Item 1A. Risk Factors

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The statements in this section describe the major risks to our business and should be considered carefully, in connection with all of the other information set forth in this annual report on Form 10-K. The risks that follow, individually or in the aggregate, are those that we think could cause our actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements.

Failure to execute our opportunistic buying strategy and inventory management could adversely affect our business.

While opportunistic buying, operating with lean inventory levels and frequent inventory turns are key elements of our off-price business strategy, they subject us to risks related to the pricing, quantity, mix, nature and timing of inventory flowing to our stores. Our merchants are in the marketplace frequently, as much of our merchandise is purchased for the current or immediately upcoming season. Our opportunistic buying places considerable discretion in our merchants. They react to frequently changing opportunities and trends in the market, assess the desirability and value of merchandise and generally make determinations of how and what we source as well as when we source it. If we do not obtain the right fresh, desirable merchandise at the right times, quantities and prices, it could adversely affect traffic to our stores as well as our sales and margins.

We base our purchases of inventory, in part, on our sales forecasts. If our sales forecasts do not match customer demand, we may experience higher inventory levels and need to take markdowns on excess or slow-moving inventory, leading to decreased profit margins, or we may have insufficient inventory to meet customer demand, leading to lost sales, either of which could adversely affect our financial performance.

If we are unable to generally purchase inventory at prices sufficiently below prices paid by conventional retailers, we may not be able to maintain an overall pricing differential to regular department and specialty stores, and our ability to attract customers and sustain our margins may be adversely affected. We may not achieve this at various times or in some divisions or geographies, which could adversely affect our results or those of one of our segments.

We must also properly execute our inventory management strategy of delivering the right product to the right stores at the right time. We need to appropriately allocate merchandise among our stores, timely and efficiently distribute inventory to stores, maintain an appropriate mix and level of inventory in each store, appropriately change the allocation of floor space of stores among product categories to respond to customer demand and effectively manage pricing and markdowns. There is no assurance we will be able to do so.

In addition to our own execution, we may need to react to factors affecting inventory flow that are outside our control, discussed further below, such as extreme weather and natural disasters or other changes in conditions affecting our vendors and others in our supply chain, such as political instability, labor issues, including strikes or threats of strikes, or increasing cost of regulations. If we are not able to adjust appropriately to such factors, our inventory management may be affected, which could impact our performance and our relationship with our customers.

Failure to continue to expand our business and operations successfully or to manage our substantial size and scale effectively could adversely affect our financial results.

Our growth strategy includes successfully expanding our off-price model in our current markets and in new geographic regions, product lines, businesses and channels and, as appropriate, adding new businesses, whether by development, investment or acquisition. There are significant risks associated with our ability to

continue to successfully extend our current business and to enter new businesses, including managing the implementation of this growth effectively. If any aspect of our expansion strategy does not achieve the success we expect, in whole or in part, we may be required to increase our investment, slow our planned growth or close stores or operations, which could adversely affect our financial performance. Successful store growth requires us to find and lease appropriate real estate on attractive terms in each of the locations where we seek to open stores. Our ability to do so depends, among other things, on availability and selection of appropriate sites in appropriate geographies; degree of competition for sites; factors affecting costs such as real estate, construction and development costs, and costs and availability of capital; and variations in or changes to zoning or other land use regulations. If we cannot lease appropriate sites on attractive terms, it could limit our ability to successfully grow in various markets or adversely affect the economics of new stores in various markets. We also may encounter difficulties in attracting customers when we enter new markets, as discussed further below. New stores may not achieve the same sales or profit levels as our existing stores and adding stores to existing markets may adversely affect stores’ sales and profitability. As we expand our model, we may have difficulty effectively meeting customer expectations, which may change rapidly and differ from those we anticipate.

