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Table of Contents

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission File Number 001-13143

 

BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   04-3360747

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

One Mercer Road

Natick, Massachusetts

  01760
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (508) 651-7400

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class


 

Name of each exchange

on which registered


Common Stock, par value $.01   New York Stock Exchange
Preferred Share Purchase Rights   New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨.

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on July 30, 2004 was approximately $1,612,593,000 based on the closing price of $23.31 on the New York Stock Exchange as of such date.

 

There were 69,086,417 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $.01 par value, outstanding as of March 25, 2005.

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference

 

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (Part III).

 



Table of Contents

PART I

 

Item 1.    Business

 

General

 

BJ’s Wholesale Club introduced the warehouse club concept to New England in 1984 and has since expanded to become a leading warehouse club operator in the eastern United States. As of January 29, 2005, BJ’s operated 157 warehouse clubs, including two ProFoods Restaurant Supply clubs, in 16 states. The table below shows the number of Company locations by state.

 

State


   Number of
Locations


New York

   34

Florida

   19

Massachusetts

   17

New Jersey

   17

Pennsylvania

   12

Maryland

   9

Connecticut

   8

Georgia

   8

North Carolina

   7

Virginia

   7

New Hampshire

   6

Ohio

   6

Rhode Island

   3

Maine

   2

Delaware

   1

South Carolina

   1
    

TOTAL

   157
    

 

On July 28, 1997, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc., a Delaware corporation, (“BJ’s” or the “Company” or “we”) became an independent, publicly owned entity when Waban Inc. (“Waban”), BJ’s parent company at the time, distributed to its stockholders on a pro rata basis all of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Before that date, BJ’s business had operated as a division of Waban.

 

The fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 is referred to as “2004” or “fiscal 2004” below. Other fiscal years are referred to in a similar manner.

 

Industry Overview

 

Warehouse clubs offer a narrow assortment of brand name food and general merchandise items within a wide range of product categories. In order to achieve high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, merchandise selections are generally limited to items that are brand name leaders in their categories and a growing private brands assortment. Since warehouse clubs sell a diversified selection of product categories, they attract customers from a wide range of other wholesale and retail distribution channels, such as supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores, discount stores, office supply stores, consumer electronics stores and automotive stores. BJ’s believes that it is difficult for these higher cost channels of distribution to match the low prices offered by warehouse clubs.

 

Warehouse clubs eliminate many of the merchandise handling costs associated with traditional multiple-step distribution channels by purchasing full truckloads of merchandise directly from manufacturers and by storing merchandise on the sales floor rather than in central warehouses. By operating no-frills, self-service warehouse

 

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facilities, warehouse clubs have fixturing and operating costs substantially below those of traditional retailers. Because of their higher sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, warehouse clubs generate cash from the sale of a large portion of their inventory before they are required to pay merchandise vendors. As a result, a greater percentage of the inventory is financed through vendor payment terms than by working capital. Two broad groups of customers, individual households and small businesses, have been attracted to the savings made possible by the high sales volumes and operating efficiencies achieved by warehouse clubs. Customers at warehouse clubs are generally limited to members who pay an annual fee.

 

Business Model

 

We have developed an operating model that we believe differentiates us from our warehouse club competition. First, we place added focus on the individual consumer, our Inner Circle® member, through merchandising strategies that emphasize a customer-friendly shopping experience. Second, by clustering our clubs, we achieve the benefit of name recognition and maximize the efficiencies of our management support, distribution and marketing activities. Finally, we seek to establish and maintain the first or second industry leading position in each major market where we operate. We create an exciting shopping experience for our members with a constantly changing mix of food and general merchandise items and carry a broader product assortment than our warehouse club competitors. By supplementing the warehouse format with aisle markers, express checkout lanes, self-checkout lanes and low-cost video-based sales aids, we make shopping more efficient for our members. For the convenience of our members, we maintain longer hours of operation than our warehouse club competitors. While all wholesale clubs sell merchandise in bulk, BJ’s also offers smaller package sizes that are easier to carry home and store. This “Life Size” packaging is available in a number of our fresh food categories, including dairy, meat, bakery, fish and produce. We are also the only major warehouse club operator to accept manufacturers’ coupons, which provide added value for our members, and we accept more credit card payment options than our warehouse club competitors.

