Dollar Tree (DLTR) 10-K2022 FY Annual report

On March 3, 2023, there were 221,227,564 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

The information called for in Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III, to the extent not set forth herein, is incorporated by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended January 28, 2023.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they address future events, developments and results and do not relate strictly to historical facts. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “view,” “target” or “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “predict,” “possible,” “potential,” “continue,” “strategy,” and similar expressions. For example, our forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding:

We cannot assure you that the results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on our forward-looking statements.

We do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-K, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Investors should also be aware that while we do, from time to time, communicate with securities analysts and others, it is against our policy to disclose to them any material, nonpublic information or other confidential commercial information. Accordingly, shareholders should not assume that we agree with any statement or report issued by any securities analyst regardless of the content of the statement or report. Furthermore, we have a policy against confirming projections, forecasts or opinions issued by others. Thus, to the extent that reports issued by securities analysts contain any projections, forecasts or opinions, such reports are not our responsibility.

Unless otherwise stated, references to “we,” “our” and “us” generally refer to Dollar Tree, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, any references to “2023” or “fiscal 2023,” “2022” or “fiscal 2022,” “2021” or “fiscal 2021,” and “2020” or “fiscal 2020,” relate to as of or for the years ended February 3, 2024, January 28, 2023, January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively.

We are a leading operator of discount variety stores with a solid history of growth and performance. Our stores operate under the brand names of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree Canada. At January 28, 2023, we operated 16,340 discount variety retail stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces and over the long-term, we believe that the market can support more than 10,000 Dollar Tree stores and 15,000 Family Dollar stores across the United States, and approximately 1,000 Dollar Tree stores in Canada. We believe the convenience and value we offer are key factors in serving and growing our base of loyal customers.

We execute a dual-banner strategy that aims to offer the best of our brands in various store formats to serve customers in all types of geographic markets. Dollar Tree is the leading operator of discount variety stores offering merchandise predominantly at the fixed price point of $1.25. Dollar Tree stores serve customers with a broad range of income levels in suburban locations, striving continuously to “Wow” the customer with a compelling, fun and fresh merchandise assortment comprised of a variety of the things the customer wants and needs, all at incredible values in bright, clean and friendly stores. Family Dollar operates general merchandise retail discount stores providing customers with a selection of competitively-priced merchandise in convenient neighborhood stores. Family Dollar primarily serves a lower than average income customer in urban and rural locations, offering great values on everyday items.

We believe that honesty and integrity, and treating people fairly and with respect are core values within our corporate culture. We believe that running a business, and certainly a public company, carries with it a responsibility to be above reproach when making operational and financial decisions. Our executive management team visits and shops at our stores like every customer, and ideas and individual creativity on the part of our associates are encouraged, particularly from our store managers who best know their stores and their customers. We have standards for store displays, merchandise presentation, and store operations. We maintain an open-door policy for all associates. Our distribution centers are operated based on objective measures of performance and our store support center associates are available to assist associates in our stores and distribution centers. For more information, see Human Capital Resources below.

In our Dollar Tree Canada stores, we sell items principally for $1.50(CAD) or less. Our revenue and assets in Canada are not material.

We strive to exceed our customers’ expectations of the variety and quality of products they can purchase by offering items we believe typically sell for higher prices elsewhere. Merchandise imported directly typically accounts for approximately 41%-43% of our total retail value purchases, with the remaining merchandise purchased domestically. Our domestic purchases include basic, home,

We carry approximately 8,000 items in our Dollar Tree stores and as of the end of fiscal 2022 approximately 25% of our items were automatically replenished. The remaining items are pushed to the stores and a portion can be reordered by our store managers on a weekly basis. Through automatic replenishment and our store managers’ ability to order product, each store manager is able to satisfy the demands of their particular customer base.

We maintain a balanced selection of products within traditional variety store categories. We offer a wide selection of everyday basic products and we supplement these basic, everyday items with seasonal, closeout and promotional merchandise. We attempt to keep certain basic consumable merchandise in our stores continuously to establish our stores as a destination and increase traffic in our stores. Closeout and promotional merchandise is purchased opportunistically and represents less than 10% of our purchases.

The merchandise mix in our Dollar Tree stores consists of:

In our 8,206 Family Dollar stores, we sell merchandise at prices that generally range from $1.00 to $10.00. Our stores predominantly range from 6,000 - 8,000 selling square feet. The Family Dollar segment consists of our store operations under the Family Dollar brand and ten distribution centers. We have two primary initiatives for our Family Dollar stores, the H2 format and our Combo Store format, both of which incorporate elements of our Dollar Tree stores into Family Dollar stores. The H2 model stores include Dollar Tree $1.25 merchandise items and establish a minimum number of freezer and cooler doors throughout the store. As of January 28, 2023, we operated approximately 4,360 H2 stores. The Combo Store format, which was designed specifically for small towns and rural communities with populations of 3,000 to 4,000 residents, blends Family Dollar’s great value and assortment with select Dollar Tree merchandise categories under one roof. As of January 28, 2023, we operated approximately 810 Combo Stores. Our new and renovated H2 and Combo Stores have higher sales and operating income margins compared with legacy Family Dollar stores. During 2021, we entered into a partnership with Instacart and as of January 28, 2023, our customers can shop online and receive same-day delivery from more than 7,500 Family Dollar stores without having to visit a store. We are the owners of the trademarks “Family Dollar,” “Family Dollar Stores” and other names and designs of certain merchandise sold in Family Dollar stores.

Our Family Dollar stores provide customers with a quality, high-value assortment of basic necessities and seasonal merchandise. We offer competitively-priced national brands from leading manufacturers alongside name brand equivalent-value, lower-priced private labels. We purchase merchandise from a wide base of suppliers and generally have not experienced difficulty in obtaining adequate quantities of merchandise. In fiscal 2022, we purchased approximately 15% of our merchandise through our relationship with McLane Company, Inc., which distributes consumable merchandise from multiple manufacturers. In addition, merchandise imported directly typically accounts for approximately 15%-17% of our total retail value purchases.

While the number of items in a given store can vary based on the store’s size, geographic location, merchandising initiatives and other factors, our typical Family Dollar store generally carries approximately 7,600 basic items alongside items that are ever-changing and seasonally-relevant throughout the year.

