Core & Main (CNM) Risk Analysis

To continue to be successful, we must continue to preserve, grow and capitalize on the value of our brand in the marketplace. Reputational value is based in large part on perceptions of subjective qualities. Even an isolated incident, such as a high-profile product recall, or the aggregate effect of individually insignificant incidents, can erode trust and confidence, particularly if such incident or incidents result in adverse publicity, governmental investigations or litigation, and as a result, could tarnish our brand and lead to a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. In particular, product quality issues as a result of our suppliers' or manufacturers' acts or omissions could negatively impact customer confidence in our brands and our products. As we do not have direct control over the quality of the products manufactured or supplied by such third-party suppliers, we are exposed to risks relating to the quality of the products we distribute. If our product offerings do not meet applicable safety standards or customers' expectations regarding safety or quality or are alleged to have quality issues or to have caused personal injury or other damage, we could experience lower revenue and increased costs and be exposed to legal, financial and reputational risks, as well as governmental enforcement actions. In addition, actual, potential or perceived product safety concerns could result in costly product recalls. We seek to enter into contracts with suppliers which provide for indemnification from any costs associated with the provision of defective products. However, there can be no assurance that such contractual rights will be obtained or adequate, or that related indemnification claims will be successfully asserted by us.

Although the majority of our overall product offerings relate to distribution for which we engage in no significant manufacturing, we do perform light fabrication services for certain product categories, including fire protection, storm drainage, geosynthetics and erosion control, meter sets and fusible HDPE piping products, which collectively accounted for less than 5% of our net sales in fiscal 2025 and which we believe are products with significant opportunities for growth. Any difficulties with, or interruptions of, our fabrication service operations could delay our output of products and harm our relationships with our customers. If our fabrication processes fail, we may fail to perform on our contracts with our customers unless we are able to obtain comparable products or services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Further, the performance of fabrication services on the products we sell may increase our exposure to product defect liabilities for which we have no recovery of losses through supplier indemnification. If we are unable to fabricate certain products, find suitable replacements for them or experience product defect liabilities it could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

The costs to procure the products we sell are historically volatile and subject to fluctuations arising from changes in supply and demand, national and international economic conditions, raw material costs, labor costs, competition, market speculation, government regulation and trade policies, supply chain constraints, as well as delivery delays or cost changes due to the availability of domestic or global logistics, and fuel cost volatility. Our financial performance is impacted by price fluctuations in the cost to procure substantially all the products we sell and our ability to reflect these changes, in a timely manner, in our customer pricing. The costs to procure the products we sell are historically volatile and subject to fluctuations arising from changes in supply and demand, national and international economic conditions, labor and material costs, competition, market speculation, government regulation, weather events, trade policies and periodic delays in the delivery of our products. If we are able to pass through price increases to our customers, our net sales will increase; conversely, during periods of deflation, our customer pricing may decrease to remain competitive, resulting in decreased net sales. The prices of products we purchase and sell increased in the fiscal year ended January 29, 2023 ("fiscal 2022") due to several factors, including, but not limited to, constraints in the supply chain associated with labor, global logistics, general inflationary pressures and availability of raw materials, that are in part due to conflict in countries that export raw materials in our products and other weather events. These factors led to decreased availability of certain products that we purchase from our suppliers. In fiscal 2023, we saw improvements in the supply chain and more predictable lead times for certain products that led to price stability, but for other products the supply chain remained constrained. In fiscal 2024, certain suppliers and product lines experienced greater product availability that resulted in slightly lower selling prices for these product lines. Additional supply chain disruptions may result in increases in product costs which we may not be able to pass on to our customers, loss of sales due to lack of product availability or potential customer claims from the inability to provide products in accordance with contractual terms. Disruptions caused by natural disasters or similar extreme weather events may also affect our ability to both maintain key products in inventory and deliver products to our customers on a timely basis, which may in turn adversely affect the Company. Any material shortage of products in the market as a result of natural disasters or similar extreme weather events can negatively impact our net sales, and we may not be able to offset increased product costs via corresponding price increases. A shortage of available manufacturing capacity, or excess capacity, in the industry can result in significant increases or declines in the supply of our products, which in turn results in fluctuations in the market prices for our products, sometimes within a short period of time. Although in some cases we have firm price quotes with our suppliers that fix the price at which we purchase products for a defined period of time, we have experienced termination of certain contracts through the enactment of force majeure contractual clauses. We may experience price volatility associated with the implementation or rescission of tariffs or other restrictions placed on foreign imports by the U.S. or any related countermeasures taken by impacted foreign countries. Tariff-related activities may also impact the level of demand associated with products subject to tariffs as our customers may seek alternative products. There have recently been significant changes to international trade policies and tariffs affecting imports. The U.S. government has announced tariffs and trade restrictions on certain goods produced outside the United States. In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down certain of these tariffs, but the U.S. government has indicated it may impose replacement or supplemental tariffs in response to the decision. We believe our exposure to tariffs is limited as over three-quarters of products that we purchase are manufactured domestically. In response to the tariffs announced by the U.S., other countries have imposed new or increased tariffs on certain exports from the U.S. There is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and other countries with respect to trade policies, cost of raw materials, government regulations and tariffs. We cannot predict whether, and to what extent, current tariffs will continue, or trade policies will change in the future. It remains unclear what, and the timing of, future actions may be taken by the U.S. or other governments with respect to international trade agreements, the imposition or removal of tariffs on goods imported into or exported from the U.S., the creation or removal of barriers to trade, tax policy related to international commerce, or other trade matters, and the impact of those actions on the cost of products we purchase and sell. We have a limited ability to control the timing and amount of changes in the cost to procure our products. Although we seek to recover increases in our product costs by passing product cost increases on to our customers, we may not always be successful. In addition, in periods of declining costs for our products, we may face pricing pressure from our customers, requiring us to reduce the prices at which we sell our products to our customers in order to remain competitive in our markets. Our ability to adjust prices in a timely manner to account for such price fluctuations may often depend on market conditions, our fixed costs and other factors, and our failure to adapt our product prices and operational strategies could result in lower revenue, profitability and the write down of our inventories. Historically, we have not engaged in material hedging strategies for purchases of products. We generally sell our products on a spot basis and not under long-term contracts. Any increase in product costs that are not offset by an increase in our prices, or our inability to maintain price levels in an environment of declining product costs, could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an "investment company" for purposes of the 1940 Act if (i) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (ii) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an "investment company," as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act. As the general partner of Holdings, we control and operate Holdings. On that basis, we believe that our interest in Holdings is neither an "investment security" as that term is used in the 1940 Act nor a "security" based on the test under applicable case law. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of Holdings, our interest in Holdings could be deemed an "investment security" for purposes of the 1940 Act. We and Holdings intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

The Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Holdings (as amended, the "Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Holdings") may restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness or refinance our existing indebtedness in a manner that would materially and adversely affect Holdings' ability to make tax distributions to holders of Partnership Interests or distributions to us to fund payments under the Tax Receivable Agreements (as defined in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). We may be unable to secure additional financing or refinance our existing indebtedness on favorable terms as a result of such restriction. In addition, each of the Tax Receivable Agreements requires that any debt document that refinances or replaces our existing indebtedness be no more restrictive on our ability to make payments under each Tax Receivable Agreement than our current indebtedness, unless CD&R Waterworks Holdings, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and certain stockholders affiliated with CD&R that transferred all of their Partnership Interests at the time of the initial public offering (collectively, the "CD&R Investors") otherwise consent. At the time of any such refinancing or replacing of our existing indebtedness, it may not be possible to include such terms in such debt documents, and a result, we may need the CD&R Investors' consent to complete such refinancing or replacing of our existing indebtedness.

To sustain and improve our competitive position, we are continually evaluating and investing in technology that can enhance our customer experience and minimize our cost structure. The design, development, and implementation of new technology and systems carries inherent risks. For example, the development and implementation of such technology and systems may distract management from operations or result in operational inefficiencies or other unforeseen complications that may adversely affect our business operations and customer relationships. We may not realize the anticipated benefits associated with certain investments in technology and systems and may be required to record material non-cash impairment charges. However, failure to develop such technology, not being first to market or not having industry leading features relative to others in our industry could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Any of these developments could have a material adverse impact our business, financial position and results of operations.

Our business is largely dependent on activity in the U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets, which are volatile and subject to cyclical market pressures. The length and magnitude of these cycles have varied over time and by market. Approximately 18% and 38% of our net sales in fiscal 2025 were directly related to the U.S. residential and non-residential end markets, respectively. The level of activity in the U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets is based on numerous factors such as availability of credit, interest rates, general economic conditions, consumer confidence and other factors that are beyond our control. For example, interest rate increases in fiscal 2023 were a contributing factor to slowing new lot development and contraction in the residential end market. Although the Federal Reserve Board of Governors ("FRB") cut certain benchmark interest rates in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025, it is uncertain if the FRB will raise or lower interest rates in the future and, if so, to what level and for how long. Interest rate increases or the lack of anticipated interest rate decreases may result in decreased levels of activity in the U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets that could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. We cannot predict the duration of the residential or non-residential construction industry market conditions or the timing of the recovery of residential or non-residential construction activity back to historical averages. Participants in the U.S. residential and non-residential construction industries may postpone spending in response to tighter credit, negative financial news or declines in income or asset values, which could have a material negative effect on the demand for our products. We also cannot provide any assurances that the operational strategies we have implemented to address current or future market conditions will be successful. Due to these factors and the potential volatility in the residential and non-residential construction markets, there may be fluctuations in our operating results, and the results for any historical period may not be indicative of results for any future period. This uncertainty about current or future economic conditions and potential volatility in U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets may lead to reduced demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

Approximately 98% of our net sales volume in fiscal 2025 was facilitated through the extension of credit to our customers whose ability to pay is dependent, in part, upon the economic strength of the industry in the areas in which they operate. In some cases, our extension of credit is secured by mechanic liens or surety bonds backed by a surety company, but such security does not guarantee collection. If a customer is unable to pay off our mechanic lien or if such lien is not superior to other lienholders and creditors, we may not be able to recoup our extension of credit. The credit we extend to a customer depends on both the financial strength of the customer and the nature of the project in which the customer is involved. Certain customers may not make payments to us until they receive payments from their own customers. Supply chain constraints may extend project completion dates and ultimately the time until we receive full payment from our customers. The inability of our customers to pay off their credit lines in a timely manner, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. Furthermore, our collections efforts with respect to non-paying or slow-paying customers could negatively impact our customer relations going forward. If our collections process fails to collect money due from a customer, we may be forced to initiate litigation against such customer to compel payment. Any such litigation could be costly, and the outcome would be uncertain. Because we depend on the creditworthiness of certain of our customers, if the financial condition of our customers declines, our credit risk could increase. Significant contraction in our markets, coupled with tightened credit availability and financial institution credit underwriting standards, could adversely affect certain of our customers. If we experience delays and defaults in client payments and we pay our suppliers before receiving payment from our customers for the related products or services, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.