 

Expansion

 

Since the beginning of 1999, BJ’s has grown from 96 clubs to 157 clubs in operation at January 29, 2005. Approximately 41% of our clubs have been in operation for fewer than six years, and most of these are considered to be in the early stages of maturation. We plan to open 8 to 9 new clubs in 2005, all of which are expected to be in existing markets.

 

Year


  

Clubs

in Operation
at Beginning
of Year


   Clubs
Opened
During
the Year


   Clubs
Closed
During
the Year


  

Clubs

in Operation
at End

of Year


1999

   96    11    —      107

2000

   107    11    —      118

2001

   118    12    —      130

2002

   130    13    3    140

2003

   140    10    —      150

2004

   150    7    —      157

 

In addition to the club openings shown above, we relocated one club in each of 2000 and 2001.

 

Store Profile

 

As of January 29, 2005, we operated 137 traditional size “big box” warehouse clubs that averaged approximately 112,000 square feet, 18 smaller format warehouse clubs that averaged approximately 71,000 square feet and two ProFoods clubs that averaged approximately 62,000 square feet. The smaller format clubs are designed to serve markets whose population is not sufficient to support a full-sized warehouse club. Including space for parking, a typical full-sized BJ’s club requires 11 to 13 acres of land. The smaller version typically requires approximately eight acres. Our clubs are located in both free-standing locations and shopping centers.

 

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Construction and site development costs for a full-sized owned BJ’s club generally range from $5 million to $7 million. Land acquisition costs for a club generally range from $5 million to $10 million but can be significantly higher in some locations. We also invest $3 to $3.5 million for fixtures and equipment and approximately $2 million for inventory (net of accounts payable) and incur approximately $.9 to $1.0 million for preopening costs in a new full-sized club.

 

Merchandising

 

We service our existing members and attract new members by providing a broad range of high quality, brand name merchandise at prices that are consistently lower than the prices of traditional retailers, including discount retailers, supermarkets, supercenters and specialty retail operations. We limit the items offered in each product line to fast selling styles, sizes and colors, carrying an average of approximately 7,500 active stockkeeping units (SKU’s). By contrast, supermarkets normally stock from 30,000 to 52,000 SKU’s, and supercenters typically stock up to 125,000 SKU’s. We work closely with manufacturers to develop packaging and sizes which are best suited to selling through the warehouse club format in order to minimize handling costs and to provide increased value to members.

 

Food accounted for approximately 57% of BJ’s total food and general merchandise sales in 2004. The remaining 43% consisted of a wide variety of general merchandise items. Food categories at BJ’s include frozen foods, fresh meat and dairy products, beverages, dry grocery items, fresh produce and flowers, canned goods and household paper products. In response to growing demand from our members, we continue to increase the number of clubs that have rotisserie chicken and slicing delicatessen departments and premium prepared foods. General merchandise includes consumer electronics, prerecorded media, small appliances, tires, jewelry, health and beauty aids, household needs, computer software, books, greeting cards, apparel, toys and seasonal items. We believe that more than 70% of our products are items that can also be found in supermarkets.

 

To ensure that our merchandise selection is closely attuned to the tastes of our members, we employ regional buyers who are responsible for tailoring the product selection in individual warehouse clubs to the regional and ethnic tastes of the local market.

 

We continued to expand our private brands program during 2004. BJ’s consumer-focused private brand products are premium quality only and generally are priced approximately 20% lower than the top branded competing product. At the end of 2004, our private brand products had achieved a sales penetration of approximately 9% of food and general merchandise sales on an annualized basis. We expect our private brand products to represent an increasing percentage of sales over time.

 

As of January 29, 2005, we had pharmacies in operation at 24 of our clubs. We plan to open pharmacies in approximately 20 additional clubs in 2005.

