not maintain the standards of quality, brand positioning and exclusivity we require, or if they otherwise misuse the BIRKENSTOCK brand, there is a risk that our reputation and the integrity of the brand may be damaged. This may in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we encounter operational challenges relating to the distribution of our products, our business could be adversely affected.
We rely on both our own and third-party logistics centers to warehouse and ship products to our e-commerce customers, retail stores, wholesale partners and distributors throughout the world. These centers are subject to operational risks, including, among other things, mechanical and IT system failure, cyber-attacks, work stoppages or increases in transportation costs and the impact of pandemics, diminished vessel capacity, port congestion and strikes, cross border trade barriers, natural disasters, political crises, civil unrest and other catastrophic events. Such and other disruptions could have an adverse effect on the availability of our in-store and warehoused inventory and would divert financial and management resources. In addition, distribution capacity is dependent on the timely performance of services by third parties, including the transportation of products to and from their distribution facilities. If we encounter problems with our distribution systems, whether our own or those of third parties, our ability to meet customer and consumer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve operating efficiencies could be adversely affected. Additionally, the success of our e-commerce business and the satisfaction of consumers depend on their timely receipt of products. The efficient flow of our products requires that our own and third-party operated distribution facilities have adequate capacity to support the current level of e-commerce sales and any anticipated increased levels that may follow from the planned growth of that part of our DTC channel. As a result, we could incur, and from time to time have incurred, significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with distributing our products to consumers and experience dissatisfaction from consumers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
For example, recently ports in Northern Europe, including Rotterdam and Antwerp, were affected by labor strikes, as were ports at the U.S. East Coast in the past, which combined with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the conflict in the Middle East and the related Red Sea crisis, where Houthi forces based in Yemen and backed by Iran have been attacking freighters, have impacted lead times, and the resulting financial and economic sanctions imposed by various countries and organizations have affected transportation costs. The recent military conflict in the Middle East involving, among others, Iran, the United States and Israel, has resulted in worldwide geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty as well as a challenging consumer environment in the region. During the three months ended March 31, 2026, we have experienced negative impacts from the conflict on our revenue (predominantly in the EMEA segment), gross profit, adjusted EBITDA and net profit. While we cannot predict how the conflict will evolve or the timing and effects thereof, we expect it to continue to negatively affect our revenue and result in an increase in our cost of sales and our selling and distribution expenses, including in particular our transportation insurance costs (and, depending on how the situation develops, shipments to the affected regions may become completely uninsurable), and therefore impact our gross profit margin, adjusted EBITDA margin and net profit margin in the year ending September 30, 2026.
In addition, we use independent distributors and wholesalers to sell our products in certain of our markets. Failure by our distributors or wholesalers to meet planned annual revenue goals or to make timely payments on amounts owed to us due to, for example, economic difficulties faced by such distributors could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and it may be difficult and costly to locate an acceptable substitute distributor or wholesaler. If a change in distributor or wholesaler becomes necessary, we may experience increased costs, as well as substantial disruption and a resulting loss of revenues and brand equity in the market where such distributor or wholesaler operates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Supply Chain
Shipping and delivery are critical parts of our business and any changes in, or disruptions to, our shipping and delivery arrangements could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on several ocean, air parcel and “less than truckload” carriers to deliver the products we sell. If we are not able to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these providers, or if these providers experience performance problems or other difficulties in processing our orders or delivering our products to customers, it could negatively impact our customers’ experience as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, changes to the terms of our shipping arrangements or the imposition of surcharges or surge pricing have impacted from time to time, and could in