The merchandise mix in our Family Dollar stores consists of:

We believe our substantial buying power and our flexibility in making sourcing decisions contributes to our successful purchasing strategy, which includes targeted merchandise margin goals by category. We leverage our merchandising team to source products that can be sold in both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. We also believe our ability to negotiate with our vendor partners enables us to manage the margin impact of economic pressures. We buy products on an order-by-order basis and have no material long-term purchase contracts or other assurances of continued product supply or guaranteed product cost. Historically, no vendor has accounted for more than 10% of total merchandise purchased by us.

Our merchandise systems provide us with valuable sales information to assist our buyers and improve product allocation to our stores. We use this information to target our inventory levels in our distribution centers and stores in order to plan for capacity and labor needs.

A strong and efficient distribution network is critical to our ability to grow and to maintain a low-cost operating structure. We currently operate 25 distribution centers in the United States, 15 of which are primarily dedicated to serving our Dollar Tree stores and ten distribution centers primarily serve our Family Dollar stores. We expect future distribution centers to be built with the capability to service both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. New distribution sites are strategically located to reduce the distance between the distribution centers and stores, maintain flexibility and improve efficiency in our store service areas. We expect to complete a significant expansion of our Ocala, Florida distribution center in 2024 which will include enhanced automation.

Our segment of the retail industry is fragmented and highly competitive and we expect competition to increase in the future. We operate in the discount retail sector, which is currently and is expected to continue to be highly competitive with respect to price, store location, merchandise quality, assortment and presentation, and customer service, including merchandise delivery and checkout options. Our competitors include single-price dollar stores, multi-price dollar stores, mass merchandisers, online retailers, discount retailers, drug stores, convenience stores, independently-operated discount stores, grocery stores and a wide variety of other retailers. In addition, several competitors have sections within their stores devoted to “one dollar” price point merchandise, which further increases competition. We believe we differentiate ourselves from other retailers by providing high-value, high-quality, low-cost merchandise in attractively-designed stores that are conveniently located. Our sales and profits could be reduced by increases in competition. There are no significant economic barriers for others to enter our retail sector.

We are subject to a wide variety of local, state and federal laws and regulations within the United States and Canada. Compliance with these laws and regulations often requires the dedication of our associates’ time and attention, as well as financial resources. Historically, compliance with these laws and regulations did not have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position; however, in fiscal 2022, we closed our West Memphis, Arkansas distribution center (“DC 202”) following observations of rodent infestation at the facility as well as other items that required remediation. During the first quarter of fiscal 2022, approximately 400 stores serviced by DC 202 were temporarily closed in connection with a retail-level product recall. We incurred costs related to the product recall, remediation efforts and asset impairment during fiscal 2022. Remediation-related costs included merchandise disposal costs, payroll and legal costs as well as incremental freight costs resulting from stores being serviced by distribution centers which are farther away.

Our business success is built upon our dedicated, passionate and diverse associates who work and live in the communities we serve. Our goal is to provide a working environment that is welcoming and inclusive, offers competitive pay and benefits, supports the growth and development of our associates, and affirms our corporate values and mission. We recruit and hire in the communities we serve using local job fairs, social media as well as local community service partners to provide part-time and full-time jobs that can become lasting careers. Our Human Resources team, with oversight from our Board of Directors and its committees, develops and executes programs for compensation and benefits, onboarding and training, professional development, performance management, retention and succession planning.

We greatly value our people and invest in their personal well-being and professional growth through various human capital programs and initiatives, including the following:

As of January 28, 2023, we employed more than 207,500 associates, as follows:

Part-time associates work an average of less than 30 hours per week and the number of part-time associates fluctuates depending on seasonal needs.

We consider our relationship with our associates to be good, and have not experienced significant interruptions of operations due to labor disagreements.

Our annual reports 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 are available free of charge on our website at www.dollartree.com as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing of such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Any failure to meet market expectations, including our comparable store sales growth rate, earnings and earnings per share or new store openings, could cause the market price of our stock to decline. You should carefully consider the specific risk factors listed below together with all other information included or incorporated in this report and other filings that we make from time to time with the SEC, including our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. However, the risks and uncertainties that we face are not limited to those described below and those set forth in our SEC filings. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also arise. In such event, our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially adversely affected.

Future increases in costs such as the cost of merchandise (including the substitution of higher cost domestic goods), wage and benefit costs, ocean shipping rates, domestic freight costs, fuel and energy costs, duties and tariffs, merchandise loss (due to theft, damage, or errors) and store occupancy costs would reduce our profitability. We experienced material increases in wage rates and labor costs as well as in shipping rates, freight and fuel costs in 2022, and we expect further increases in certain cost categories in 2023. We have incurred additional costs as a result of recent minimum wage increases by certain states and localities and we expect additional minimum wage increases by states and localities in 2023. In addition, the federal minimum wage may increase depending on the outcome of legislation proposed in Congress, and the current administration may consider raising the minimum salary for store managers who have exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Separately, government or industry actions addressing the impact of climate change, or shifts in customer preferences for more sustainable, energy-efficient products, may result in increases in our merchandise or operating costs.

Our success is dependent on our ability to import or transport merchandise to our distribution centers and store, pick and ship merchandise to our stores in a timely and cost-effective manner. We rely heavily on third parties including ocean carriers and truckers in these processes. We may not anticipate, respond to or control all of the challenges of operating our distribution network. Additionally, when our distribution centers fail to operate effectively, we could experience increased freight or operational costs or merchandise shortages that could lead to lost sales. We have also experienced trucking shortages, and increased trucking and fuel costs. Some of the factors that have had and could have an adverse effect on our distribution network or costs in 2023 are:

We may stop selling or recall certain products, including our private label brands, for safety-related or other issues, including product contamination, product content, improper manufacturing processes, improper testing, product mislabeling or product tampering. We may also stop selling or recall products if the products, the operations of our suppliers, or our operations violate applicable laws or regulations, including food, drug and cosmetic safety laws, or raise potential health and safety-related issues, including improper storage, product mishandling, contamination or other adulteration, or when products could cause injury, illness or death. Any recall may require significant management attention, and we could experience significant costs, lost sales, compliance or enforcement actions by governmental authorities which could result in fines or other penalties, and/or product liability legal claims and consumer lawsuits. Recalls may also subject us to public claims of false or deceptive advertising and other criticism. A significant product liability or other legal judgment against us, a regulatory enforcement action or a product recall could materially and adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and/or results of operations. Moreover, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against the products we sell or the standards we uphold could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation and/or profitability. Additionally, any product recall may lead to increased scrutiny of our operations by regulatory agencies, requiring further management attention and potential legal fees and other expenses.