 

We also offer a number of specialty services that are designed to enable members to complete more of their shopping at BJ’s and to encourage more frequent trips to the clubs. Most of these services are provided by outside operators in space leased from BJ’s. Specialty services include full-service optical stores; food courts, some of which offer brand name fast food service; communications centers for Internet access, cellular phones and wireless needs; on-site photo service; BJ’s Vacations®; a selection of garden sheds; patios and sunrooms; a propane tank filling service; and muffler and brake services operated in conjunction with Monro Muffler Brake, Inc. and Tuffy Associates Corp.

 

As of January 29, 2005, we had 81 gas stations in operation at our clubs. The gas stations are generally self- service, relying on “pay at the pump” technology that accepts MasterCard®, VISA®, Discover®, American Express® and debit card transactions. Cash is also accepted at some locations. Both regular and premium gasoline are available. We have generally maintained our gas prices at well below the average prices in each market.

 

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Our “BJ’s Premier Benefits” program is designed to enhance the value of BJ’s membership, particularly to business members. Included in the program are discounted payroll processing; payment processing of all major credit cards; participation in an established preferred provider medical network that provides comprehensive health care services at discounted rates; discounted home heating oil; an automobile buying service; and printing of business forms and checks.

 

Membership

 

Paid membership is an essential part of the warehouse club concept. In addition to providing a source of revenue which permits us to offer low prices, membership reinforces customer loyalty. We have two types of members: Inner Circle members and business members. Most of our Inner Circle members are likely to be home owners whose incomes are above the average for the Company’s trading areas. We believe that a significant percentage of our business members also shops BJ’s for their personal needs. We had approximately 8.3 million BJ’s members (including supplemental cardholders) at January 29, 2005.

 

We generally charge $40 per year for a primary Inner Circle membership that includes one free supplemental membership. Members in the same household may purchase additional supplemental memberships for $20 each. A business membership also costs $40 per year and includes one free supplemental membership. Additional supplemental business memberships cost $20 each.

 

We launched our “BJ’s Rewards MembershipSM” program in 2003. Geared to high frequency, high volume members, the program offers a 2% rebate, capped at $500 per year, on generally all in-club purchases for an annual fee of $75. At the end of 2004, Rewards Members accounted for approximately 3% of our primary members and approximately 6% of our sales.

 

Advertising and Public Relations

 

We increase customer awareness of our clubs primarily through direct mail, public relations efforts, new club marketing programs, and, during the holiday season, television and radio advertising (some of which is vendor funded) and the BJ’s Journal, a publication sent to our members throughout the year. We also employ dedicated marketing personnel who solicit potential business members and who contact other selected organizations to increase the number of members. From time to time, we run free trial membership promotions to attract new members, with the objective of converting them to paid membership status, and also use one-day passes to introduce non-members to our clubs. These programs result in very low marketing expenses compared with typical retailers.

 

Club Operations

 

Our ability to achieve profitable operations depends upon high sales volumes and the efficient operation of our warehouse clubs. We buy most of our merchandise from manufacturers for shipment either to a BJ’s cross-dock facility or directly to our clubs. This eliminates many of the costs associated with traditional multiple-step distribution channels, including distributors’ commissions and the costs of storing merchandise in central distribution facilities.

 

We route the majority of our purchases through cross-dock facilities which break down truckload quantity shipments from manufacturers and reallocate these goods for shipment to individual clubs, generally within 24 hours. Our efficient distribution systems result in reduced freight expenses and lower receiving costs.

 

We work closely with manufacturers to minimize the amount of handling required once merchandise is received at a club. Most merchandise is pre-marked by the manufacturer so that it does not require ticketing at the club. Merchandise for sale is generally displayed on pallets containing large quantities of each item, thereby reducing labor required for handling, stocking and restocking. Back-up merchandise is generally stored in steel racks above the sales floor.

 

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We have been able to limit inventory shrinkage to levels well below those typical of other retailers by strictly controlling the exits of our clubs, by generally limiting customers to members and by using state-of-the-art electronic article surveillance technology. Our inventory shrinkage was no more than .20% of net sales in each of the last five fiscal years. Problems associated with payments by check have been insignificant, as members who issue dishonored checks are restricted to cash-only terms. Our policy is to accept returns of most merchandise within 30 days after purchase.

