Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

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FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

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In addition to the risks inherent in our operations, we are exposed to market risk from a variety of sources, including changes in interest rates, commodity prices, the fair value of certain equity investments and defined benefit pension and other post-retirement benefit plans. Our market risk exposures are discussed below.

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Interest Rate Risk

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We manage our exposure to interest rates and changes in the fair value of our debt instruments primarily through the strategic use of our commercial paper program, variable and fixed rate debt, and interest rate swaps. Our current program relative to interest rate protection contemplates hedging the exposure to changes in the fair value of fixed-rate debt attributable to changes in interest rates. To do this, we use the following guidelines: (i) use average daily outstanding borrowings to determine annual debt amounts subject to interest rate exposure, (ii) limit the average annual amount subject to interest rate reset and the amount of floating rate debt to a combined total amount that represents 25% of the carrying value of our debt portfolio or less, (iii) include no leveraged products, and (iv) hedge without regard to profit motive or sensitivity to current mark-to-market status.

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When we use derivative financial instruments, it is primarily to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. As a matter of policy, all of our derivative positions are intended to reduce risk by hedging an underlying economic exposure. Because of the high correlation between the hedging instrument and the underlying exposure, fluctuations in the value of the instruments generally are offset by reciprocal changes in the value of the underlying exposure. The interest rate derivatives we use are straightforward instruments with liquid markets. We had no forward-starting interest rate swap agreements outstanding as of January 29, 2022 or January 30, 2021.

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Annually, we review with the Financial Policy Committee of our Board of Directors compliance with the guidelines described above. The guidelines may change as our business needs dictate.

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The tables below provide information about our underlying debt portfolio as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021. The amounts shown for each year represent the contractual maturities of long-term debt, excluding finance leases, as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021. Interest rates reflect the weighted average rate for the outstanding instruments. The variable rate debt is based on a reference rate using the forward yield curve as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021. The Fair Value column includes the fair value of our debt instruments as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021. We had no outstanding interest rate derivatives classified as fair value hedges as of January 29, 2022 or January 30, 2021. See Notes 5, 6 and 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Based on our year-end 2021 variable rate debt levels, a 10 percent change in interest rates would be immaterial. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of derivatives and hedging policies.

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Commodity Price Risk

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We are subject to commodity price risk generated by our purchases of meat, seafood and dairy products, among other food items. We purchase, manufacture and sell various commodity related food products and risk arises from the price volatility of these commodities. The price and availability of these commodities directly impacts our results of operations. To help manage or minimize the effect of commodity price risk exposure on our operations, we use a combination of pricing features embedded within supply contracts, such as fixed-price and price-to-be-fixed contracts, and have the ability to increase or decrease retail prices to our customers as commodity prices change.

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We are exposed to changes in the prices of diesel and unleaded fuel. The majority of our fuel contracts utilize index-based pricing formulas plus or minus a fixed locational/supplier differential. We expect to take delivery of these commitments in the normal course of business, and, as a result, these contracts qualify as normal purchases. While many of the indices are aligned, each index may fluctuate at a different pace, driving variability in the prices paid for fuel. Because of this, our operating results may be affected should the market price of fuel suddenly change by a significant amount, which can affect our operating results either positively or negatively in the short-term.

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We have entered into fixed price contracts to purchase electricity and natural gas for a portion of our energy needs. We expect to take delivery of these commitments in the normal course of business, and, as a result, these contracts qualify as normal purchases.

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As of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, we had no commodity derivative contracts outstanding.

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Equity Investment Risk

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We are exposed to market price volatility for our investment in Ocado Group plc (“Ocado”), which is measured at fair value through net earnings. Fair value adjustments flow through “(Loss) gain on investments” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. The change in fair value of this investment resulted in an unrealized (loss) gain on investments of ($821) million in 2021, $1.0 billion in 2020 and $157 million in 2019. As of January 29, 2022, the value of our investment in Ocado was $987 million. As of January 29, 2022, a 10% change in the fair value of this investment would be approximately $100 million. For additional details on this investment, see Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Company-Sponsored Benefit Plans

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We sponsor defined benefit pension plans and post-retirement healthcare plans for certain eligible employees. Changes in interest rates affect our liabilities associated with these retirement plans, as well as the amount of expense recognized for these retirement plans. Increased interest rates could result in a lower fair value of plan assets and increased pension expense in the following years. The target plan asset allocations are established based on our LDI strategy. An LDI strategy focuses on maintaining a close to fully-funded status over the long-term with minimal funded status risk. This is achieved by investing more of the plan assets in fixed income instruments to more closely match the duration of the plan liability. As of January 29, 2022, our defined benefit pension plans had total investment assets of $3.1 billion. Declines in the fair value of plan assets could diminish the funded status of our defined benefit pension plans and potentially increase our requirement to make contributions to these plans. For additional details, see Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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