We could experience a decline in consumer confidence and spending if our customers become concerned about the quality and safety of the products we sell. To date, other than with respect to the stores temporarily closed to permit the removal and destruction of relevant inventory, we have not experienced significant lost sales in connection with the Recall, but there can be no assurances that consumer confidence in the quality and safety of our products resulting from the Recall will not decline in the future. If there is a decline in consumer confidence in our products or brands, our reputation may be adversely affected and we may experience additional lost sales which could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

A deterioration in economic conditions could reduce consumer spending or cause customers to shift their spending to products we either do not sell or do not sell as profitably. Adverse economic conditions such as a recession could disrupt consumer spending and significantly reduce our sales, decrease our inventory turnover, cause greater markdowns or reduce our profitability due to lower margins. Other factors that could result in or exacerbate adverse economic conditions include inflation, higher unemployment, consumer debt levels, trade disputes, as well as adverse climate or weather conditions, worsening or new epidemics, terrorism or international tensions, including armed conflict and economic sanctions.

Furthermore, factors that could adversely affect consumer disposable income could decrease our customers’ spending on products we sell most profitably. In fiscal 2022, we experienced a material shift in consumer purchasing from higher-margin discretionary merchandise to lower-margin consumable goods which has negatively impacted our product mix and margins. Factors that could reduce our customers’ disposable income and over which we exercise no influence include but are not limited to, inflation in food, housing, fuel or other energy costs, increased unemployment, increases in interest rates, lack of available credit, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws, increasing healthcare costs, and changes in, decreases in, or elimination of, government subsidies such as unemployment and food assistance programs.

Although governmental authorities adopted substantial measures, including fiscal and monetary stimulus, to provide economic assistance to individual households and businesses and support economic stability during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain of the government assistance payments to households were temporary and were permitted to expire. There can be no assurance that current or future governmental efforts to support the economy during the pandemic or a recession will be sufficient to support future consumer spending at levels experienced previously or mitigate the negative effect of the pandemic on the economy. If consumer spending on the goods we sell declines as a result, there could be a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Many of the factors identified above that affect disposable income, as well as merchandise costs, commodity rates, transportation costs (including the costs of diesel fuel), costs of labor, insurance and healthcare, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, lease costs, barriers or increased costs associated with international trade and other economic factors also affect our ability to implement our corporate strategy effectively, our cost of goods sold and our selling, general and administrative expenses, and may have other adverse consequences which we are unable to fully anticipate or control, all of which may adversely affect our sales or profitability. We have limited or no ability to control many of these factors.

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic arising from a novel strain of coronavirus and its variants has caused on-going direct and indirect economic disruptions that have adversely affected, and are expected to continue to adversely affect, elements of our business. The COVID-19 pandemic, related public health measures and associated economic and social impacts have already contributed to, among other things, significant increases in the cost of operating our stores and distribution centers, disruptions in the patterns of consumer demand and traffic, and an increase in demand for online sales (which is an insignificant part of our business), home deliveries (which we began providing in 2021 through our partnership with Instacart) or curbside deliveries (which we do not offer), and changes in the labor markets.

There continues to be uncertainty and unpredictability about the lingering impact of COVID-19-related issues on our financial and operating results in future periods. If the pandemic worsens or continues longer than expected (as new variants emerge), governments may reinstate or extend business or personal restrictions, and we could be forced to curtail or restrict operations or incur additional costs. If major new variants emerge, we might also experience new disruptions in our supply chain and sources of supply, suffer facility closures or encounter additional difficulties in hiring or retaining the workforce required for our business. These circumstances, if applicable for an extended duration or across significant parts of our operating footprint, or if they fall during particularly meaningful holiday seasons, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are unable to predict the full extent to which COVID-19-related issues will affect the economy and our customers, associates, suppliers, vendors, other business partners or our business, results of operations and financial condition. If the economic consequences of the pandemic linger and/or worsen, it could amplify many of the other risks described in this report.

We are dependent on our vendors, including direct ship vendors, to supply merchandise in a timely and efficient manner. If a vendor fails to deliver on its commitments due to financial or other difficulties, we could experience merchandise shortages which could lead to lost sales or increased merchandise costs if alternative sources must be used.

We rely on the timely availability of imported goods at favorable wholesale prices. Merchandise imported directly typically accounts for approximately 41%-43% of our Dollar Tree segment’s total retail value purchases and approximately 15%-17% of our Family Dollar segment’s total retail value purchases. In addition, we believe that a significant portion of our goods purchased from domestic vendors is imported. Imported goods are generally less expensive than domestic goods and result in higher profit margins. A disruption in the flow of our imported merchandise or an increase in the cost of those goods may significantly decrease our profits. Risks associated with our reliance on imported goods may include disruptions in the flow of or increases in the cost of imported goods because of factors such as:

We rely on domestic and foreign suppliers to provide us with merchandise in a timely manner and at favorable prices. Among our foreign suppliers, China is the source of a substantial majority of our imports. A disruption in the flow of our imported merchandise from China or an increase in the cost of those goods may significantly decrease our profits.

While the United States scaled back punitive Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese imports based on an agreement reached with China in 2020, the imposition of any new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports or the taking of other actions against China in the future, and any responses by China, could impair our ability to meet customer demand and could result in lost sales or an increase in our cost of merchandise, which would have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Existing store sales growth is critical to good operating results and is dependent on a variety of factors, including merchandise quality, relevance and availability, store operations and customer satisfaction. In addition, increased competition could adversely affect our sales. Failure to meet our sales targets could result in our needing to record material non-cash impairment charges related to our intangible assets. We believe increasing sales at Family Dollar depends in significant part on several initiatives, including price reductions, some of which remain in the early stages.

Our highest sales periods are during the Christmas and Easter seasons, and we generally realize a disproportionate amount of our net sales and our operating and net income during the fourth quarter. In anticipation, we stock extra inventory and hire many temporary employees to prepare our stores and help ship product from our distribution centers. A reduction in sales during these periods could adversely affect our operating results, particularly operating and net income, to a greater extent than if a reduction occurred at other times of the year. Untimely merchandise delays due to receiving or distribution problems could have a similar effect.

