11. Lease Obligations

The Company leases most of the properties for its store locations through 242 operating leases and 13 finance leases. The Company also leases billboards and certain of its equipment. The related operating lease assets and finance lease assets are included in the operating lease assets and property and equipment, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, finance lease assets of $100.4 million and $88.1 million, respectively, were included in property and equipment, net in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

The following table presents certain information related to the costs for leases where the Company is the lessee (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

    

2023

    

2022

Operating lease cost

$

118,082

$

113,411

Finance lease cost:

Amortization of finance lease assets

3,253

11,931

Interest on finance lease liabilities

6,069

5,005

Short-term lease cost

1,940

1,880

Variable lease cost

22,913

23,607

Sublease income

(2,726)

(1,713)

Net lease costs

$

149,531

$

154,121

The following table presents supplemental cash flow information related to leases (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

    

2023

    

2022

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:

Operating cash flows for operating leases

$

117,160

$

114,176

Operating cash flows for finance leases

6,064

4,928

Financing cash flows for finance leases

5,496

5,977

Lease assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities:

New, remeasured and terminated operating leases

$

59,858

$

52,698

New, remeasured and terminated finance leases

20,557

24,440

The following table presents other information related to leases:

    

December 31, 

2023

2022

Weighted average remaining lease term:

Operating leases

11.3

years

11.8

years

Financing leases

17.4

years

15.4

years

Weighted average discount rate:

Operating leases

7.1

%

6.9

%

Financing leases

6.0

%

5.7

%

The following reconciles the undiscounted cash flows for each of the first five years and total of the remaining years to the lease liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 (in thousands):

    

Operating

    

Finance

    

Leases

    

Leases

2024

    

$

118,972

    

$

23,352

2025

118,480

10,644

2026

116,393

10,563

2027

107,755

10,009

2028

103,047

9,630

Thereafter

656,054

109,180

Total lease payments

1,220,701

173,378

Less: Imputed interest

(393,048)

(58,494)

Total lease obligations

827,653

114,884

Less: current portion

(63,695)

(17,133)

Noncurrent lease obligations

$

763,958

$

97,751

Sale-Leaseback Arrangement Recorded as Financing Transaction

On February 8, 2022, FRHP sold three properties for a total sale price of $28.0 million. Concurrent with the sale of these properties, the Company entered into three separate twenty-year lease agreements, whereby the Company agreed to lease back the properties from the acquiring company. Under each lease agreement, FR has four consecutive options to extend the lease term for additional periods of five years for each option. This transaction is accounted for as a financing transaction. The Company recorded a liability for the amount received, will continue to depreciate the non-land portion of the assets, and has imputed an interest rate so that the net carrying amount of the financial liability and remaining non-land assets will be zero at the end of the initial lease terms. The financial liability is included in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2023Feb 26, 2024Showing above
2022Feb 23, 2023
2021Feb 24, 2022
2020Feb 26, 2021
2019Feb 28, 2020
2018Mar 15, 2019
2017Mar 13, 2018
2016Mar 13, 2017

About Leases Disclosures

Lease disclosures under ASC 842 provide a comprehensive view of a company's leased asset portfolio, including the split between operating and finance leases, discount rates used to present-value future payments, and the maturity schedule of lease obligations. This section reveals a significant source of off-balance-sheet commitments that were largely hidden before the current standard.

Key signals: the weighted-average discount rate affects the size of recorded lease liabilities — a higher rate reduces the reported obligation, so compare the chosen rate against the company's incremental borrowing rate. The operating versus finance lease mix affects both EBITDA and operating income presentation. Watch the maturity table for concentration risk: large payment cliffs in specific years may create cash flow pressure. Variable lease payments excluded from the liability measurement represent real obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet. Compare total lease costs against prior-year operating lease expense to assess the true economic burden.