 

BJ’s is the only warehouse club operator to accept MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express chainwide. Our members may also pay for their purchases by cash, check and debit cards.

 

BJ’s has a co-branded MasterCard which is underwritten by a major financial institution on a non-recourse basis. Purchases made at BJ’s with the co-branded MasterCard earn a 1.5% rebate. All other purchases with the BJ’s MasterCard earn rebates ranging from 0.5% to 1.0%. Rebates up to $500 per year per membership account are issued by the financial institution in the form of BJ’s Bucks® certificates redeemable for merchandise at any BJ’s club.

 

Information Systems

 

Over the course of our development, we have made a significant investment in information systems. We were the first warehouse club operator to introduce scanning devices which work in conjunction with our electronic point of sale (EPOS) terminals. In recent years, we have implemented “360 degree” scanning, upgraded the cash register printers at the checkout stations in our clubs to enhance the efficiency of the checkout process and implemented an on-line refund system at the clubs to more effectively process sales returns. We are the only operator in the warehouse club industry to offer self-checkout. As of January 29, 2005, we have expanded this technology to approximately 75% of our BJ’s clubs.

 

Sales data is generally analyzed daily for replenishment purposes. Detailed purchasing data permits the buying staff and store managers to track changes in members’ buying behavior. Detailed shrinkage information by SKU by club allows management to quickly identify inventory shrinkage problems and formulate effective action plans.

 

Member Insight

 

One of our most important accomplishments over the last two years was the development of an infrastructure to better utilize our member data base. The implementation of a program we call “Member Insight” is designed to gain a clearer understanding of our members’ shopping behaviors, wants and needs. Member Insight has enabled us to achieve a more member-centric business model. We are using Member Insight’s sophisticated analysis and segmentation capabilities in merchandise selection, adjacencies and pricing, and in marketing.

 

Competition

 

We compete with a wide range of national, regional and local retailers and wholesalers selling food and/or general merchandise in our markets, including supermarkets, supercenters, general merchandise chains, specialty chains, gasoline stations and other warehouse clubs, some of which have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than BJ’s. Major competitors that operate warehouse clubs include Costco Wholesale Corporation and Sam’s Clubs (a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.), each of which operates on a nationwide basis.

 

A large number of competitive membership warehouse clubs exists in our markets. Approximately 82% of our 137 full-sized warehouse clubs have at least one competitive membership warehouse club in their trading areas at a distance of about ten miles or less. One of the smaller format clubs has direct competition from other warehouse clubs within ten miles.

 

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We believe price is the major competitive factor in the markets in which we compete. Other competitive factors include store location, merchandise selection, member services and name recognition. We believe our efficient, low- cost form of distribution gives us a significant competitive advantage over more traditional channels of wholesale and retail distribution.

 

ProFoods

 

In October 2004, we began testing a concept that is new to BJ’s by opening the first of two new clubs in the Metro New York market exclusively for food service businesses under the name “ProFoods Restaurant Supply”. Our second ProFoods club was opened in January 2005. The target member is the professional food vendor or restaurant owner. The business model for ProFoods is built on somewhat higher merchandise margins than those generated by a wholesale club, free memberships and a broad merchandise assortment to support one-stop shopping, primarily on a cash and carry basis. We believe that we can leverage our success as a highly efficient operator of limited assortment formats that cater to defined customer groups. We have embarked on this test because we believe there is a substantial opportunity in this market, where the competition is fragmented and where we can apply our expertise with small businesses.

 

Seasonality

 

Our business, in common with the business of retailers generally, is subject to seasonal influences. Our sales and net income have typically been strongest in the fourth quarter holiday season and lowest in the first quarter of each fiscal year.

 

Employees

 

As of January 29, 2005, we had approximately 19,600 full-time and part-time employees (“team members”). None of our team members is represented by a union. We consider our relations with our team members to be excellent.

 

Available Information

 

BJ’s makes available free of charge on its Internet website its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Internet users can access this information on BJ’s website at http://www.bjs.com.

