Ness Motley Documents
Brooke Group Ltd. 1992 Stockholders' Report
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Brooke Group Ltd.
1992 Stockholders" Report

BROOKE GROUP LTD.
DEAR FELLOW SHAREHOLDER:
I am extremely pleased to tell you about the important stddes that have been made over the past
several
months resulting in a restructured and highly focused Brooke Group.
Today, Brooke Group is primarily a tobacco company, through our Liggett Group Inc. and Liggett-Ducat
J.S.C. subsidiaries. In addition, Brooke Group is developing commercial real estate properties in
Moscow and elsewhere, and continues to hold valuable minority investments and ownership in smaller
businesses whose potential we are seeking to develop or whose value we intend to maximize.
Liggett Group Inc.
Liggett Group, the successor to Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, has a long history, dating back to
1873, as one of America's leading tobacco companies. Liggett manufactures such well known cigarette
brands as L & M, Chesterfield, Eve, Lark, and leading discount brands Pyramid and Class A, as well
as
producing private brands and other contmlled-labal brands for major customers in the United States.
The tobacco industry has seen major changes in pricing and brand positioning over the past year, and
Liggett Group has responded with a strategy to reduce costs and concentrate on the discount segment
of
the market. Throughout the past year, Uggett has effectively streamlined its operations. We have
taken
dramatic steps in downsizing our pemonnel and consolidating our New York marketing and
administrative functions into one operating facility in Durham, North Carolina. In June, the company
welcomed Edward A. Horrigan, Jr., former Vice Chairman of the Board of RJR Nabisco, Inc., and
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, as the new Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Uggett Group.
We believe that our continuing efforts will help Liggett become a low cost producer of cigarettes,
which
should result in profitability even in the current price war environment. If the current pdco war
situation
eases, we expect that Liggett will then generate a strong profit stream.
As part of our efforts to reduce costs, we have also converted one of the office buildings at our
25-acre
Liggett campus into available commercial space which has already been leased to third parties at
attractive rates for the Durham area.
Liggett.Ducat
The past several months have seen important developments at Liggett-Ducat, which is engaged in
cigarette manufacturing in R~s~a and the development of real estate in downtown Moscow. In July
1993, the Liggett-Ducat joint venture was restructured into a joint stock company 58% owned by
Brooke
Group, 30% owned by Russian employees of the Ducat factory, and 12% owned by the company's
management.
We believe that the calculated dsk originally taken by Brooke Group in making this investment, at
the
time when the former Soviet Union had just begun to open its markets, has the potential to translate
into
a tremendous growth opportunity for the future.
LJggett-Ducat's cigarette business is the successor to Factory Ducat, which owns and produces
several of
the most popular cigarette brands in Russia, such as Stolichnaya, Astra, Pdma and Belomorkanal. The

Contingent Value Rights, on October 6, 1993, Breoke Group spun off SkyBox Intemationai as a
separete, publicly traded entity, and on October 15, 1993, Brooke Group announced the redemption of
its
CVR's for $0.36 per right.
On October 14, SkyBox announced that eamings for the first nine months of 1993 were $19.4 million,
or
$2.08 per share, and thi~l quarter earnings were $7.2 million, or $0.75 per share. As the ongoing
owner
of both common and preferred stock in SkyBox, Brooke Group looks forwan:l to sharing in SkyBox's
continued growth and success.
In another development, Brooke Group and its wholly-owned subsidiary BGLS signed an agreement with
a group of investors to exchange the equity that Brooke Group expects to receive in the reorganized
New
Valley for a package with a stated value of $111 million, consisting of $89 million of BGLS bonds
and
$22 million in cash, subject to certain contingencies. Since Brooke Group had written down its
investment in New Valley to zero, this will be recorded as a gain of $111 million when the
transaction
doses, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of 1994.
In late 1992, BGLS settled its lawsuit against Liberty Service Corp., which resulted in a pre-tax
gain to
Brooke Group of approximately $75 million.
Conclusion
Today, Brooke Group is primarily a multinational tobacco company with a significant real estate
development business. We have spent a great deal of time and effort restructuring the company,
reducing debt, and today we are focused on Liggett and Liggett-Ducat, two companies with strong
business prospects. We will continue to pursue our goal of delivering value to our shareholders.
Bennett ~. LeBow
Chairman
November 1, 1993