Further, our substantial size imposes demands on maintaining appropriate internal resources and third party providers to support our business effectively. Expansion places increased demands on management and various functions across our business, including administration, merchandising, store operations, distribution and compliance and on appropriately staffing and training personnel in these areas as we grow. In addition, under our business model, some aspects of the businesses and operations of our chains in the U.S., Canada and Europe are conducted with relative autonomy. The large size and scale of our operations, our multiple chains in the U.S., Canada and Europe and the autonomy afforded to the chains increase the risk that our systems and practices will not be implemented appropriately throughout our company and that information may not be appropriately shared across our operations, which risks may increase as we continue to grow. If business information is not shared effectively, or if we are otherwise unable to manage our growth effectively, we may operate with decreased operational efficiency, may need to reduce our rate of expansion of one or more operations or otherwise curtail growth in one or more markets, which may adversely affect our success in executing our business goals and adversely impact our sales and results. Each of these risks may increase as we continue to grow, particularly as we expand into additional countries.

Failure to identify customer trends and preferences to meet customer demand in new or existing markets or channels could negatively impact our performance.

Because our success depends on our ability to meet customer demand, we work to identify customer trends and preferences on an ongoing basis and to offer inventory that meets those trends and preferences. However, doing so across our diverse merchandise categories and in the many markets in the United States, Canada and Europe in which we do business on a timely basis is challenging. Trends and preferences in new markets may differ from what we anticipate. Although our business model allows us greater flexibility than many traditional retailers to meet consumer preferences and trends and to expand and contract merchandise categories in response to consumers’ changing tastes, we may not successfully do so, which could adversely affect our results. Customers may also have expectations about how they shop in stores or through e-commerce or more generally engage with businesses across different channels or media (through Internet-based and other digital or mobile communication channels or other forms of social media), which may vary across demographics and may evolve rapidly. Meeting demand effectively involves identifying the right opportunities and making the right investments at the right time and speed, among other things, and failure to do so may impact our reputation and our financial results.

If we fail to successfully implement our marketing, advertising and promotional programs, or if our competitors are more effective with their programs than we are, our revenue or results of operations may be adversely affected.

Customer traffic and demand for our merchandise is influenced by our advertising, marketing and promotional activities, the name recognition and reputation of our chains and the location of and service offered in our stores. Although we use marketing, advertising and promotional programs to attract customers to our

stores through various media including television, social media, database marketing, print and direct marketing, and loyalty programs, some of our competitors expend more for their programs than we do, or use different approaches than we do, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. Our marketing, advertising and promotional programs may not be effective or could require increased expenditures, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and results of operations. We may need to adjust our marketing, advertising and promotional programs effectively and more quickly as Internet-based and other digital or mobile communication channels and other social media rapidly evolve, and we may not successfully do so.

We operate in highly competitive markets, and we may not be able to compete effectively.

The retail apparel and home fashion business is highly competitive. We compete with local, regional, national and international retailers that sell apparel, home fashions and other merchandise we sell, including in stores, through catalogues or other media or over the Internet. Some of our competitors are larger than we are or have more experience in selling certain product lines than we do. New competitors frequently enter the market and existing competitors enter or increase their presence in the markets in which we operate, expand their merchandise offerings, add new sales channels or change their pricing methods, all of which increase competition for customers. We compete on the basis of fashion, quality, price, value; merchandise selection and freshness; brand name recognition; customer service, reputation and store location. Our competitiveness is highly dependent on our effective execution of our off-price model of offering our customers a fresh, rapidly changing and attractive mix of merchandise delivering value. If we fail to compete effectively, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Failure to attract, train and retain quality associates in appropriate numbers, including key associates and management, as well as costs related to our labor force, could adversely affect our performance.

Our performance depends on recruiting, developing, training and retaining quality sales, systems, distribution center and other associates in large numbers as well as experienced buying and management personnel.