 

BJ’s intends to post on its website all disclosures that are required by law or NYSE listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the BJ’s Statement on Commercial Bribery, Conflicts of Interest and Business Ethics.

 

Certifications

 

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have provided the certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) under the Exchange Act, copies of which are filed as exhibits to this Form 10-K. In addition, an annual Chief Executive Officer certification was submitted by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer to the New York Stock Exchange on June 18, 2004, in accordance with the New York Stock Exchange’s listing requirements.

 

Item 2.    Properties

 

We operated 157 warehouse club locations as of January 29, 2005, of which 98 are leased under long-term leases and 48 are owned. We own the buildings at the remaining 11 locations, which are subject to long-term ground leases. A listing of the number of Company locations in each state is shown on page 1.

 

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The unexpired terms of our leases range from approximately 1 to 36 years, and average approximately 12 years. We have options to renew all but one of our leases for periods that range from approximately 5 to 50 years and average approximately 21 years. These leases require fixed monthly rental payments which are subject to various adjustments. Certain leases require payment of a percentage of the warehouse club’s gross sales in excess of certain amounts. Generally, all leases require that we pay all property taxes, insurance, utilities and other operating costs.

 

Our home offices in Natick, Massachusetts, occupy 166,000 square feet under leases expiring January 31, 2006, with options to extend these leases through January 31, 2011. We own a 480,000 square foot cross-dock facility and also lease two cross-dock facilities, which occupy a total of 776,000 square feet under leases which expire in 2010 and 2021, with options to extend these leases through 2025 and 2041, respectively.

 

See Note E of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report for additional information with respect to our leases.

 

Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

 

BJ’s is involved in various legal proceedings that are typical of a retail business. Although it is not possible to predict the outcome of these proceedings or any related claims, we believe that such proceedings or claims will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

As described in more detail in Note F to the Financial Statements (which is incorporated herein by reference), BJ’s is subject to various claims relating to fraudulent credit and debit card charges, the cost of replacing cards and related monitoring expenses and other related claims. In addition, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is contemplating a proceeding against the Company relating to this matter. The Company is unable to predict whether further claims will be asserted. The Company has contested and will continue to vigorously contest the claims made against it and continues to explore its defenses and possible claims against others. The Company has established a reserve on its balance sheet relating to this matter. The ultimate outcome of this matter could differ from the amounts recorded. While that difference could be material to the results of operations for any affected reporting period, it is not expected to have a material impact on consolidated financial position or liquidity.

 

Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

No matter was submitted to a vote of BJ’s security holders during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005.

 

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Item 4A.    Executive Officers of the Registrant

 

Name


   Age

  

Office and Employment During Last Five Years


Herbert J. Zarkin

   66    Chairman of the Board of the Company since July 1997; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Waban (1993-1997); President of the BJ’s Division of Waban (the “BJ’s Division”) (1990-1993). Mr. Zarkin was also Chairman of Waban (now known as House2Home) from July 1997 to June 2002 and was President and Chief Executive Officer of House2Home from March 2000 to September 2001. House2Home filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on November 7, 2001. (See Notes B and C of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report for additional information.)

Michael T. Wedge

   51    President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company since September 2002; Executive Vice President, Club Operations of the Company (July 1997-September 2002)

Frank D. Forward

   50    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since July 1997

Edward F. Giles, Jr.

   45    Executive Vice President, Club Operations of the Company since September 2002; Senior Vice President, Field Operations of the Company (June 2001-September 2002); Senior Vice President, Sales Operations of the Company (June 1999-June 2001); Zone Vice President, Club Operations of the Company (July 1997-June 1999)

Karen Stout

   46    Executive Vice President, Merchandising of the Company since July 2004; President of the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company’s Super Fresh Division (July 2002-June 2004) and president of the A&P’s Sav-A-Center Division (October 2000-July 2002); Senior Vice President, Operations of Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. (February 1997-January 2000)

Kellye L. Walker

   38    Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company since February 2003; Hill & Barlow, PC (Boston, Massachusetts law firm) Of Counsel/Member, July 2000-February 2003; Chaffe, McCall, Phillips, Toler & Sarpy, LLP (New Orleans, Louisiana law firm) Partner, September 1998-June 2000

 

All officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors and hold office until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until their successors are elected and qualified.