When Easter is observed earlier in the year, the selling season is shorter and, as a result, our sales could be adversely affected. Easter was observed on April 17, 2022 and will be observed on April 9, 2023.

Expanding our square footage profitably depends on a number of uncertainties, including our ability to locate, lease, build out and open or expand stores in suitable locations on a timely basis under favorable economic terms. We also open or expand stores within our established geographic markets, where new or expanded stores may draw sales away from our existing stores. Obtaining an increasing number of profitable stores is an ever-increasing challenge.

In addition, our expansion is dependent upon third-party developers’ abilities to acquire land, obtain financing, and secure necessary permits and approvals. We have experienced higher commodity and other costs associated with the build-out of new stores and the renovation of existing stores. We have also experienced delays in new store openings and the renovation of existing stores due to inspection, permitting and contractor delays. In addition, we have experienced delays in new store openings due to limitations on the availability of certain fixtures and equipment. We anticipate these increased costs and delays may continue for the foreseeable future, which could adversely affect our sales and profitability. Further, we may not manage our expansion effectively, and our failure to achieve our expansion plans could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In our Family Dollar segment, our success also depends on our ability to select and obtain sufficient quantities of relevant merchandise at prices that allow us to sell such merchandise at profitable and appropriate prices. A sales price that is too high causes products to be less attractive to our customers and our sales at Family Dollar could suffer. We are continuing to refine our pricing strategy at Family Dollar to drive customer loyalty and have a strategic pricing team to improve our value and to increase profitability. Our inability to successfully implement our pricing strategies at Family Dollar could have a negative effect on our business.

In addition, our Family Dollar segment has a substantial number of private brand items and the number of such items has been increasing. We believe our success in maintaining broad market acceptance of our private brands depends on many factors, including our pricing, costs, quality and customer perception. We may not achieve or maintain our expected sales for our private brands and, as a result, our business and results of operations could be adversely impacted. Additionally, the increased number of private brands could negatively impact our existing relationships with our non-private brand suppliers.

The retail industry is highly competitive. The marketplace is highly fragmented as many different retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of store formats and merchandising strategies, including mobile and online shopping. We expect competition to increase in the future. There are no significant economic barriers for others to enter our retail sector. Some of our current or potential competitors have greater financial resources than we do. We cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to

Our growth and performance are dependent on the skills, experience and contributions of our associates, executives and key personnel for both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Various factors, including the pandemic, constraints on overall labor availability, wage rates, regulatory or legislative impacts, and benefit costs could impact our ability to attract and retain qualified associates at our stores, distribution centers and corporate offices.

We are experiencing a shortage of associates and applicants to fill staffing requirements at our distribution centers, stores and corporate offices due to the current labor shortage affecting businesses. This has adversely affected the operating efficiency of our distribution centers and stores and our ability to transport merchandise from our distribution centers to our stores. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified associates for our distribution centers and stores in the future, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We completed the conversion of our predominant product price from $1.00 to $1.25 for the vast majority of merchandise in all Dollar Tree stores during the first quarter of fiscal 2022. Although to date the increase in the price point has more than offset the decline in the number of units sold, there can be no assurances that the price increase will not have an adverse effect on our business in the future. In addition, we are continuing to implement our important strategic initiatives that are designed to create growth, improve our results of operations and drive long-term shareholder value, including:

The implementation, timing and results of these strategic initiatives are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including the acceptance of multi-priced merchandise by Dollar Tree customers; customer acceptance of new store concepts and merchandise offerings; construction and permitting delays relating to new and renovated stores; the availability of desirable real estate locations for lease at reasonable rates; the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic issues; the success of our strategies; and other factors beyond our control. In addition, several of these initiatives depend on the timeliness, cost and availability of adequate levels of the appropriate domestic and imported merchandise, our ability to execute on our plans and expectations with respect to those initiatives and our ability to implement those initiatives within budget and with the expected return. To the extent that shipping delays, supply chain disruptions and other distribution logistics adversely affect the availability of merchandise necessary to implement our strategic initiatives, we may delay or reduce our planned rate of implementation of one or more of those initiatives.

In addition, building on our current initiatives, we are currently developing plans to make additional multi-year strategic investments across the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar banners to further position the company for long-term sustained growth. We anticipate that these investments will relate to four key areas of our business: our associates, our distribution center network and supply chain, our product pricing and value proposition, and our technology infrastructure. Within these areas, the focus of these investments is expected to be on associate wages, improved store execution, enhanced safety and working conditions, increased supply chain efficiencies, competitive pricing at Family Dollar, and enhancements to our systems infrastructure. There is a risk that our investments in these initiatives may increase our costs and reduce our margins and profitability if the initiatives do not achieve their intended purposes.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to implement important strategic initiatives in accordance with our expectations or that they will generate expected returns, which may result in an adverse impact on our business and financial results.

Under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, we review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever economic events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Identifiable intangible assets with an indefinite useful life, including goodwill, are not amortized but are evaluated annually for impairment. A more frequent evaluation is performed if events or circumstances indicate that impairment could have occurred.

We rely extensively on our computer and technology systems and, in certain cases, those of third-party service providers to support nearly all key functions in our business, including managing inventory, operating our stores, processing credit card and customer transactions and summarizing results. Our ability to effectively manage our business and coordinate the distribution and sale of our merchandise depends significantly on the capabilities, confidentiality, integrity and availability of these systems and on our ability to successfully acquire and integrate upgraded or replacement systems as needed to support our business requirements and strategic initiatives. We also rely on third-party providers and platforms for many of these computer and technology systems and support.

Although we have operational safeguards in place, they may not be effective in preventing the failure of these systems or platforms to operate effectively and be available to us. This may be as the result of deliberate breach in the security of these systems or platforms by bad actors, including through malicious software, ransomware and other cyber-attacks, which may originate from state actors and may increase during times of international tensions. Failures may also be caused by various other factors, including power outages, catastrophic events, physical theft, computer and network failures, inadequate or ineffective redundancy, obsolescence or failure of vendor support, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems or platforms and related business process changes, flaws in third-party software or services, errors or improper use by our employees or third-party service providers.

We plan to make investments in our information technology systems in fiscal 2023 to support the growth of our business. If our information technology systems are not adequate to support our strategic initiatives, our growth and the success of our initiatives may be adversely affected. If these systems are damaged or fail to function adequately, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, may experience loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability to manage inventories or process customer transactions and may receive negative publicity, which could adversely affect our results of operations and business. In addition, remediation of any problems with our systems could take an extensive amount of time and could result in significant, unplanned expenses.

