             million (including $            million of indebtedness outstanding under the Term Loan Facility). In addition, as of                        , 2017, we had the ability to access $            million of unused borrowings then available under the Amended Wells Facility without violating any covenants thereunder and had $            million in outstanding letters of credit.

              As set forth under "Use of Proceeds," after giving effect to our use of the net proceeds from this offering, the principal amount of our total indebtedness would have been approximately $            million as of September 29, 2016.

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              Our indebtedness, combined with our lease and other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results by:

•

making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, including restrictive covenants and borrowing conditions, which may lead to an event of default under agreements governing our debt;



•

making us more vulnerable to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and government regulation;



•

requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of cash flows to fund current operations and future growth;



•

exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as our borrowings under our Credit Facilities are at variable rates;



•

restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;



•

requiring us to comply with financial and operational covenants, restricting us, among other things, from placing liens on our assets, making investments, incurring debt, making payments to our equity or debt holders and engaging in transactions with affiliates;



•

limiting our ability to borrow additional amounts for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our business and growth strategies or other purposes; and



•

limiting our ability to obtain credit from our suppliers and other financing sources on acceptable terms or at all.

              We may also incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our Credit Facilities. If such new indebtedness is in an amount greater than our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify. However, we cannot assure you that any such additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Significant amounts of cash are required to service our indebtedness and operating lease obligations, and any failure to meet our debt service obligations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

              Our ability to pay interest on and principal of our debt obligations will primarily depend upon our future operating performance. As a result, prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, will affect our ability to make these payments.

              If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt service obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our indebtedness, selling our assets, reducing or delaying capital investments or seeking to raise additional capital. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness on acceptable terms. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—Refinancing and Dividend Transactions" and

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"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Credit Facilities."

              Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations at all or on acceptable terms, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

              We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in amounts sufficient to enable us to make payments on our indebtedness or to fund our operations.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that may limit our flexibility in operating our business.

              We are a holding company, and accordingly, substantially all of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. The credit agreements governing our Credit Facilities contain, and any future indebtedness would likely contain, a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions, including restrictions on our ability to engage in acts that may be in our best long-term interests. The credit agreements governing our Credit Facilities include covenants that, among other things, restrict our and our subsidiaries' ability to:

•

incur additional indebtedness;



•

create liens;



•

make investments, loans or advances;



•

merge or consolidate;



•

sell assets, including capital stock of subsidiaries or make acquisitions;



•

pay dividends on capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire capital stock or make other restricted payments;



•

enter into transactions with affiliates;



•

repurchase certain indebtedness; and



•

exceed a certain total net leverage ratio or, in certain cases, maintain less than a certain fixed charge coverage ratio.

              Based on the foregoing factors, the operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our current debt agreements and any future financing agreements could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

              In addition, a breach of any of the restrictive covenants in our Credit Facilities may constitute an event of default, permitting the lenders to declare all outstanding indebtedness under both our Credit Facilities to be immediately due and payable or to enforce their security interest, which could adversely affect our ability to respond to changes in our business and manage our operations. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of the agreements governing our Credit Facilities, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding to be due and payable and exercise other remedies as set forth in the credit agreements. If any of our indebtedness under either of our Credit Facilities were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay this indebtedness in full, which could adversely affect our ability to continue to operate as a going concern. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Credit Facilities" for more information.

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Our fixed lease obligations could adversely affect our operating results.

              We are required to use a significant portion of cash generated by our operations to satisfy our fixed lease obligations, which could adversely affect our ability to obtain future financing to support our growth or other operational investments. We will require substantial cash flows from operations to make our payments under our operating leases, all of which provide for periodic increases in rent. As of September 29, 2016, our minimum annual rental obligations under long-term operating leases for the thirteen weeks ending December 29, 2016 and the fiscal years ending December 28, 2017 and December 27, 2018 are approximately $14.6 million, $61.7 million and $61.9 million, respectively. If we are not able to make payments under our operating leases, this could trigger defaults under other leases or, in certain circumstances, under our Credit Facilities, which could cause the counterparties or lenders under those agreements to accelerate the obligations due thereunder.