Many of our associates are in entry level or part-time positions with historically high rates of turnover. Availability and skill of associates may differ across markets in which we do business and in new markets we enter, and our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling labor costs, including costs of providing retirement, health and other employee benefits, is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates and minimum wage requirements, changing demographics, economic conditions, health and other insurance costs and the regulatory environment, including health care legislation, immigration law, and governmental labor and employment and employee benefits requirements. Certain associates in our distribution centers are members of unions and therefore subject us to the risk of labor actions of various kinds as well as risks and potential expenses associated with multiemployer plans, including from potential withdrawal liability and potential insolvency of other participating employers. Other associates are members of works councils, which may subject us to additional actions or expense. In addition, any failure of third parties that perform services on our behalf to comply with immigration, employment or other laws and regulations could damage our reputation or disrupt our ability to obtain needed labor. When wage rates or benefit levels increase in a market, failing to increase our wages or benefits competitively could result in a decline in the quality of our workforce, causing our customer service to suffer, while increasing our wages or benefits could cause our earnings to decrease.

Because of the distinctive nature of our off-price model, we must provide significant internal training and development for key associates across the company, including within our buying organization. Similar to other retailers, we face challenges in securing and retaining sufficient talent in management and other key areas for many reasons, including competition in the retail industry generally and for talent in various geographic markets. If we do not continue to attract qualified individuals, train them in our business model, support their development and retain them, our performance could be adversely affected or our growth could be limited.

Global economic conditions may adversely affect our financial performance.

Global financial markets can experience extreme volatility, disruption and credit contraction, which adversely affect global economic conditions. Turmoil in the financial and credit markets or other changes in economic conditions could adversely affect sources of liquidity available to us or our costs of capital and could adversely affect plan asset values and investment performance, increasing our pension liabilities, expenses and funding requirements with respect to company-sponsored and multiemployer pension plans. Economic conditions, both on a global level and in particular markets, including unemployment, decreased disposable income and actual and perceived wealth, energy and health care costs, interest and tax rates and policies, weakness in the housing market, volatility in capital markets, decreased credit availability, inflation and deflation, as well as political or other factors beyond our control such as threats or possibilities of war, terrorism, global or national unrest, actual or threatened epidemics, and political instability may also have significant effects on consumer confidence and spending. Consumer spending, in turn, affects retail sales. These conditions and factors could adversely affect discretionary consumer spending and, although we believe our flexible off-price model helps us react, they may adversely affect our sales, cash flows and results of operations and performance.

Compromises of our data security could materially harm our reputation and business.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store, process and transmit certain information from individuals, such as our customers and associates, including, for example, customer payment card and check information.

We suffered an unauthorized intrusion or intrusions (such intrusion or intrusions, collectively, the “Computer Intrusion”) into portions of our computer system that process and store information related to customer transactions, discovered late in 2006, in which we believe customer data were stolen. We have taken steps designed to further strengthen the security of our computer system and protocols and have instituted an ongoing program with respect to data security, consistent with a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission, to assess the ongoing effectiveness of our information security program and to maintain and enhance our program as appropriate. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer a future data compromise, that unauthorized parties will not gain access to the information that we collect, store, process or transmit, or that any such data compromise or access will be discovered in a timely way.

We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of personal and/or confidential information. Further, the systems and processes currently used for transmission and approval of payment card transactions, and the technology utilized in payment cards themselves, all of which can put payment card data at risk, are determined and controlled by the banking and payment card industry, not by us. This is also true for check information and approval. Computer hackers may, for example, attempt to penetrate our computer systems and, if successful, misappropriate customer or associate information or confidential business information of our company. In addition, an associate, contractor or third party with whom we do business or to whom we outsource business operations may fail to monitor the systems effectively, misuse the personal or confidential information to which they have access, attempt to circumvent our security measures in order to access or misappropriate such types of information or may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach involving such information. Advances in computer and software technology and capabilities, new tools and other developments, including the increasing sophistication of cyber criminals generally, may increase the risk of such a breach.