BROOKE GROUP LTD.
INDEX
PART I
Page
Item 1. Business
....................................................................................................
.. 2
Item 2. Properties
....................................................................................................
14
Item 3. L~gal Proceedings
.......................................................................................... 14
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Secunty Holders
................................................. 15
Executive Officers of the Registrant
................................................................................. 15
Item 5.
Item 6.
Item 7.
Item 8.
Item 9.
PART II
Market for the Registrant's Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters ....................
19
Selected Financial Data
.................................................................................... 19
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations .... 19
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
......................................................... 19
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure .... 19
Item 10.
Item 11.
Item 12.
Item 13.
PART III
Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
.................................................... 20
Executive Compensation
................................................................................... 20
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Managemem ............................... 20
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
....................................................... 20
PART IV
Item 14. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K
............................... 21
Signatures
....................................................................................................
............ 36
-1-

PART I
Item 1. Business
Brooke Group Ltd. (the "Company"), a Delaware corporation founded in
1980, is principally engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and the
production and sale of collectible picture products and related accessories. The
Company also has investments in a number of additional companies engaged in a
diverse group of businesses.
In December 1992 the Company determined that it would hold its
investments in its information processing systems business (MAI Systems
Corporation ("MAI")) for sale. Financial information about the effect of the
discontinuance of this business and other less significant discontinued businesses
appears in Note 3 to the Company's consolidated financial statements and is
incorporated by reference. In addition, information set forth in Items 1, 2 and 3
in MAI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 1992 is
incorporated herein by reference. In April 1993, MAI filed for protection under
Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.
Described below are the operations of the Company's remaining
segments. Financial information about the Company's remaining industry
segments, its foreign and domestic operations and export sales is incorporated by
reference to Note 20 of the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Tobacco
General
The Company's tobacco business is conducted through its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Liggett Group Inc. ("Liggett"), a Delaware corporation, which is the
ultimate operating successor to the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company formed in
1873, engaged primarily in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes.
Liggett produces four full-price cigarette brands: L&M, Chesterfield, Lark
& Eve. Liggett's full-price branded cigarettes represented in the years ended
December 31, 1992, 1991 and 1990 approximately 50%, 47% and 51% of net
sales (excluding federal excise taxes) and contributed substantially to Liggett's
-2-

Liggett's long-term business strategy in the full-price segment of the
market is to maintain its share of that segment of the market by consistently
offering advertising and promotional programs with the objective of maximizing
the profitability of its full-price brands. Liggett's long-term business strategy in
the price/value segment of the market is to maintain its market share and
increase its profitability by providing consistently high quality products and
services at prices and terms comparable to those available in the market.
Principal Products
Full-price branded cigarettes are generally marketed under well-recognized
brand names at full retail prices to adult smokers with strong preference for
branded products, whereas price/value cigarettes are marketed at lower retail
prices to adult smokers that are more cost conscious. Liggett's full-price branded
and price/value cigarettes are produced in over 300 combinations of lengths,
styles and packaging.
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
The majority of Liggett's products are distributed from a central
distribution center in Durham, North Carolina to approximately 47 public
warehouses located throughout the United States. These warehouses serve ,as
local distribution centers for Liggett's customers. Liggett's products are
transported from the central distribution center to the warehouses via third party
trucking companies to meet pre-existing contractual obligations to its customers.
Liggett's customers are primarily candy and tobacco distributors, the military, and
large grocery, drug and convenience store chains.
Liggett manufactures and markets the third largest selling brand family of
cigarettes to the U.S. military. Liggett offers its customers payment terms and
promotional incentives consistent with industry practices. Customers typically
pay for purchased goods within two weeks following delivery from Liggett. None
of Liggett's customers accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 1992.
Liggett's marketing and distribution functions are performed by
approximately 280 full- and part-time direct sales people, together with
merchandisers (independent contractors) and food broker companies.
-4-