Changes to accounting rules or regulations could adversely affect our operating results.

              Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. New accounting rules or regulations and changes to existing accounting rules or regulations have occurred and may occur in the future. Future changes to accounting rules or regulations, such as changes to revenue recognition or lease accounting guidance or a requirement to convert to international financial reporting standards, could adversely affect our operating results through increased cost of compliance.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

You may not be able to resell your shares at or above the offering price or at all, and our stock price may be volatile, which could result in a significant loss or impairment of your investment.

              Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. An active public market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained after this offering, in which case it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of our common stock at a price that is attractive to you or at all. The price of our common stock in any such market may be higher or lower than the price that you pay in this offering. If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will pay a price that was not established in a competitive market. Rather, you will pay the price that we negotiated with the representatives of the underwriters, which may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market.

              The trading price of our common stock may be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including those described above in "—Risks Related to Our Business" and the following:

•

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual financial results;



•

the financial guidance we may provide to the public, any changes in such guidance or our failure to meet such guidance;



•

failure of industry or securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any industry or securities analysts that follow us or our failure to meet such estimates;



•

downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of our competitors;



•

market factors, including rumors, whether or not correct, involving us or our competitors;



•

unfavorable market reactions to allegations regarding the safety of products sold by us or our competitors that are similar to products that we sell and costs or negative publicity arising out of any potential litigation and/or government investigations resulting therefrom;



•

fluctuations in stock market prices and trading volumes of securities of similar companies;

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•

sales or anticipated sales of large blocks of our stock;



•

short selling of our common stock by investors;



•

limited "public float" in the hands of a small number of persons whose sales or lack of sales of our common stock could result in positive or negative pricing pressure on the market price for our common stock;



•

additions or departures of key personnel;



•

announcements of new store openings, commercial relationships, acquisitions or entry into new markets by us or our competitors;



•

failure of any of our initiatives, including our growth strategy, to achieve commercial success;



•

regulatory or political developments;



•

changes in accounting principles or methodologies;



•

litigation or governmental investigations;



•

negative publicity about us in the media and online; and



•

general financial market conditions or events.

              Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations sometimes have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise adversely affect the price or liquidity of our common stock.

              In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending it or paying for settlements or damages. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our operating business. As a result, such litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, our market, or our competitors, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock in a negative way, the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.

              The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who cover us change their recommendation regarding our common stock in a negative way, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who covers us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.

The large number of shares eligible for public sale in the future, or the perception of the public that these sales may occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.

              The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of (i) sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market after this offering, particularly sales by our directors, employees (including our executive officers) and significant stockholders, and (ii) a large number of shares of our common stock being registered or offered for sale. These sales, or the perception that

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these sales could occur, may depress the market price of our common stock. We will have shares of common stock outstanding after this offering (or shares if the underwriters' exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). Of these shares, the common stock sold in this offering will be freely tradable.

              Additionally, as of the closing of this offering, shares of our common stock will be issuable upon exercise of stock options that vest and are exercisable at various dates through                     , 2026, with an average weighted exercise price of $            per share. Of such options,                are currently exercisable. As soon as practicable after the closing of this offering, we intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock issued or reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plans. The Form S-8 registration statement will become effective immediately upon filing, and shares covered by that registration statement will thereupon be eligible for sale in the public markets, subject to vesting restrictions, the lock-up agreements described below and the limitations of Rule 144 under the Securities Act ("Rule 144") applicable to affiliates.

