Dollar Tree (DLTR) 10-Q2022 Q3 Quarterly report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

DOLLAR TREE, INC.

(757) 321-5000

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

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.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.        

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

As of November 18, 2022, there were 221,184,479 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

Item 1. Financial Statements.

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In our opinion, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included herein contain all adjustments (including those of a normal recurring nature) considered necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position as of October 29, 2022 and October 30, 2021 and the results of our operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The January 29, 2022 balance sheet information was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date.

We are defendants in legal proceedings including the class, collective, representative and large cases described below as well as individual claims in arbitration. We will vigorously defend ourselves in these matters. We do not believe that any of these matters will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on our business or financial condition. We cannot give assurance, however, that one or more of these matters will not have a material effect on our results of operations for the quarter or year in which they are reserved or resolved.

We assess our legal proceedings monthly and reserves are established if a loss is probable and the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. For matters that have settled, we reserve the estimated settlement amount even if the settlement has not been approved by the court. Many, if not substantially all, of our legal proceedings are subject to significant uncertainties and, therefore, determining the likelihood of a loss and the measurement of any loss can be complex and subject to judgment. With respect to legal proceedings where we have determined that a loss is reasonably possible but not probable, we are unable to estimate the amount or range of the reasonably possible loss due to the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of and uncertainties regarding legal proceedings. Our assessments are based on estimates and assumptions that have been deemed reasonable by management, but that may prove to be incomplete or inaccurate, and unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that might cause us to change those estimates and assumptions. Management’s assessment of legal proceedings could change because of future determinations or the discovery of facts which are not presently known. Accordingly, the ultimate costs of resolving these proceedings may be substantially higher or lower than currently estimated.

On February 11, 2022, the FDA issued Form 483 observations primarily regarding rodent infestation at Family Dollar’s West Memphis, Arkansas distribution center (“DC 202”) and the related sale and distribution of adulterated product, as well as other processes and procedures that require remediation. In connection therewith, we initiated a voluntary retail-level product recall of FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture-regulated products stored and shipped from DC 202 from January 1, 2021 through February 18, 2022 (the “Recall”), temporarily closed DC 202 for extensive cleaning, temporarily closed the affected stores to permit the removal and destruction of inventory subject to the Recall, ceased sales of relevant inventory subject to the Recall, permanently ceased the shipment of FDA-regulated products from DC 202, and initiated corrective actions. In June 2022, we stopped shipping to stores from DC 202 and are decommissioning the facility. On November 9, 2022 we received an FDA Warning Letter (“Warning Letter”) in connection with the DC 202 inspection. The conditions and issues detailed in the Warning Letter are generally the same as those described in the Form 483 observations or were otherwise observed during the inspection. The Warning Letter acknowledged certain remedial actions we have taken in response to the Form 483 observations, including conducting the voluntary recall and decommissioning the facility. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and continue to cooperate with the FDA.

Since February 22, 2022, Family Dollar has received 14 putative class action complaints primarily related to issues associated with DC 202 described above. The lawsuits are proceeding in federal court in Tennessee using the federal court’s multi-district litigation process. An amended consolidated complaint seeking class action status was filed October 17, 2022 alleging violations of the Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri consumer protection laws, breach of warranty, negligence, misrepresentation, deception and unjust enrichment related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of, money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in

On March 1, 2022, a federal grand jury subpoena was issued to us by the Eastern District of Arkansas requesting the production of information, documents and records pertaining to pests, sanitation, compliance with law, and the issues described above. We are cooperating with the subpoena and the related investigation; however, no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of this matter.

On April 28, 2022, the State of Arkansas filed a complaint in state court alleging violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, gross negligence and negligence, strict liability in tort, unjust enrichment and civil conspiracy related to the sale of products that may have been contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions. The State of Arkansas is seeking injunctive relief, restitution, disgorgement, damages, civil penalties, punitive damages and suspension or revocation of our authorization to do business in Arkansas.

The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has alleged that Dollar Tree improperly sold certain topically applied, over the counter products manufactured by certain Chinese factories that were on an import “alert” restriction issued by the FDA. We believe we have made significant improvements in our processes in our supply chain and continue to monitor these for compliance.