Many of our information technology systems, such as those we use for our point-of-sale, web and mobile platforms, including online and mobile payment systems, and for administrative functions, including human resources, payroll, accounting, and internal and external communications, contain personal, financial or other confidential information that is entrusted to us by our customers and associates as well as proprietary and other confidential information related to our business and suppliers.

The security measures that we and/or our third-party suppliers put in place cannot provide absolute security to safeguard our customers’ personal information (including debit and credit card information), our associates’ private data, suppliers’ data, and our business records and intellectual property and other sensitive information.

Cybercriminals, who may include well-funded state actors or organized criminal groups, are rapidly evolving their cyberattack techniques and tactics, which are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and challenging to detect. We and/or our third-party suppliers may be vulnerable to and unable to anticipate, detect, and appropriately respond to cyber-security attacks, including data security breaches and data loss.

We are also subject to laws and regulations in various jurisdictions in which we operate regarding privacy, data protection and data security, including those related to the collection, storage, handling, use, disclosure, transfer and security of personal data. These laws permit regulators to assess potentially significant fines for data privacy violations and may create a right for individuals to bring class action suits seeking damages for violations. Our efforts to comply with consumer privacy laws and other similar privacy and data protection laws may impose significant costs and challenges that are likely to increase over time, and we could incur substantial penalties or be subject to litigation related to violation of existing or future data privacy laws and regulations.

Likewise, we are subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI-DSS”) which is mandated by the card brands and administered through the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. As a Level 1 Merchant, we are subject to assessment and attestation for PCI-DSS compliance on an annual basis. A failure to meet and maintain compliance with PCI-DSS requirements could result in our inability to continue to accept credit cards as a form of payment, which would materially impact our ability to sell our products. In addition, our credibility and reputation within the business community and with our customers may be affected, which could result in our customers discontinuing the use of debit or credit cards in our stores or not shopping in our stores altogether. Non-compliance with PCI-DSS requirements also may subject us to recurring and accumulating fines until compliance is achieved. Considerable investments to strengthen our information security could also be required should we ever be deemed to be non-compliant.

Moreover, significant additional capital investments and other expenditures could also be required to continue to strengthen our overall cyber-security posture and prevent future security breaches, including costs associated with additional security technologies, personnel, experts and services (e.g., credit-monitoring services) for those whose data has been breached. These costs, which could be material, could adversely impact our results of operations in the period in which they are incurred and may not meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our information technology systems.

The unavailability of our information technology systems or the failure of those systems or software to perform as required to support our business needs for any reason and any inability to respond to, or recover from, such events, could disrupt our business, decrease performance and increase overhead costs. If we are unable to secure our customers’ credit card and confidential information, or other private data relating to our associates, suppliers or our business, we could be subject to negative publicity, costly government enforcement actions or private litigation and increased costs. If our information technology systems and processes are insufficiently provisioned or improperly designed and implemented to support our business, our strategic initiatives may not deliver anticipated results. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or business.

Our business is subject to the risk of litigation and arbitration involving employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, shareholders, government agencies, or others through private actions, class actions, derivative actions, governmental investigations, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions, mass arbitration or other similar actions.

In addition, due to the types of products that we sell, our operations are subject to regulatory oversight by the FDA, the USDA, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and other federal, state, local and applicable foreign governmental authorities. If such authorities believe that we have failed to comply with applicable regulations and/or procedures, they may require prompt corrective action, and/or proceed directly to other forms of enforcement action, including the imposition of operating restrictions, including a ceasing of operations in one or more facilities, enjoining and restraining certain violations of applicable law pertaining to products, seizure of products, and assessing civil or criminal sanctions or penalties. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict us from effectively selling our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.

From January 11, 2022 through February 11, 2022, DC 202 was inspected by the FDA and USDA. On February 11, 2022, the FDA issued Form 483 observations primarily regarding rodent infestation at DC 202, as well as other items that require remediation. In connection therewith, on February 18, 2022, we initiated a retail-level product recall of FDA and USDA-regulated products stored and shipped to approximately 400 stores from DC 202 from January 1, 2021 through such date (the “Recall”). We 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, committed to the FDA to continue to cease the shipment of FDA-regulated products from DC 202 until FDA approval is received, and initiated corrective actions at DC 202. In June 2022, we stopped shipping to stores from DC 202 and have since closed the facility and disposed of all of the inventory that was in the facility. On November 9, 2022 we received an FDA 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 recall and closing the facility. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and continue to cooperate with the FDA. If the FDA and/or other governmental authorities are not satisfied with these corrective actions or observe issues in our other

Since February 22, 2022, we have received 14 putative class action complaints related to issues noted above associated with DC 202. The lawsuits are proceeding in federal court in Tennessee using the federal court’s multi-district litigation (“MDL”) 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 unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. 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 same underlying matters as the putative class actions above. 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.

We have defended and intend to continue defending ourselves vigorously in the foregoing litigations. We filed a motion to dismiss the amended consolidated complaint and a ruling on the motion by the court is expected in early 2023. If our motion is denied in whole or in part (including on appeal), the case would move to class certification, which we intend to oppose. We are unable to determine at this time whether our motion to dismiss will be granted or whether a class can be certified. We do not believe that the cases will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. However, we cannot assure that these litigations, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the period or year in which they are reserved or resolved.

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 and compliance with law regarding certain of our procedures and products. In connection with this matter, we have been investigating the condition of FDA-regulated product shipped from DC 202. We are cooperating fully with the U.S. Department of Justice investigation, including having produced documents and provided additional information. As part of this cooperation, we may engage in discussions with the government in an effort to reach a negotiated resolution. Due to the inherent uncertainties associated with this matter, no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of this matter, which could include penalties and company undertakings.