Compromise of our data security or that of third parties with whom we do business, failure to prevent or mitigate the loss of personal or business information and delays in detecting any such compromise or loss could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation and customers’ willingness to shop in our stores, violate applicable laws, regulations, orders and agreements, and subject us to additional costs and liabilities which could be material.

Failure to operate information systems and implement new technologies effectively could disrupt our business or reduce our sales or profitability.

We rely extensively on various information systems, including data centers, hardware and software and applications to manage many aspects of our business, including to process and record transactions in our

stores, to enable effective communication systems, to plan and track inventory flow, to manage logistics and to generate performance and financial reports. We are dependent on the integrity, security and consistent operations of these systems and related back-up systems. Our computer systems and the third-party systems we rely on are subject to damage or interruption from a number of causes, including power outages; computer and telecommunications failures; computer viruses; security breaches; cyber-attacks; catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes; acts of war or terrorism and design or usage errors by our associates or contractors. Although we seek to maintain our systems effectively and to successfully address the risk of compromises of the integrity, security and consistent operations of our systems, we may not be successful in doing so. Compromises, interruptions or shutdowns of our systems, including those managed by third parties, could lead to delays in our business operations and, if significant or extreme, affect our results of operations.

We modify, update, and replace our systems and its infrastructure from time to time, including by adding new hardware, software and applications; maintaining, updating or replacing legacy programs; converting to global systems; integrating new service providers, and adding enhanced or new functionality, such as for cloud computing technologies and for the continued operation and development of our e-commerce businesses; and adding new systems when we acquire new businesses. We also modify and change our procedures for, and add and change vendors and internal teams who assist us with, designing, implementing and maintaining our systems. Although we believe we are diligent in selecting systems, vendors and procedures to enable us to maintain the integrity of our systems when we modify them, there are inherent risks associated with modifying or replacing systems, with new or changed relationships and with changes from acquisitions, including accurately capturing and maintaining data, realizing the expected benefit of the change and managing the potential disruption of the operation of the systems and diversion to internal teams’ attention as the changes are implemented. Potential issues associated with implementing technology initiatives and the time and resources required to optimize the benefits of new elements of our systems and its infrastructure could reduce the efficiency of our operations in the short term. In addition, any interruption in the operation of our e-commerce websites could cause us to suffer reputational harm or to lose sales if customers are unable to access our site or purchase merchandise from us during such interruption. The efficient operation and successful growth of our business depends upon our information systems, including our ability to operate and maintain them effectively, to select appropriate vendors to maintain or enhance them and to select and implement appropriate new technologies, systems, controls, hardware, software and applications and adequate disaster recovery systems successfully. The failure of our information systems and the third party systems we rely on to perform as designed, or our failure to implement and operate them effectively, could disrupt our business or subject us to liability and thereby harm our profitability.

As our business is subject to seasonal influences, a decrease in sales or margins during the second half of the year could have a disproportionately adverse effect on our operating results.

Our business is subject to seasonal influences; we generally realize higher levels of sales and income in the second half of the year, which includes the back-to-school and year-end holiday seasons. Any decrease in sales or margins during this period could have a disproportionately adverse effect on our results of operations.

Adverse or unseasonable weather in the markets in which our stores operate or our distribution centers are located could adversely affect our operating results.

Both adverse and unseasonable weather, such as storms, severe cold or heat or unseasonable temperatures, affect customers’ buying patterns and willingness to shop certain categories or at all, and accordingly, can adversely affect the demand for the merchandise in our stores, particularly in apparel and seasonal merchandise_._ Weather can also affect the ability to transport merchandise to our stores from our distribution and shipping centers or elsewhere in our supply chain efficiently or in a timely way. As a result, adverse or unseasonable weather in our markets could adversely affect our sales, increase markdowns and adversely affect our operating results.

Our results may be adversely affected by serious disruptions or catastrophic events.