From time to time, various federal and state regulators such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state equivalents along with state-level hazardous waste and product regulators have found violations of applicable regulations at Dollar Tree stores and Family Dollar stores and assessed penalties relating to the violations. For those periods in which this occurs, pending resolution of the matters, we record the associated estimated liabilities in the financial statements.

California state court lawsuits have been filed against Dollar Tree and Family Dollar for similar employment-related claims brought under the Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA”). These cases allege that we failed to provide non-exempt associates with compliant rest and meal breaks, suitable seating, overtime pay, minimum wages, reimbursement of business expenses, and properly calculated sick leave pay, as well as other potential labor code violations. The plaintiffs generally seek civil penalties and attorneys’ fees and costs.

Five personal injury lawsuits are pending in state court in Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, and New Jersey against Dollar Tree, Family Dollar or both alleging that certain talc products that were sold in the past caused cancer. The plaintiffs seek compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages, damages for loss of consortium, and attorneys’ fees and costs. Although we have been able to resolve previous talc lawsuits against us without material loss to the company, given the inherent uncertainties of litigation there can be no assurances regarding the outcome of pending or future cases. Future costs to litigate these cases are not known but may be material, and it is uncertain whether our costs will be covered by insurance. In addition, although we have indemnification rights against our vendors in several of these cases, it is uncertain whether the vendors will have the financial ability to carry out their obligations.

Since August 2022, four personal injury cases have been filed in federal court in California and Minnesota against Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, or both, on behalf of minors alleging that their mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant, that the acetaminophen interfered with fetal development such that plaintiffs were born with autism and/or ADHD, and that we knew or should have known of the danger, had a duty to warn and failed to include appropriate warnings on the product labels. The plaintiffs seek compensatory, punitive and/or exemplary damages, restitution and disgorgement, economic damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs. These cases, along with other cases against many other defendants, have been consolidated in multi-district court litigation in the Southern District of New York.

Since September 2022, five personal injury cases have been filed in state court in Pennsylvania against both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar alleging that both sold Zantac and generic ranitidine products containing N-Nitrosodimethylamine, which is classified by the FDA as a probable carcinogen. The plaintiffs seek compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages and costs. The five cases along with similar cases against other companies filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas have been consolidated. Under the court’s rules, one long form master complaint was filed in a process that is similar to multi-district litigation in federal court. Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have not been named as defendants in the long form master complaint but could still be named in short form complaints that may be filed. In addition, in February 2021, as part of a multi-district litigation in the Southern District of Florida, master personal injury and consumer protection class complaints were filed against Zantac manufacturers and retailers, including Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. While Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have been dismissed from both master complaints, those dismissals are currently being appealed. We believe we will be indemnified by our suppliers with respect to these proceedings.

Since January 2021, four state-wide consumer class actions have been filed against Family Dollar in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee for breach of warranty based on the allegation that the coffee we sold was mislabeled because the canisters did not contain enough coffee to make the number of cups of coffee stated on the label. The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages.

In August 2020 and July 2021, consumer class actions were filed against Family Dollar in New York and Illinois, respectively, alleging Smoked Almonds sold by us are mislabeled because the almonds do not go through a smoking process but rather acquire their smoky taste through the use of smoked flavoring. These actions alleged violation of consumer protection laws, negligent misrepresentation, breach of warranties, fraud and unjust enrichment. The New York and Illinois cases were dismissed with prejudice on March 21, 2022 and April 28, 2022, respectively.

As required, financial assets and liabilities are classified in the fair value hierarchy in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels.

Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis; that is, the assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances (e.g., when there is evidence of impairment). We did not record any material impairment charges during the 13 or 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022 or October 30, 2021.

The carrying amounts of Cash and cash equivalents, Restricted cash and Accounts payable as reported in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities. The carrying value of our Revolving Credit Facility approximates its fair value.

The aggregate fair values and carrying values of our long-term borrowings were as follows:

The fair values of our Senior Notes were determined using Level 1 inputs as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities are available.