Our products could also cause illness or injury, harm our reputation, and subject us to litigation. We are dependent on our vendors to ensure that the products we buy comply with all applicable safety standards. However, product liability, personal injury or other claims may be asserted against us relating to product adulteration, product tampering, mislabeling, recall and other safety issues with respect to the products that we sell, or with respect to our handling or storage of such products, including as a result of the issues raised by the pending Arkansas FDA Matter (which has led to increased scrutiny of our operations by regulatory agencies, requiring further management attention and potential legal fees and other expenses). A significant product liability, consumer fraud, or other legal judgment against us, a related regulatory compliance or enforcement action or a product recall could materially and adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and/or results of operations. Moreover, even if a product liability, consumer fraud or other claim is unsuccessful, has no merit or is not pursued, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against the products we sell could materially and adversely affect our reputation. We seek but may not be successful in obtaining contractual indemnification from our vendors, where appropriate, or insurance coverage, and if we do not have adequate contractual indemnification or insurance available, such claims could adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Our ability to obtain the benefit of contractual indemnification from vendors may be hindered by our ability to enforce contractual indemnification obligations against such vendors, for example because the vendors are overseas or lack financial resources. Our litigation-related expenses could increase as well, which also could have a materially negative impact on our financial condition and/or results of operations even if a claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued.

The outcome of such matters is difficult to assess or quantify. Plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits or proceedings may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of the potential loss may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. In addition, certain of these matters, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, may result in an expense that may be material to our financial statements as a whole or may negatively affect our operating results if changes to our business operations are required. If we experienced a material loss arising from these matters, we could also become subject to shareholder derivative suits and securities litigation. The cost to defend current and future litigation or proceedings, including arbitrations, may be significant. There also may be adverse publicity associated with litigation, including litigation related to product or food safety, customer information and environmental or safety requirements, which could negatively affect customer perception of our business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable.

Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations, and changes to those laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business. For example, various municipalities regulate the placement or proximity of our stores or may place requirements on the types of products we sell. In addition, the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations in connection with climate change and the proposed transition to a low carbon economy, including any federal or state laws enacted to regulate or tax greenhouse gas emissions, could significantly increase our operating or merchandise costs or reduce the demand for our products. These laws and regulations may include, but are not limited to, requirements relating to hazardous waste materials, recycling, single-use plastics, extended producer responsibility, use of refrigerants, carbon pricing or carbon taxes, product energy efficiency standards and product labeling. If carbon pricing or carbon taxes are adopted, there is a significant risk that the cost of merchandise from our suppliers will increase and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

In addition, significant changes in laws or regulations that impact our relationship with our workforce, such as minimum wage increases, health care, labor laws or workplace safety, could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. An increase in federal corporate tax rates also could adversely affect our profitability. Changes in other regulatory areas, such as consumer credit, privacy and information security, product and food safety, energy or environmental protection, and tariff and other trade restrictions, among others, could cause our expenses to increase or result in product recalls. Further, if we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including wage and hour laws, we could be subject to legal risk, including government enforcement action and class action civil litigation, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We operate in an increasingly regulated environment across a large and diverse geographic footprint, and we devote substantial resources to ensure effective compliance. If our programs do not adequately anticipate emerging regulatory expectations or requirements, or if we fail to appropriately design and maintain an effective enterprise compliance program and system of controls to prevent and detect non-compliance, including implementing and communicating a strong culture of compliance, there is a possibility any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations would subject us to enhanced legal risks and adverse outcomes.

In addition to the legal requirements above, we are subject to the influence of a wide range of non-governmental stakeholders whose expectations on topics related to those described above may impact our business. We may be pressured by our shareholders, associates or customers, or others in the communities where we operate to adopt practices or policies that are more prescriptive than those required by law. Similar influences may impact our merchandise and other vendors which would indirectly affect our business. To the extent that these influences result in changes to our operations, we could experience higher costs, and there can be no assurance we will experience offsetting positive effects on our results of operations. If our stakeholders perceive that we have not adequately addressed their expectations, our reputation could be negatively affected which could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Our substantial level of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to fulfill our obligations and have a negative impact on our financing options and liquidity position. As of January 28, 2023, our total indebtedness is $3.45 billion. We may in the future incur substantial additional indebtedness. In addition, we have $1.5 billion of additional borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility, less amounts outstanding for letters of credit totaling $4.4 million.

In addition, our credit ratings impact the cost and availability of future borrowings and, accordingly, our cost of capital. Our ratings reflect the opinions of the ratings agencies of our financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet our debt obligations. There can be no assurance that we will achieve a particular rating or maintain a particular rating in the future.

The agreements that govern our indebtedness contain a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interests, including, among

In addition, certain of these agreements require us to comply with certain financial maintenance covenants. Our ability to satisfy these financial maintenance covenants can be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot assure you that we will meet them.

A breach of the covenants under these agreements could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness, which, if not cured or waived, could result in us having to repay our borrowings before their due dates. Such default may allow the debt holders to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms or if we were to experience difficulty in refinancing the debt prior to maturity, our results of operations or financial condition could be materially affected. In addition, an event of default under our credit facilities may permit the lenders to terminate all commitments to extend further credit. In the event our lenders or holders of notes accelerate the repayment of such borrowings, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay such indebtedness.

As a result of these restrictions, we may be limited in how we conduct our business; unable to raise additional debt financing to operate during general economic or business downturns; or unable to compete effectively, take advantage of new business opportunities or grow in accordance with our plans.

Our revolving credit facility is subject to variable rates that expose us to interest rate risk. We may also incur additional indebtedness subject to variable rates in the future. Interest rates have increased in fiscal 2022 and further increases are anticipated. When interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness increase even though the amount borrowed remains the same, and our net income decreases. Although we may enter into interest rate swaps involving the exchange of floating for fixed-rate interest payments, to reduce interest rate volatility, we cannot assure you we will choose to or be able to do so.

Borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear interest at a rate derived from the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). As a result of the discontinuation of LIBOR as a reference rate in June 2023, there is uncertainty as to whether the transition from LIBOR to SOFR or another reference rate will result in financial market disruptions or higher interest costs to borrowers, which could increase our interest expense and have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Additionally, any successor rate to SOFR under our revolving credit facility may not have the same characteristics as SOFR or LIBOR. As a result, the amount of interest we may pay on our revolving credit facility is difficult to predict.