Unforeseen public health issues, such as pandemics and epidemics, natural or other disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and other extreme weather and climate conditions, or fires, explosions and acts of war or terrorism, in any of our markets could disrupt our operations or the operations of one or more of our vendors or of our supply chain or could severely damage or destroy one or more of our stores or distribution facilities located in the affected areas. Day-to-day operations, particularly our ability to receive products from our vendors or transport products to our stores could be adversely affected, or we could be required to close stores or distribution centers in the affected areas or in areas served by affected distribution centers for a short or extended period of time. As a result, our business could be adversely affected.

Damage to our corporate reputation or those of our retail banners could adversely affect our sales and operating results.

We believe that building the brand reputation of our retail banners is important to our continuing success, and we expend resources building relationships with our customers through traditional and social media and other advertising and promotional activities. Our reputation is based, in part, on perceptions of subjective qualities, so incidents involving us, merchandise that we carry or our industry more generally that erode trust or confidence could adversely affect our reputation and our business, particularly if the incidents result in rapid or significant adverse publicity or governmental inquiry. Similarly, information about us, our retail banners and the merchandise we sell, including our licensed or owned brands, publicized through traditional or social media platforms and similar venues, including blogs, websites, and other forums for Internet-based communications that allow individuals almost immediate access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons, may adversely affect our reputation and brand, even if the information is unverified or inaccurate. The reputation of our company and our retail banners may be damaged by adverse events at the corporate level or at our retail banners. Damage to the reputation of our company and our banners could result in declines in customer loyalty and sales, affect our vendor relationships, development opportunities and associate retention and otherwise adversely affect our business.

Issues with merchandise quality or safety could damage our reputation, sales and financial results.

Various governmental authorities in the jurisdictions where we do business regulate the quality and safety of the merchandise we sell to consumers. Regulations and standards in this area, including those related to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, state regulations like California’s Proposition 65, and similar legislation in other countries in which we operate, impose restrictions and requirements on the merchandise we sell in our stores and through e-commerce. These regulations change from time to time and new federal, state, provincial or local regulations in the U.S. and other countries that may affect our business are contemplated and enacted with some regularity. If we are unable to comply with regulatory requirements on a timely basis or at all, or to adequately monitor new regulations that may apply to existing or new merchandise categories or in new geographies, significant fines or penalties could be incurred or we could have to curtail some aspects of our sales or operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. We rely on our vendors to provide quality merchandise that complies with applicable product safety laws and other applicable laws, but they may not comply with their obligations to do so. Although our arrangements with our vendors frequently provide for indemnification for product liabilities, the vendors may fail to honor those obligations to an extent we consider sufficient or at all. Issues with the quality and safety of merchandise, particularly with food, bath and body and children’s products, and issues with the genuineness of merchandise, or customer concerns about such issues, regardless of our fault, could cause damage to our reputation and could result in lost sales, uninsured product liability claims or losses, merchandise recalls and increased costs, and regulatory, civil or criminal fines or penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Our expanding international operations may expose us to risks inherent in operating in new countries.

We have a significant retail presence in Canada and countries in Europe and have established buying offices around the world, and our goal is to continue to expand our operations into other international markets in the future (such as continued expansion in Europe). It can be costly and complex to establish, develop and maintain

international operations and promote business in new international jurisdictions, which may differ significantly from the U.S. and other countries in which we currently operate. In addition to facing risks similar to our U.S. and current international operations, such as with regulations such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act, we face additional risks inherent in operating in new countries, such as understanding the retail climate and trends, local customs and competitive conditions; and complying with relevant laws, rules and regulations; developing the appropriate infrastructure for local operations; as well as financial risks including currency exchange fluctuations and adverse tax consequences or limitations on the repatriation and investment of funds outside of the country where earned, which could have an adverse impact on our operations, profitability or liquidity. Complying with applicable laws and our own internal policies may require us to spend additional time and resources to implement new procedures and financial controls, conduct audits, train associates and third parties on our compliance methods or take other actions, which could adversely impact our operations.

We are subject to risks associated with importing merchandise from other countries.