The following table sets forth the calculations of basic and diluted net income per share:

Stock options and other stock-based awards of 2.3 million shares and 3.0 million shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share for the 13 and 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022, respectively, because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. Stock options and other stock-based awards of 0.1 million shares and 1.1 million shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share for the 13 and 39 weeks ended October 30, 2021, respectively, because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

For a discussion of our stock-based compensation plans, refer to “Note 10 - Stock-Based Compensation Plans” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 29, 2022. Stock-based compensation expense was $90.8 million and $63.1 million during the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022 and October 30, 2021, respectively.

We issue service-based RSUs to employees and officers and issue PSUs to certain of our officers. We recognize expense based on the estimated fair value of the RSUs or PSUs granted over the requisite service period, which is generally three years, on a straight-line basis or a shorter period based on the retirement eligibility of the grantee. The fair value of RSUs and PSUs is determined based on our closing stock price on the grant date.

The following table summarizes the status of service-based RSUs as of October 29, 2022 and changes during the 39 weeks then ended:

The following table summarizes the status of PSUs as of October 29, 2022 and changes during the 39 weeks then ended:

Stock options are valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.

The simplified method was used to estimate the expected term of the options due to our lack of historical option exercise experience and the “plain vanilla” characteristics of the option award. The simplified method results in an expected term equal to the average of the weighted average time-to-vesting and the contractual life of the options. The expected stock price volatility is based on the historical volatility of our common stock over a period matching the expected term of the options granted. The dividend yield reflects that we have never paid cash dividends. The risk-free interest rate represents the yield curve in effect at the time of grant for U.S. Treasury zero-coupon securities with maturities that approximate the expected term of the options.

The following table summarizes information about options outstanding at October 29, 2022 and changes during the 39 weeks then ended:

We repurchased 2,859,200 and 4,613,696 shares of common stock on the open market for $397.5 million and $647.5 million during the 13 and 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022, respectively. We did not repurchase any shares of common stock on the open market during the 13 weeks ended October 30, 2021. We repurchased 9,156,898 shares of common stock on the open market for $950.0 million during the 39 weeks ended October 30, 2021. At October 29, 2022, we had $1.85 billion remaining under our Board repurchase authorization.

The Dollar Tree segment is the leading operator of discount variety stores offering merchandise predominantly at the fixed price point of $1.25. The Dollar Tree segment includes our operations under the “Dollar Tree” and “Dollar Tree Canada” brands, 15 distribution centers in the United States and two distribution centers in Canada.

The Family Dollar segment operates a chain of general merchandise retail discount stores providing consumers with a selection of competitively-priced merchandise in convenient neighborhood stores. The Family Dollar segment consists of our operations under the “Family Dollar” brand and 10 distribution centers. The Family Dollar segment Operating income includes advertising revenue, which is a component of Other revenue in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated income statements.

We measure the results of our segments using, among other measures, each segment’s net sales, gross profit and operating income. The CODM reviews these metrics for each of our reporting segments. We may revise the measurement of each segment’s operating income, as determined by the information regularly reviewed by the CODM. If the measurement of a segment changes, prior period amounts and balances are reclassified to be comparable to the current period’s presentation. Corporate, support and Other consists primarily of store support center costs that are considered shared services and therefore these selling, general and administrative costs are excluded from our two reporting business segments. These costs include operating expenses for our store support center and the results of operations for our Summit Pointe property in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Information for our segments, as well as for Corporate, support and Other, including the reconciliation to Income before income taxes, is as follows:

The following table summarizes net sales by merchandise category for our segments:

The weighted-average interest rate for the $350.0 million of loans outstanding at October 29, 2022 was 4.69%.

Our net sales are derived from the sale of merchandise. Two major factors tend to affect our net sales trends. First is our success at opening new stores. Second is the performance of stores once they are open. Sales vary at our existing stores from one year to the next. We refer to this as a change in comparable store net sales, because we include only those stores that are open throughout both of the periods being compared, beginning after the first fifteen months of operation. We include sales from stores expanded or remodeled during the period in the calculation of comparable store net sales, which has the effect of increasing our comparable store net sales. The term ‘expanded’ also includes stores that are relocated. Stores that have been re-bannered are considered to be new stores and are not included in the calculation of the comparable store net sales change until after the first fifteen months of operation under the new brand.

