(14) Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

QVC Group has contingent liabilities related to legal and tax proceedings and other matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Although it is reasonably possible QVC Group may incur losses upon conclusion of such matters, an estimate of any loss or range of loss cannot be made. In the opinion of management, it is expected that amounts, if any, which may be required to satisfy such contingencies will not be material in relation to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Fire at Rocky Mount Fulfillment Center

On December 18, 2021, QVC experienced a fire at its Rocky Mount fulfillment center in North Carolina. Rocky Mount was QVC’s second-largest fulfillment center for QxH and QVC’s primary returns center for hard goods.  The Company maintains property, general liability and business interruption insurance coverage.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $157 million of fire related costs including $95 million for the write-down of Rocky Mount inventory which was included in Cost of goods sold. Due to the circumstances surrounding the write-down of the inventory, this write-down has been excluded from Adjusted OIBDA (as defined in note 15).

In June 2023, the Company agreed to a final insurance settlement with its insurance company and received all remaining proceeds related to the Rocky Mount claim.  During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $280 million of insurance proceeds, of which $210 million represented recoveries for business interruption losses. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded $32 million of fire related costs and recognized net gains of $208 million representing proceeds received in excess of recoverable losses in restructuring, penalties and fire related costs, net of (recoveries) in the consolidated statements of operations.

In February 2023, QVC sold the Rocky Mount fulfillment center to an independent third party and as of December 31, 2023 received net cash proceeds of $19 million. QVC recognized gains on the sale of $17 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, calculated as the difference between the aggregate consideration received and the carrying value of the property. The gain is included in restructuring, penalties and fire related costs, net of (recoveries) in the consolidated statement of operations.

Project Athens

On June 27, 2022, QVC Group announced a five-point turnaround plan designed to stabilize and differentiate its QVC-U.S. and HSN brands and expand the Company's leadership in video streaming commerce (“Project Athens”). Project Athens main initiatives include: (i) improve customer experience and grow relationships; (ii) rigorously execute core processes; (iii) lower cost to serve; (iv) optimize the brand portfolio; and (v) build new high growth businesses anchored in strength.

During 2022, QVC commenced the first phase of Project Athens, including actions to reduce inventory and a planned workforce reduction that was completed in February 2023. These initiatives are consistent with QVC’s strategy to operate more efficiently as it implements its turnaround plan. During the year ended December 31, 2023, QVC implemented a workforce reduction and recorded restructuring charges of $13 million in restructuring, penalties and fire related costs, net of (recoveries) in the consolidated statement of operations.

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During the second quarter of 2024, QVC entered into an agreement and announced a plan to shift its global operating model for IT services to a managed services model. As a result, during the year ended December 31, 2024, QVC recorded restructuring charges of $18 million in restructuring, penalties and fire related costs, net of (recoveries) in the consolidated statement of operations.

Other

In October 2023, HSN entered into a settlement agreement with the CPSC in which HSN agreed to pay a civil penalty of $16 million to settle the CPSC’s claim that HSN allegedly failed to timely submit a report under the Consumer Product Safety Act (“CPSA”) in relation to handheld clothing steamers sold by HSN under the Joy Mangano brand names My Little Steamer® and My Little Steamer® Go Mini that were subject to a voluntary recall previously announced on May 26, 2021. The settlement agreement also requires HSN to implement and maintain a compliance program to ensure compliance with the CPSA. The civil penalty was recorded in restructuring, penalties and fire related costs, net of (recoveries) in the consolidated statement of operations.

Zulily Restructuring

In the first quarter of 2022, Zulily began to execute a series of transformation initiatives, beginning with the announcement of the closure of its fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and reduction in corporate workforce. Zulily recorded $5 million of restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2023, related to its reduction in corporate workforce. Zulily recorded $13 million of restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2022, approximately $9 million of which related to its regional office space strategy and expenses associated with the Pennsylvania facility closure, and approximately $4 million of which related to a reduction in corporate workforce. Zulily was a wholly owned subsidiary of QVC Group until its divestiture on May 24, 2023 (see note 1).

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