Many of the products sold in our stores are sourced by our vendors and, to a lesser extent, by us, in many countries outside of the country where the stores are located, particularly southeastern Asia. Where we are the importer of record, we may be subject to regulatory or other requirements similar to those imposed upon the manufacturer of such products. We are subject to the various risks of importing merchandise from other countries and purchasing product made in other countries, such as:

	—		potential disruptions in manufacturing, logistics and supply;

	—		changes in duties, tariffs, quotas and voluntary export restrictions on imported merchandise;

	—		strikes, threats of strikes and other events affecting delivery;

	—		consumer perceptions of the safety of imported merchandise;

	—		product compliance with laws and regulations of the destination country;

	—		product liability claims from customers or penalties from government agencies relating to products that are recalled, defective or otherwise noncompliant or alleged to be harmful;

	—		concerns about human rights, working conditions and other labor rights and conditions in countries where merchandise is produced or about transparent sourcing and supply chains;

	—		compliance with laws and regulations including changing labor, environmental and other laws in those countries and those concerning ethical business practices, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act;

	—		exposure for product warranty and intellectual property issues; and

	—		economic, political or other problems in countries from or through which merchandise is imported.

Political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, labor conditions, transport capacity and costs, systems issues, problems in third-party distribution and warehousing and other interruptions of the supply chain, compliance with laws and regulations and other factors relating to international trade and imported merchandise beyond our control could affect the availability and the price of our inventory. Furthermore, although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations relating to operating in non-U.S. jurisdictions and importing merchandise, there can be no assurance that contractors, agents, vendors or other third parties with whom we do business will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies, which could subject us to liability and could adversely affect our operations or operating results.

Our results may be adversely affected by reduced availability or increases in the price of oil or other fuels, raw materials and other commodities.

Energy and fuel costs have fluctuated dramatically and had significant cost increases in the past, particularly the price of oil and gasoline. An increase in the price of oil increases our transportation costs for distribution, utility costs for our retail stores and costs to purchase our products from suppliers. Although we implement a

hedging strategy designed to manage a portion of our transportation costs, that strategy may not be effective or sufficient and increases in oil and gasoline prices could adversely affect consumer spending and demand for our products and increase our operating costs, which could have an adverse effect on our performance. Increased regulation related to environmental costs, including cap and trade or other emissions management systems could also adversely affect our costs of doing business, including utility costs, transportation and logistics.

Similarly, other commodity prices can fluctuate dramatically, such as the cost of cotton and synthetic fabrics, which at times have risen significantly. Such increases can increase the cost of merchandise, which could adversely affect our performance through potentially reduced consumer demand or reduced margins.

Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may lead to lower revenues and earnings.

Sales made by our stores outside the United States are denominated in the currency of the country in which the store is located, and changes in currency exchange rates affect the translation of the sales and earnings of these businesses into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. Because of this, movements in currency exchange rates have had and are expected to continue to have a significant impact on our consolidated and segment results from time to time. Changes in currency exchange rates can also increase the cost of inventory purchases that are denominated in a currency other than the local currency of the business buying the merchandise. When these changes occur suddenly, it can be difficult for us to adjust retail prices accordingly, and gross margin can be adversely affected. A significant amount of merchandise we offer for sale is made in China, and accordingly, a revaluation of the Chinese currency, or increased market flexibility in the exchange rate for that currency, increasing its value relative to the U.S. dollar or currencies in which our stores are located, could be significant.

Additionally, we routinely enter into inventory-related derivative instruments to mitigate the impact of currency exchange rates on merchandise margins of merchandise purchases by our divisions denominated in currencies other than their local currencies. In accordance with GAAP, we evaluate the fair value of these derivative instruments and make mark-to-market adjustments at the end of each accounting period. These adjustments are of a much greater magnitude when there is significant volatility in currency exchange rates and may have a significant impact on our earnings.