At October 29, 2022, we operated stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as stores in five Canadian provinces. A breakdown of store counts and square footage by segment for the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022 and October 30, 2021 is as follows:

Stores are included as re-banners when they close or open, respectively.

The average size of stores opened during the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022 was approximately 8,590 selling square feet for the Dollar Tree segment and 8,970 selling square feet for the Family Dollar segment. We believe that these size stores are in the ranges of our optimal sizes operationally and give our customers a shopping environment which invites them to shop longer, buy more and make return visits.

The percentage change in comparable store net sales on a constant currency basis for the 13 and 39 weeks ended October 29, 2022, as compared with the preceding year, is as follows:

Constant currency basis refers to the calculation excluding the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations. We calculated the constant currency basis change by translating the current year’s comparable store net sales in Canada using the prior year’s currency exchange rates. We believe that the constant currency basis provides a more accurate measure of comparable store net sales performance. Comparable store net sales are positively affected by our expanded and relocated stores, which we include in the calculation, and are negatively affected when we open new stores, re-banner stores or expand stores near existing stores.

In September 2021, we announced our new $1.25 price point initiative and we completed the rollout of this initiative to all Dollar Tree stores during the first quarter of fiscal 2022, increasing the price point on a majority of our $1 merchandise to $1.25. To date, the increase in the price point has more than offset the decline in the number of units sold. During fiscal 2022, we have begun investing in new products and modifying existing products to provide greater value for our customers and increase customer traffic and store productivity. While we expect our gross margin to be higher in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, because of the investments in new products, we do not expect the increase to be as high as it was in the first three quarters of fiscal 2022.

We began testing the Instacart online delivery service at Dollar Tree stores in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 and began rolling it out in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. As of October 29, 2022, the Instacart platform covers more than 7,500 Dollar Tree stores. This enables our customers to shop online and receive same-day delivery without having to visit a store.

We believe that our Dollar Tree initiatives have and will continue to positively affect our comparable store net sales and earnings.

We are executing several initiatives in our Family Dollar stores to increase sales. In March 2021, we announced the development of a new combination store format, which we refer to as a Combo Store, that leverages the strengths of the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar brands under one roof to serve small towns across the country. We are taking Family Dollar’s great value and assortment and blending in select Dollar Tree merchandise categories, creating a new store format targeted for small towns and rural communities with populations of 3,000 to 4,000 residents. As of October 29, 2022, we operated approximately 700 Combo Stores.

We are also continuing to execute our store optimization programs. Our H2 stores have significantly improved merchandise offerings throughout the store, including the addition of Dollar Tree $1.25 merchandise items and establishing a minimum number of freezer and cooler doors. These stores have higher customer traffic and provide a higher average comparable store net sales lift, when compared to non-renovated stores, in the first year following renovation. H2 stores perform well in a variety of locations and especially in locations where our Family Dollar stores have been most challenged in the past. As of October 29, 2022, we have approximately 4,300 H2 stores.

Based on the success of the Combo Store and H2 store formats, in fiscal 2022 we anticipate adding 400 new or relocated Combo Stores in total and completing a total of 700 renovations into either the Combo Store format or the H2 store format.

After a successful pilot program in 2020, we entered into a partnership with Instacart in February 2021, which covers more than 7,200 Family Dollar stores across the United States as of October 29, 2022.

In addition, we added adult beverage to more than 440 stores in the first three quarters of fiscal 2022. We believe the addition of adult beverage to our assortment will drive traffic to our stores. As of October 29, 2022, there were more than 3,180 stores selling adult beverage products.

Results of Operations

Our results of operations and period-over-period changes are discussed in the following section. Note that gross profit margin is calculated as gross profit (i.e., net sales less cost of sales) divided by net sales. The selling, general and administrative expense rate and operating income margin are calculated by dividing the applicable amount by total revenue.