We value constructive input from investors and regularly engage in dialogue with our shareholders regarding strategy and performance. The Board of Directors and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of all of our shareholders. There is no assurance that the actions taken by the Board of Directors and management in seeking to maintain constructive engagement with our shareholders will be successful. Shareholders who disagree with our strategy or the way we are managed may seek to effect change in the future, through various strategies that could include private engagement, publicity campaigns, proxy contests, and litigation. Responding to these actions may be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our operations, divert the attention of our Board of Directors, management and employees, and impact our relationship with investors, vendors, and other third parties. Shareholder engagement also may result in changes to our business plans, operations, strategies, initiatives, governance, management and risk factors. The perceived uncertainty as to our future direction resulting from these actions of shareholders could also affect the market price and volatility of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors. These factors, some of which may be beyond our control, include the perceived prospects and actual results of operations of our business; changes in estimates of our results of operations by analysts, investors or us; trading activity by our large shareholders; trading activity by sophisticated algorithms (high-frequency trading); our actual results of operations relative to estimates or expectations; actions or announcements by us or our competitors; litigation and judicial decisions; legislative or regulatory actions or changes; and changes in general economic or market conditions. In addition, the stock market in general has from time to time experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. These market fluctuations could reduce the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to our operating performance.

Our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws contain provisions that may delay or discourage a takeover attempt that a shareholder might consider in his/her best interest. These provisions, among other things:

However, we believe that these provisions allow our Board of Directors to negotiate a higher price in the event of a takeover attempt which would be in the best interest of our shareholders.

None.

As of January 28, 2023, we operated 16,096 stores across the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia and operated 244 stores within five Canadian provinces.

We lease the vast majority of our stores and expect to lease the majority of our new stores as we expand. Our leases typically provide for a short initial lease term, generally between five and ten years, with options to extend; in some cases we have initial lease terms of up to fifteen years. We believe this leasing strategy enhances our flexibility to pursue various expansion opportunities resulting from changing market conditions. As current leases expire, we believe that we will be able to obtain lease renewals, if desired, for present store locations, or to obtain leases for equivalent or better locations in the same general area.

Each of our distribution centers contains advanced materials handling technologies, including radio-frequency inventory tracking equipment and specialized information systems. With the exception of three of our facilities, each of our distribution centers in the United States also contains automated conveyor and sorting systems.

Distribution services in Canada are provided by a third party from facilities in British Columbia and Ontario.

Our store support center in Chesapeake, Virginia is located in an approximately 0.5 million square foot office tower that we own.

None.

During fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, we repurchased 4,613,696, 9,156,898 and 3,982,478 shares of common stock, respectively, on the open market at a total cost of $647.5 million, $950.0 million and $400.0 million, respectively. The fiscal 2022 share repurchases occurred prior to the fourth quarter. As of January 28, 2023, we had $1.85 billion remaining under our Board repurchase authorization. The repurchase authorization does not have an expiration date.

We anticipate that substantially all of our cash flow from operations in the foreseeable future will be retained for the development and expansion of our business, the repayment of indebtedness and, as authorized by our Board of Directors, the repurchase of stock. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

The following graph sets forth the yearly percentage change in the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock during the five fiscal years ended January 28, 2023, compared with the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Retailing Index. The comparison assumes that $100 was invested in our common stock on February 3, 2018, and, in each of the foregoing indices on February 3, 2018, and that dividends were reinvested. The stock price performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

This section of Form 10-K generally discusses 2022 and 2021 events and results and year-to-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021. Discussions of 2020 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022.

We are a leading operator of more than 16,300 retail discount stores and we conduct our operations in two reporting segments. Our Dollar Tree segment is the leading operator of discount variety stores offering merchandise predominantly at the fixed price of $1.25. Our Family Dollar segment operates general merchandise retail discount stores providing consumers with a selection of competitively-priced merchandise in convenient neighborhood stores.

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 which can be impacted by a number of factors including operational performance, competition, inflation and changes in the product assortment, pricing, or quality. 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 year 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 January 28, 2023, 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 years ended January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022 is as follows:

The average size of stores opened in 2022 was approximately 8,660 selling square feet (or about 10,710 gross square feet) for the Dollar Tree segment and 9,160 selling square feet (or about 11,210 gross square feet) for the Family Dollar segment. For 2023, we continue to plan to open stores that are 8,000 - 10,000 selling square feet (or about 10,000 - 12,000 gross square feet) for both the Dollar Tree segment and 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.

Fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020 each included 52 weeks.

The percentage change in comparable store net sales for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2023, as compared with the preceding year, is as follows:

Our results of operations and year-over-year 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.

We operate more than 16,300 retail discount stores in 48 states and five Canadian provinces. Our operations are conducted in two reporting business segments: Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. We define our segments as those operations whose results our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews to analyze performance and allocate resources.

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. The Family Dollar segment “Operating income” includes advertising revenue, which is a component of “Other revenue” in the accompanying consolidated income statements.

The following table summarizes the operating results of the Dollar Tree segment:

Gross profit margin for the Dollar Tree segment increased to 37.5% in 2022 from 33.1% in 2021. The increase is due to the net of the following:

The following table summarizes the operating results of the Family Dollar segment:

Gross profit margin for the Family Dollar segment decreased to 24.4% in 2022 compared to 25.2% in 2021. The decrease is due to the net of the following:

We invest capital to build and open new stores, expand and renovate existing stores, expand our distribution network and operate our existing stores. Our working capital requirements for existing stores are seasonal in nature and typically reach their peak in the months of September and October. Historically, we have satisfied our seasonal working capital requirements for existing stores and have funded our store opening and distribution network expansion programs from internally generated funds and borrowings under our credit facilities.

The following table compares cash flow-related information for the years ended January 28, 2023, January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021:

Net cash provided by operating activities increased $183.3 million in 2022 compared to 2021 primarily as a result of higher current year earnings, net of non-cash items, and smaller decreases in liability balances, partially offset by higher inventory levels and a smaller increase in accounts payable.

Net cash used in investing activities increased $233.9 million in 2022 compared with 2021 primarily due to higher capital expenditures in the current year.

Net cash used in financing activities decreased $149.7 million in 2022 compared to 2021 primarily due to the following:

We repurchased 4,613,696, 9,156,898 and 3,982,478 shares of common stock on the open market in fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, respectively, for $647.5 million, $950.0 million and $400.0 million, respectively. At January 28, 2023, we had $1.85 billion remaining under our Board repurchase authorization.