for 3.0% of the approximately 507 billion cigarettes shipped in the U.S. during
such year, and Liggett's shipments of approximately 17.3 billion cigarettes in
1991 accounted for 3.4% of the approximately 509.1 billion cigarettes shipped in
the U.S. during such year. Liggett suffered a reduction in its unit sales in 1992
primarily as a result of poor performance in sales of Pyramid cigarettes and as a
result of other cigarette manufacturers taking significant generic accounts from
Liggett. The Company believes that this was primarily due to the proliferation of
price/value products offered by other manufacturers who used their greater
resources by leveraging rebate programs tied to their full price products and by
providing up-front payments. Consequently, Liggett's market share declined in
1992. The Maxwell Report estimates that domestic industry-wide consumer
purchases declined by 1.5% to 2% in 1992. Liggett's management expects that
industry-wide unit sales of cigarettes in the United States will continue to decline.
Liggett's management believes that the decline is the result of numerous factors,
including health considerations, diminishing social acceptance of smoking,
legislative limitations on smoking in public places and federal and state excise tax
increases which have augmented cigarette price increases.
There are substantial barriers to entry into the cigarette business,
including extensive distribution organizations, large capital outlays for
sophisticated production equipment, substantial inventory investment, costly
promotional spending, regulated advertising and strong brand loyalty. In this
industry, the major cigarette manufacturers compete among themselves for
market share on the basis of brand loyalty, advertising and promotional activities
and trade and consumer rebates and incentives. Liggett's five major competitors
all have greater financial resources than Liggett, and many of these competitors'
brands have greater sales and consumer recognition than Liggett's brands.
Government Regulation
Reports with respect to the alleged harmfully physical effects associated
with cigarette smoking have been publicized for many years and, in the opinion
of Liggett's management, have had and may continue to have an adverse effect
on cigarette sales. Since 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services have released a number of reports
which claim that cigarette smoking is a causative factor with respect to a variety
of health hazards, including cancer, heart disease and lung disease, and have
recommended various government actions to reduce the incidence of smoking.
-6-

restrictions or requirements relating to smoking including restrictions on public
smoking. Certain employers have initiated programs restricting or eliminating
smoking in the workplace. Other proposals previously presented to or currently
before Congress and certain states and local government units include, but are
not limited to, legislative efforts to further restrict or ban the advertising and
promotion of cigarettes, to eliminate the income tax deductibility of expenses
incurred for such advertising and promotion, to restrict or prohibit smoking in
public buildings and other areas, to increase excise taxes, to require additional
warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising, to ban vending machine sales,
to eliminate the federal preemption defense in product liability actions, to place
cigarettes under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration
and to require that cigarettes meet certain fire safety hazards. If adopted, at
least certain of the foregoing legislative proposals might have a material adverse
impact on Liggett's business.
While attitudes toward cigarette smoking vary around the world, a
number of foreign countries also have taken steps to discourage cigarette
smoking, to restrict or prohibit cigarette advertising and promotion and to
increase taxes on cigarettes. Such restrictions are, in some cases, more onerous
than restrictions imposed in the United States.
The price of cigarettes includes federal excise taxes at the rate of $12.O0
per 1,000 cigarettes. This tax, which was levied as of January 1, 1993,
increased the previous federal excise tax which had been at the rate of $10.00
per 1,000 cigarettes. Recent media reports have stated that the current
administration is considering proposing a significant increase in this tax, and a
substantial increase could accelerate the trend away from smoking. Excise and
similar taxes on cigarettes, which are levied upon and typically paid by the
distributors, are also in effect in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and many
municipalities. These state and local taxes range from approximately $1.25 to
$28.00 per 1,000 cigarettes.
Management believes that Liggett is in compliance in all material respects
with the laws regulating cigarette manufacturers. Compliance with federal, state
and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or
otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, have no material effect
on the capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position of Liggett.
-8-