 

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PART II

 

Item 5.    Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

BJ’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol “BJ”). The quarterly high and low stock prices for the fiscal years ended January 29, 2005 and January 31, 2004 were as follows:

 

     Fiscal Year Ended
January 29, 2005


   Fiscal Year Ended
January 31, 2004


Quarter


   High

   Low

   High

   Low

First

   $ 26.45    $ 21.33    $ 15.85    $ 9.20

Second

     25.47      19.91      20.52      14.02

Third

     29.59      21.06      26.40      17.14

Fourth

     32.00      26.70      27.45      20.37

 

The approximate number of stockholders of record at March 25, 2005 was 2,100. BJ’s has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its common stock. For restrictions on the payment of dividends, see Note D of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report.

 

The following table summarizes our share repurchase activity in the quarter ended January 29, 2005:

 

Period


  

Total Number

of Shares

Purchased


  

Average Price

Paid per

Share


  

Total Number of

Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly

Announced

Program (1)


  

Maximum Dollar

Amount that May

Yet Be Purchased

Under the

Program


2004


                  (Dollars in Thousands)

Oct 31 – Nov 27

   —      $ —      —      $ 62,427

Nov 28 – Jan 1

   328,300      28.23    328,300      53,160

Jan 2 – Jan 29

   285,000      28.14    285,000      45,139
    
  

  
  

Total for the quarter

   613,300    $ 28.19    613,300    $ 45,139
    
  

  
  


(1)   We publicly announced in a press release dated August 26, 1998 that the Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $50 million of the Company’s common stock. We subsequently announced that the Board authorized increases in the program of $50 million each in press releases dated September 16, 1999, May 25, 2000, and May 25, 2001; and additional increases of $100 million each in press releases dated September 26, 2001 and August 20, 2002. Under the program, repurchases may be made at management’s discretion, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. No expiration dates were set under any of the Board’s authorizations. From the inception of the program through January 29, 2005, we repurchased approximately 11.5 million shares for a total of $354.9 million, leaving a remaining authorization of $45.1 million.

 

On February 28, 2005, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $100 million of the Company’s common stock as announced in a press release dated March 1, 2005.

 

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Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

 

     Fiscal Year Ended

 
     Jan. 29,
2005


    Jan. 31,
2004


    Feb. 1,
2003


    Feb. 2,
2002


    Feb. 3,
2001


 
                             (53 Weeks)  
     (Dollars in Thousands except Per Share Data)  

Income Statement Data

                                        

Net sales

   $ 7,220,239     $ 6,553,924     $ 5,728,955     $ 5,105,912     $ 4,766,612  

Membership fees and other

     155,062       139,411       130,747       117,394       102,514  
    


 


 


 


 


Total revenues

     7,375,301       6,693,335       5,859,702       5,223,306       4,869,126  
    


 


 


 


 


Cost of sales, including buying and occupancy costs (1)

     6,617,495       6,018,088       5,212,124       4,615,291       4,300,933  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     556,234       502,673       416,063       362,611       350,295  

Provision for credit card claims (2)

     7,000       —         —         —         —    

Preopening expenses (1)

     15,331       8,875       11,735       10,343       8,471  
    


 


 


 


 


Operating income

     179,241       163,699       219,780       235,061       209,427  

Interest income (expense), net

     803       (74 )     293       4,137       6,180  

Gain (loss) on contingent lease obligations (3)

     9,424       4,488       15,607       (106,359 )     —    
    


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting principle changes

     189,468       168,113       235,680       132,839       215,607  

Provision for income taxes

     72,884       63,318       89,871       49,068       83,009  
    


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations before cumulative effect of accounting principle changes

     116,584       104,795       145,809       83,771       132,598  

Loss from discontinued operations, net of income tax benefit (3)

     (2,183 )     (676 )     (14,943 )     (1,423 )     (1,097 )
    


 


 


 


 


Income before cumulative effect of accounting principle changes

     114,401       104,119       130,866