Although we implement foreign currency hedging and risk management strategies to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in earnings and cash flows associated with changes in currency exchange rates, we expect that currency exchange rate fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on our sales and results of operations from time to time. In addition, fluctuations in currency exchange rates may have a greater impact on our earnings and operating results if a counterparty to one of our hedging arrangements fails to perform.

Our quarterly operating results fluctuate and may fall short of prior periods, our projections or the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which could adversely affect our stock price.

Our operating results have fluctuated from quarter to quarter at points in the past, and they may continue to do so in the future. If we fail to increase our results over prior periods, to achieve our projected results or goals or to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, our share price may decline, and the decrease in the stock price may be disproportionate to the shortfall in our financial performance. Results may be affected by various factors, including those described in these risk factors. Most of our operating expenses, such as rent expense and associate salaries, do not vary directly with the amount of our sales and are difficult to adjust in the short term. As a result, if sales in a particular quarter are below our expectations for that quarter, we generally are not able to proportionately reduce operating expenses for that quarter, resulting in a disproportionate effect on our net income for the quarter. We maintain a forecasting process that seeks to project sales and align expenses. If we do not control costs or appropriately adjust costs to actual results, or if actual results differ significantly from our forecast, our financial performance could be adversely affected. In addition, if we do not repurchase the number of shares we contemplated pursuant to our stock repurchase programs, our earnings per share may be adversely affected.

If we engage in mergers or acquisitions or investments in new businesses, or divest, close or consolidate any of our current businesses, our business will be subject to additional risks.

We may acquire new businesses, invest in or enter into joint ventures with other businesses, develop new businesses internally and divest, close or consolidate businesses. Acquisition, investment or divestiture activities may divert attention of management from operating the existing businesses, and we may not effectively evaluate target companies or investments or assess the risks, benefits and cost of buying, investing in or closing businesses or of the integration of acquired businesses, all of which can be difficult, time-consuming and dilutive. Acquisitions and investments may not meet our performance and other expectations and acquisition, investments, closings and divestitures may expose us to unexpected or greater-than-expected costs, liabilities and risks. Divestitures, closings and consolidations also involve risks, such as significant costs and obligations of closure, including exposure on leases, owned real estate and other contractual, employment, pension and severance obligations, and potential liabilities that may arise under law as a result of the disposition or the subsequent failure of an acquirer. Failure to execute on mergers, acquisitions, investments, divestitures, closings and consolidations in a satisfactory manner could adversely affect our future results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to comply with existing laws, regulations and orders or changes in existing laws and regulations could negatively affect our business operations and financial performance.

We are subject to federal, state, provincial, regional and local laws, rules and regulations in the United States and other countries, any of which may change from time to time, as well as orders and assurances. These legal, regulatory and administrative requirements collectively affect multiple aspects of our business, from cost of health care and retirement benefits, workforce management, logistics, marketing, import/export, sourcing and manufacturing, data protection and others. If we fail to comply with these laws, rules, regulations and orders, we may be subject to fines or other costs or penalties, which could materially adversely affect our operations and our financial results and condition. Further, applicable accounting principles and interpretations may change from time to time, and the changes could have material effects on our reported financial results and condition.

We must also comply with new and changing laws and regulations, new regulatory initiatives, evolving interpretation of existing laws by judicial and regulatory authorities, and reforms in jurisdictions where we do business. These changes could increase our costs of compliance or of doing business and could adversely affect our operating results including those involving:

	—		labor and employment benefits, including regarding labor unions and works councils;

	—		health and welfare and financial regulations;

	—		consumer protection and product safety;

	—		data protection and privacy;

	—		climate change, supply chain, energy and waste;

	—		internet regulations, including e-commerce, electronic communications and privacy; and

	—		protection of third party intellectual property rights.

Our results may be materially adversely affected by the outcomes of litigation, legal proceedings and other legal matters.