              We and certain of our stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to a "lock-up," pursuant to which neither we nor they will sell any shares without the prior consent of the representatives of the underwriters for 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions and extensions under certain circumstances. Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, all of our shares of common stock will be eligible for future sale, subject to the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144. In addition, our Sponsors have certain demand registration rights, and all of our stockholders have "piggy-back" registration rights with respect to the common stock that they will retain following this offering. See "Shares Eligible for Future Sale" and "Description of Capital Stock—Registration Rights" for a discussion of the shares of common stock that may be sold into the public market in the future, including common stock held by Ares and Freeman Spogli.

You will incur immediate and substantial dilution in your investment because our earlier investors paid less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their shares.

              If you purchase shares in this offering, you will incur immediate dilution of $            in net tangible book value per share (or $            if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), based on an assumed initial public offering price of $            per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, because the price that you pay will be greater than the net tangible book value per share of the shares acquired. This dilution arises because our earlier investors paid less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their shares of our common stock. Furthermore, there will be options to purchase shares of common stock outstanding upon the closing of this offering that have exercise prices below the initial public offering price. To the extent such options are exercised in the future, there may be further dilution to new investors. See "Dilution."

In the future, we expect to issue stock options, restricted stock and/or other forms of stock-based compensation, which have the potential to dilute stockholders' value and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

              In the future, we expect to offer stock options, restricted stock and/or other forms of stock based compensation to our eligible employees, consultants and Compensated Directors (as defined in "Executive and Director Compensation—Compensation of our Directors for Fiscal 2016—Director Compensation"). If we grant more equity awards to attract and retain key personnel, the expenses associated with such additional equity awards could materially adversely affect our results of operations and may also result in additional dilution to our stockholders. If any options that we issue are exercised or any restrictions on restricted stock that we issue lapse and those shares are sold into the public market, the market price of our common stock may decline. In addition, the availability of shares of common stock for award under the Incentive Plans or the grant of stock options, restricted stock or other forms of stock based compensation may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

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Our dual-class capitalization structure and the conversion features of our Class C common stock may dilute the voting power of the holders of our Class A common stock.

              Following the closing of this offering, we will have a dual-class capitalization structure, which may pose a significant risk of dilution to our Class A common stockholders. The shares of our Class C common stock are automatically converted into shares of our Class A common stock on the basis of one share of Class A common stock for each share of Class C common stock in the event that the holder of such Class C common stock is not Freeman Spogli or any of its affiliates. In addition, Freeman Spogli or any of its affiliates may convert their shares of Class C common stock into shares of our Class A Common Stock, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time at their option, on the basis of one share of Class A common stock for each share of Class C common stock so long as at such time either Ares and its affiliates or Freeman Spogli and its affiliates do not own more than 24.9% of our Class A common stock after giving effect to any such conversion. Conversion of our Class C common stock into Class A common stock would dilute the voting power of the holders of Class A common stock, including holders of shares purchased in this offering.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited.

              Our business and operations may consume resources faster than we anticipate. In the future, we may need to raise additional funds through the issuance of new equity securities, debt or a combination of both. Additional financing may not be available on favorable terms or at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our capital requirements. If we issue new debt securities, the debt holders would have rights senior to holders of our common stock to make claims on our assets and the terms of any debt could restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. If we issue additional equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, existing stockholders will experience dilution and the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, you bear the risk of our future securities offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting their interest.

Our principal stockholders will continue to have substantial control over us after this offering, will be able to influence corporate matters and may take actions that conflict with your interests and have the effect of delaying or preventing changes of control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of other stockholders to approve transactions they deem to be in their best interest.