cards based on the ABC network television shows Full House, Perfect Strang~r~
and Family Mal;ters and certain comic book characters licensed by DC Comics. In
December 1992, SkyBox introduced a limited edition set of trading cards
commemorating DC Comics' Death of Superman comic book release. In 1993
SkyBox introduced a set of trading cards relating to the Disney film Aladdin.
SkyBox sells its products directly to wholesale merchandise distributors,
grocery wholesalers, periodical distributors, supermarkets, convenience store
chains, drug store chains, toy and variety store chains, military commissaries and
exchanges, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs and hobby dealers. In order to
service these customers better, and in connection with the aforementioned
December 1991 realignment, SkyBox reorganized its sales and distribution
operations. Prior to the reorganization, SkyBox sales were made primarily by
SkyBox's own 200-person sales force. Subsequent to the reorganization, sales -
have been made by a special SkyBox sales group dedicated to the servicing of
hobby dealers and major national accounts, and through approximately 45
independent broker-representative firms, whose commissioned employees have-
increased to approximately 2,500 the number of people selling SkyBox products.
SkyBox maintains its product inventories in rented space in five public
warehouses across the United States.
In 1992, SkyBox experienced a decline in sales of its products, due
primarily to a general contraction of the market for trading cards and the
adoption by SkyBox of a more restrictive returns policy.
Production
SkyBox presently purchases the paper stock needed to produce its
trading cards from two principal sources. Management of SkyBox believes that
supplies of paper stock are available to meet its current and anticipated future
needs at a reasonable cost. SkyBox currently uses multiple printing companies to
print its trading card products. Paperboard used in the manufacturing process is
delivered by SkyBox's suppliers directly to these printing companies. SkyBox
uses several other vendors to perform cutting, collating and packaging of the
products after they are printed. SkyBox believes that certain of its competitors
also use these printing companies and vendors from time to time for the same
type of services although some of SkyBox competitors also perform some of
these functions in-house. Management of SkyBox believes that sufficient
capacity exists in the United States to meet its demands for printing, as well as
for cutting, collating and packaging services.
10-

to commence at or near the time of first release of the motion picture. Sales of
entertainment-related products are planned, where possible, to counterbalance
the seasonality of sports-related product sales.
Working Capital
SkyBox is required to invest significant amounts of working capital in the
purchase of paper stock, printing services, and cutting, collating and packaging
services, in order to have trading card products in inventory and available for
distribution at the beginning of the relevant sport season (in the case of sports-
related products) or at the release date of a motion picture (in the case of
entertainment-related products). These working capital expenditures, made in
advance of receiving any related revenue, can have a negative impact on
SkyBox's cash flow during seasonal peak sale periods.
Competition
Many different companies hold licenses to produce, market and distribute
sports and entertainment-related trading cards some of which sell their products
only in regional or niche markets. Additional companies may be granted licenses
to produce trading cards in the future, and licensors may commence production
of their own sports trading cards, thus generating greater competition. Within
the domestic trading card market, SkyBox's principal competitors are The Topps
Company, Inc., Fleer Corp., Leaf, Inc. (Donruss), The Upper Deck Company,
ProSet Inc. and Major League Marketing (Score). SkyBox believes that these six
companies together with SkyBox account for a substantial majority of the total
sales of all sports trading cards in the United States. With the exception of
SkyBox and ProSet, all of the foregoing competitors have at least one major
league baseball line of trading card products. Many of SkyBox's competitors
produce basketball trading cards which compete directly with SkyBox's most
significant sports products, the NBA Hoops ~ and SkyBox T, basketball trading
cards.
SkyBox believes that it competes not only with other companies that
market trading cards, but also with companies that market gum and candy
products, snack food products, small toys, comic books and other similar
products. As a result, SkyBox competes for sales and retail distribution space
with many companies in the food, candy, toy and publishing businesses, many of
which are significantly larger and have greater resources than SkyBox.
12-