We are involved, or may in the future become involved, in legal proceedings, regulatory reviews, audits or other legal matters. These may involve inquiries, investigations, lawsuits and other proceedings by local, provincial, state and federal governmental entities (in the United States and other countries) and private plaintiffs, including with respect to tax, escheat, whistleblower claims, employment and employee benefits including classification, employment rights, discrimination, wage and hour and retaliation, securities, disclosure, real estate, tort, consumer protection, privacy, product safety, advertising, and intellectual property. There continue to be a number of employment-related lawsuits, including putative class actions, in the United States, and we

are subject to these types of suits. We cannot predict the results of legal and regulatory proceedings with certainty, and actual results may differ from any reserves we establish estimating the probable outcome. Regardless of merit or outcome, litigation can be both time-consuming and disruptive to our operations and may cause significant expense and diversion of management attention. Legal and regulatory proceedings and investigations could expose us to significant defense costs, fines, penalties and liability to private parties and governmental entities for monetary recoveries and other amounts and attorneys’ fees and/or require us to change aspects of our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Tax matters could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate and future tax liability could be adversely affected by numerous factors including the results of tax audits and examinations, income before taxes being lower than anticipated in countries with lower statutory income tax rates and higher than anticipated in countries with higher statutory income tax rates, changes in income tax rates, changes in transfer pricing, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in applicable tax legislation, regulations and treaties, exposure to additional tax liabilities, including interest and penalties, and changes in accounting principles and interpretations relating to tax matters, any of which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition in future periods. Significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our worldwide provision and accruals for taxes, and actual results may differ from our estimations.

We are subject to the continuous examination of our tax returns and reports by federal, state, provincial and local tax authorities in the U.S. and foreign countries, and the examining authorities may challenge positions we take. We are engaged in various proceedings, which are at various stages, with such authorities with respect to assessments, claims, deficiencies and refunds. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these proceedings to determine the adequacy and appropriateness of our provision for income taxes, and increase and decrease our provision as a result of these assessments. However, the developments in and actual results of proceedings or the result of rulings by or settlements with tax authorities and courts or due to changes in facts, law or legal interpretations, expiration of applicable statutes of limitations or other resolutions of tax positions could differ from the amounts we have accrued for such proceedings in either a positive or a negative manner, which could materially affect our effective income tax rate in a given financial period, the amount of taxes we are required to pay and our results of operations. In addition, we are subject to tax audits and examinations for payroll, value added, sales-based and other taxes relating to our businesses.

Our real estate leases generally obligate us for long periods, which subjects us to financial risks.

We lease virtually all of our store locations, generally for an initial term of ten years, with options to renew the term, and either own or lease for long periods our primary distribution centers and administrative offices. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks associated with leasing and owning real estate, which can adversely affect our results as, for example, was the case in the closure of various of our former operations. While we have the right to terminate some of our leases under specified conditions, including by making specified payments, we may not be able to terminate a particular lease if or when we would like to do so. If we decide to close stores, we are generally required to continue to perform obligations under the applicable leases, which generally includes, among other things, paying rent and operating expenses for the balance of the lease term, or paying to exercise rights to terminate, and the performance of any of these obligations may be expensive. When we assign leases or sublease space to third parties, we can remain liable on the lease obligations if the assignee or sublessee does not perform. In addition, when the lease term for the stores in our ongoing operations expire, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to close stores or to relocate stores within a market on less favorable terms.

We depend upon strong cash flows from our operations to supply capital to fund our operations, growth, stock repurchases and dividends and interest and debt repayment.

Our business depends upon our operations to continue to generate strong cash flow to supply capital to support our general operating activities, to fund our growth and our return of cash to stockholders through our

stock repurchase programs and dividends, and to pay our interest and debt repayments. Our inability to continue to generate sufficient cash flows to support these activities or to repatriate cash from our international operations in a manner that is cost effective could adversely affect our growth plans and financial performance including our earnings per share. We borrow on occasion to finance our activities and if financing were not available to us in adequate amounts and on appropriate terms when needed, it could also adversely affect our financial performance.