Ross Stores (ROST) risk factors: FY2025 10-K

1. We are subject to impacts from changes in the macroeconomic environment, government regulation or policy, geopolitical conditions, and financial and credit markets. Continuing inflation, tariff increases (or threats of increases), potential supply chain disruptions, and other external events may have significant negative effects on our costs, and also on consumer confidence, shopping behavior, and spending, which may adversely affect our sales and profitability.rewordedTariffs
2. Changes and uncertainty in U.S. trade or tax policy regarding apparel, home-related merchandise, shoes, and other goods we sell produced in other countries could adversely affect our business.reworded
3. Competitive pressures and the pace of change in the retailing industry are high.new
4. Unexpected changes in the level of consumer spending or preferences could adversely affect us.reworded
5. Adverse or unseasonable weather may affect shopping patterns and consumer demand for seasonal apparel and other merchandise, and may result in temporary store closures and disruptions in deliveries of merchandise to our stores.
6. We may experience volatility in sales and earnings.

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1. We depend on the market availability, quantity, and quality of attractive brand name merchandise at desirable discounts, and on the ability of our buyers to source and purchase merchandise to enable us to offer customers a wide assortment of merchandise at competitive prices.
2. To achieve growth, we need to expand in existing markets and enter new geographic markets.
3. Our inability to continually attract, train, and retain associates with the retail talent necessary to execute our off-price retail strategies, as well as labor shortages, increased turnover, or increased labor costs could adversely affect our operating results.
4. We need to obtain acceptable new store sites with favorable consumer demographics to achieve our planned growth.
5. Our ability to effectively advertise and market our business could impact customer traffic and demand for our merchandise.

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1. In order to achieve our planned gross margins, we must effectively manage our inventories, markdowns, and inventory shortage.
2. Information or data security breaches, including cyberattacks on our transaction processing and computer information systems (including malware intrusion, data exfiltration, identity theft, and other types of cybersecurity threats), could disrupt our operations, result in theft or unauthorized disclosure of our confidential and valuable business information or credit card and other customer information, and could adversely affect our business, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, increase our costs, and create significant legal exposure.Cybersecurity
3. Disruptions in our supply chain or in our information systems could impact our ability to process sales and to deliver product to our stores in a timely and cost-effective manner.
4. We are subject to risks associated with importing and selling merchandise produced in other countries.
5. Damage to our corporate reputation or brands could adversely affect our sales and operating results.
6. To support our continuing operations, our new store and distribution center growth plans and other capital investment plans, our stock repurchase program, our debt repayments, and our quarterly dividends, we must maintain sufficient liquidity.
7. A natural or man-made disaster in a region where we have a concentration of stores, offices, or a distribution center could harm our business.

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1. Consumer problems or legal issues involving the quality, safety, or authenticity of products we sell could harm our reputation, result in lost sales, and/or increase our costs.
2. An adverse outcome in various legal, regulatory, or tax matters could damage our reputation or brand and increase our costs.

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Headings in the FY2024 10-K with no match this year.

1. Competitive pressures in the apparel and home-related merchandise retailing industry are high.