              Upon the closing of this offering, our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our Class A common stock, together with their affiliates, will beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately        % of our outstanding Class A common stock, assuming no exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares. Ares will beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately        % of our outstanding Class A common stock and Freeman Spogli will beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately        % of our outstanding Class A common stock and 100% of our outstanding Class C common stock. These amounts compare to approximately        % of our outstanding Class A common stock represented by the shares sold by us in this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares. As a result, these stockholders acting together, or Ares or Freeman Spogli acting alone, will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of us or our assets. The Investor Rights Agreement (as defined in "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions") also contains agreements among our Sponsors with respect to voting on the election of directors and board committee membership. See also "—Our dual-class capitalization structure and the conversion features

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of our Class C common stock may dilute the voting power of the holders of our Class A common stock." The interests of Ares or Freeman Spogli could conflict in material respects with yours, and this concentration of ownership could limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third-party from acquiring control over us. Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Lee serve as officers and principals of certain Ares affiliated entities. In addition, NAX 18, LLC, a consulting entity controlled by Mr. Axelrod, provides consulting services to certain Ares affiliated entities. Messrs. Brutocao and Roth serve as officers and principals of certain Freeman Spogli affiliated entities. In addition, Peter Starrett Associates, a consulting entity controlled by Mr. Starrett, provides consulting services to certain Freeman Spogli affiliated entities. Our certificate of incorporation provides that no officer or director of ours who is also an officer, director, employee, managing director or other affiliate of our Sponsors will be liable to us or our stockholders for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of the fact that any such individual directs a corporate opportunity to our Sponsors instead of us, or does not communicate information regarding a corporate opportunity to us that the officer, director, employee, managing director or other affiliate has directed to our Sponsors.

Although we do not expect to rely on the "controlled company" exemption, since we will qualify as a "controlled company" within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange upon completion of this offering, we will qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

              Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by another person or group of persons acting together is a "controlled company" and may elect not to comply with certain rules of the New York Stock Exchange regarding corporate governance, including:

•

the requirement that a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors;



•

the requirement that our nominating and corporate governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities; and



•

the requirement that our compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities; and



•

the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

              These requirements will not apply to us as long as we remain a "controlled company." Although we will qualify as a "controlled company" upon completion of this offering, we do not expect to rely on this exemption, and we intend to fully comply with all corporate governance requirements under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange. However, if we were to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange regarding corporate governance.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds we receive in this offering and might not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of your investment.

              Our management will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds from this offering and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of such proceeds. Our management might not apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that increase the value of your investment. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to pay down indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. Our management might not be able to generate a significant return, if any, on any investment of these net proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to influence management's decisions regarding how to use the net proceeds from this offering.

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We do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends.

              The continued operation and growth of our business will require substantial funding. Accordingly, we do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends on shares of our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deem relevant. Additionally, under our Credit Facilities, our subsidiaries are currently restricted from paying cash dividends except in limited circumstances, and we expect these restrictions to continue in the future. Accordingly, if you purchase shares in this offering, realization of a gain on your investment will depend on the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur. Investors seeking cash dividends in the foreseeable future should not purchase our common stock. See "Dividend Policy."

We will incur significant expenses as a result of becoming a public company, which will negatively impact our financial performance and could cause our results of operations or financial condition to suffer.

              As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we have not incurred as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. In estimating these costs, we took into account expenses related to insurance, legal, accounting, and compliance activities, as well as other expenses not currently incurred. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our Class A common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have an adverse effect on our business and stock price.

              We are not currently required to comply with the rules of the SEC implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting for that purpose. Upon becoming a public company, we will be required to comply with the SEC's rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Though we will be required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC.

              To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal controls can divert our management's attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. In addition, when evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be

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able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

Anti-takeover provisions could impair a takeover attempt and adversely affect existing stockholders and the market value of our common stock.

              Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that will be in effect upon the closing of this offering and applicable provisions of Delaware law may have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying or preventing an acquisition of our company, even when this would be in the best interest of our stockholders. These provisions include:

•

a classified board of directors;



•

the sole power of a majority of our board of directors to fix the number of directors;



•

the requirement that certain advance notice procedures be followed for our stockholders to submit nominations of candidates for election to our board of directors and to bring other proposals before a meeting of the stockholders;



•

the power of our board of directors to amend our bylaws without stockholder approval;



•

limitations on the removal of directors nominated by our Sponsors;



•

the sole power of the board of directors, or our Sponsors in the case of a vacancy of one of their respective board nominees, to fill any vacancy on the board of directors, whether such vacancy occurs as a result of an increase in the number of directors or otherwise;



•

the ability of a majority of our board of directors (even if less than a quorum) to designate one or more series of preferred stock and issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval;



•

the inability of stockholders to act by written consent if our Sponsors collectively own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock;



•

a requirement that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, certain proceedings against or involving us or our directors, officers or employees be brought exclusively in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware;



•

the requirement that participating stockholders reimburse us for all fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with a proceeding in which such stockholders do not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves the full remedy sought;



•

the lack of cumulative voting rights for the holders of our Class A common stock with respect to the election of directors; and



•

the inability of stockholders to call special meetings if our Sponsors collectively own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock.

              Further, Delaware law imposes conditions on the voting of "control shares" and on certain business combination transactions with "interested stockholders."

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              Our issuance of shares of preferred stock could delay or prevent a change of control of the Company. Our board of directors has the authority to cause us to issue, without any further vote or action by our stockholders, up to shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more series, to designate the number of shares constituting any series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company without further action by our stockholders, even where stockholders are offered a premium for their shares.

              In addition, the issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our other classes of voting stock either by diluting the voting power of our other classes of voting stock if they vote together as a single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the right to block an action on which they have a separate class vote even if the action were approved by the holders of our other classes of voting stock.

              These provisions could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management. Also, the issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in our common stock less attractive. For example, a conversion feature could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline to the conversion price of the preferred stock. Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control or otherwise makes an investment in our common stock less attractive could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock. See "Description of Capital Stock."

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

              This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future operating results and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

              In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "seeks," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "budget," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements in this prospectus are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future events, results, performance or achievements. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in this prospectus, including, without limitation, those factors described in "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Some of the key factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations include the following:

•

an overall decline in the health of the economy, the hard surface flooring industry, consumer spending, and the housing market;



•

fluctuations in material and energy costs;



•

our failure to execute our business strategy effectively and deliver value to our customers;



•

competition from other stores and internet-based competition;



•

any disruption in our distribution capabilities resulting from our inability to operate our distribution centers going forward;



•

our failure to successfully anticipate consumer preferences and demand;



•

our inability to manage our growth;



•

our inability to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow to meet growth expectations;



•

our inability to manage costs and risks relating to new store openings;



•

our inability to manage our inventory obsolescence, shrinkage and damage;



•

our inability to obtain merchandise on a timely basis at prices acceptable to us;



•

our dependence on foreign imports for the products we sell;



•

suppliers may sell similar or identical products to our competitors;



•

our inability to find, train and retain key personnel;



•

violations of laws and regulations applicable to us or our suppliers;



•

our vulnerability to natural disasters and other unexpected events;



•

our failure to adequately protect against security breaches involving our information technology systems and customer information;



•

our inability to find available locations for our stores or our store support center on terms acceptable to us; and

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•

restrictions imposed by our indebtedness on our current and future operations.

              Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus speak only as of the date hereof. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. If a change to the events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein after we distribute this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

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FISCAL YEAR AND CERTAIN FINANCIAL MEASURES AND TERMS

Fiscal Year

              Our fiscal year is the 52- or 53-week period ending on the Thursday preceding December 31. When a 53-week fiscal year occurs, we report the additional week at the end of the fiscal fourth quarter. 52-week fiscal years consist of thirteen-week periods in the first, second, third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year. Fiscal 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 included 52-weeks and ended on December 29, 2011, December 27, 2012, December 26, 2013, and December 25, 2014, respectively. Fiscal 2015 ended on December 31, 2015 and was comprised of 53-weeks.

Certain Financial Measures and Terms

              In this prospectus, in addition to presenting our financial data in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (referred to as "GAAP"), we present certain other financial measures, such as EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, CAGR, comparable store sales and net working capital. We define these terms, other than EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, as follows:

"Adjusted EBITDA margin" means, for any period, the Adjusted EBITDA for that period divided by the net sales for that period.

"CAGR" means compound annual growth rate.

"Comparable store sales" include net sales from our stores beginning on the first day of the thirteenth full fiscal month following the store's opening. Because our e-commerce sales are fulfilled by individual stores, they are included in comparable store sales only to the extent such fulfilling store meets the above mentioned store criteria.

"Net working capital" means, as of any date, current assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) less current liabilities (excluding the current portion of long-term debt).

              For definitions of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and reconciliations of those measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see "Prospectus Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data" and "Selected Consolidated Financial Data." The use of certain of these measures is also discussed under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Performance Indicators." These financial measures are intended to provide additional information only and do not have any standard meanings prescribed by GAAP. Use of these terms differs among companies in the retail industry, and therefore measures disclosed by us may not be comparable to measures disclosed by other companies. Each of these financial measures has its limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.

              In addition, when used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Cash-on-cash returns" means, for any period for a given store, four-wall Adjusted EBITDA for that period for that store, divided by the total initial net cash investment for that store.

"Four-wall Adjusted EBITDA" means, for any period for a given store, the Adjusted EBITDA for that period before corporate general and administrative, distribution center expenses, and pre-opening expenses, which we consider in our evaluation of the ongoing performance of our stores from period to period.

"Pre-tax payback" means, for a given store, starting with the first day it is open, the date on which cumulative four-wall Adjusted EBITDA for such store equals our total initial net cash investment for such store.

"Total initial net cash investment" means, for a given store, our initial net cash investment in that store, which consists of initial inventory (net of payables), pre-opening expenses and capital investment (net of tenant improvement allowances).

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MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

              Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this prospectus concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate is based on information from independent industry and research organizations, such as Catalina Research, Inc., and other industry publications, surveys and forecasts, and management estimates. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and other third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of our industry and markets, which we believe to be reasonable. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of the future performance of our industry and our future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in "Risk Factors" and "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements." These and other factors could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent industry analysts, other third-party sources and us.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

              We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from selling common stock in this offering will be approximately $            , after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us (or, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full, approximately $            , after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us), based on an assumed initial public offering price of $            per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $            per share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds of this offering by approximately $            (or, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, approximately $            ). Similarly, a one million share increase (decrease) in the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover of this prospectus, at the assumed initial public offering price of $            per share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds of this offering by approximately $            million (or, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, approximately $            ).

              We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to repay a portion of the amounts outstanding under the Term Loan Facility, including accrued and unpaid interest. The proceeds of the Term Loan Facility were used to repay the GCI Facility and Wells Facility Term Loan A and to pay the Special Dividend and make certain option adjustment payments. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—Refinancing and Dividend Transactions."

              Our management will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds from this offering designated for general corporate purposes, and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of such proceeds. Our management might not be able to generate a significant return, if any, on any investment of these net proceeds.

              As of                        , 2017, we had approximately $            million of indebtedness outstanding under the Term Loan Facility. The interest rate on the Term Loan Facility as of                         , 2017 was      %. The Term Loan Facility matures on September 30, 2023. Any amounts repaid under the Term Loan Facility will not be available for future borrowing following repayment. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Credit Facilities" for more information.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

              We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and growth of our business, and therefore we do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on then existing conditions, including our operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our Credit Facilities contain covenants that restrict our ability to pay cash dividends.

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CAPITALIZATION

              The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 29, 2016 on:

•

an actual basis (not reflecting the        -for-one stock split to be effected prior to the consummation of this offering) and



•

a pro forma basis, giving effect to (i) the        -for-one stock split to be effected prior to the consummation of this offering and (ii) the closing of this offering, including the application of the estimated net proceeds from this offering as described under "Use of Proceeds."