We expect our cash needs for opening new stores and expanding existing stores in fiscal 2023 to total approximately $690.0 million, which includes capital expenditures, initial inventory and pre-opening costs. Our total estimated capital expenditures for fiscal 2023 are approximately $2.0 billion, including planned expenditures for our new and expanded stores, store renovations, supply chain and information technology investments, and other property improvements. We believe that we can adequately fund our working capital requirements and planned capital expenditures for the foreseeable future from net cash provided by operations and potential borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

Our material contractual obligations consist of long-term debt and related interest payments and operating lease obligations. Additionally, we have commitments related to ocean shipping contracts, software license and support agreements, telecommunication services and store technology assets and maintenance for our stores. Other commitments include letters of credit for imported merchandise, standby letters of credit that serve as collateral for our large-deductible insurance programs and surety bonds that serve as collateral for utility payments at our stores and self-insured insurance programs. For additional information regarding these

The preparation of financial statements requires the use of estimates. Certain of our estimates require a high level of judgment and have the potential to have a material effect on the financial statements if actual results vary significantly from those estimates. Following is a discussion of the estimates that we consider critical.

Inventory valuation methods require certain management estimates and judgments, including estimates of future merchandise markdowns and shrink, which significantly affect the ending inventory valuation at cost as well as the resulting gross margins. The averaging required in applying the retail inventory method and the estimates of shrink and markdowns could, under certain circumstances, result in costs not being recorded in the proper period.

We estimate our markdown reserve based on the consideration of a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, quantities of slow moving or seasonal carryover merchandise on hand, historical markdown statistics and future merchandising plans. The accuracy of our estimates can be affected by many factors, some of which are outside of our control, including changes in economic conditions and consumer buying trends. Historically, we have not experienced significant differences in our estimated reserve for markdowns compared with actual results.

Our accrual for shrink is based on the actual, historical shrink results of our most recent physical inventories adjusted, if necessary, for current economic conditions and business trends. These estimates are compared to actual results as physical inventory counts are taken and reconciled to the general ledger. Our physical inventory counts are generally taken between January and October of each year; therefore, the shrink accrual recorded at January 28, 2023 is based on estimated shrink for most of 2022, including the fourth quarter. The amounts recorded in the current year reflect the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar segments’ historical results. We periodically adjust our shrink estimates to reflect our best estimates based on the factors described and, historically, these adjustments have not been material.

Our management believes that our application of the retail inventory method results in an inventory valuation that reasonably approximates cost and results in carrying inventory at the lower of cost or market each year on a consistent basis.

The liabilities related to our self-insurance programs for workers’ compensation and general liability are estimates that require judgment and the use of assumptions. Semiannually, we obtain third-party actuarial valuations to aid in valuing the liabilities and in determining the amount to accrue during the year. These actuarial valuations are estimates based on our historical loss development factors and the related accruals are adjusted as management’s estimates change.

Management’s estimate for self-insurance liabilities could vary from the ultimate loss sustained given the difficulty in predicting future events; however, historically, the net total of these differences has not had a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are initially recorded at their fair values. These assets are not amortized but are evaluated annually for impairment. A more frequent evaluation is performed if events or circumstances indicate that impairment could have occurred. Such events or circumstances could include, but are not limited to, significant negative industry or economic trends, unanticipated changes in the competitive environment and a significant sustained decline in the market price of our stock.

For purposes of our goodwill impairment evaluation, the reporting units are Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Dollar Tree Canada. Goodwill has been assigned to the reporting units based on prior business combinations related to the brands. We have the option to initially perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value is less than the carrying amount. Alternatively, we may bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed directly to performing the quantitative impairment test.

We estimate the fair value using a combination of a market multiple method and a discounted cash flow method. Under the market multiple approach, we estimate a fair value based on comparable companies’ market multiples of revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and adjusted for a control premium. Under the discounted cash flow approach, we project future cash flows which are discounted using a weighted-average cost of capital analysis that reflects current market conditions, adjusted for specific reporting unit risks (primarily the uncertainty of achieving projected operating cash flows). If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

The Family Dollar goodwill and trade name comprise a substantial portion of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets and management’s judgment utilized in the Family Dollar goodwill and trade name impairment evaluations is critical. The computations require management to make estimates and assumptions and actual results may differ significantly, particularly if there are significant adverse changes in the operating environment. Critical assumptions that are used as part of a quantitative Family Dollar goodwill evaluation include:

Indefinite-lived intangible assets, such as the Family Dollar trade name, are not subject to amortization but are reviewed at least annually for impairment. The indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment evaluations are performed by comparing the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets to their carrying values. We estimate the fair value of our trade name intangible asset based on an income approach using the relief-from-royalty method. This approach is dependent upon a number of factors, including estimates of future growth and trends, royalty rates, discount rates and other variables. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain. The discount rate includes a premium compared to the discount rate used for the Family Dollar goodwill impairment evaluation due to the inherently higher risk profile of intangible assets compared to the overall reporting unit.

We are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of our business, including the impact of interest rate changes and diesel fuel cost changes. We may enter into interest rate or diesel fuel swaps to manage exposure to interest rate and diesel fuel price changes. We do not enter into derivative instruments for any purpose other than cash flow hedging and we do not hold derivative instruments for trading purposes.

Our exposure to interest rate risk relates to our revolving credit facility, as borrowings under the revolving credit facility bear interest at SOFR, reset periodically, plus 0.10%, plus 0.875% to 1.50% as determined by our credit ratings and leverage ratio. At January 28, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding under the revolving credit facility.

The primary inflationary factors impacting our business include changes to the costs of merchandise, transportation (including the cost of diesel fuel), and labor. If these inflationary pressures become significant, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases on the Family Dollar banner or through adjustments to our product assortment, improvements in operational efficiencies or increases in our comparable store net sales on the Dollar Tree banner. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Unless otherwise stated, references to “we,” “us,” and “our” in this annual report on Form 10-K refer to Dollar Tree, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

We are a leading operator of discount retail stores in the United States and Canada. Below are those accounting policies that we consider to be significant.

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Dollar Tree, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

At January 28, 2023, we operate more than 16,300 retail discount stores in 48 states and five Canadian provinces. Our operations are conducted in two reporting business segments: Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. We define our segments as those operations whose results our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews to analyze performance and allocate resources.

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 ten distribution centers.

The functional currencies of certain of our international subsidiaries are the local currencies of the countries in which the subsidiaries are located. Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rates in effect at the consolidated balance sheet date. Results of operations and cash flows are translated using the average exchange rates throughout the period. The effect of exchange rate fluctuations on translation of assets and liabilities is included as a component of shareholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive loss. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions, which are included in “Other expense, net” have not been significant.

Our fiscal year is a 52-week or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31. References to “2022” or “fiscal 2022,” “2021” or “fiscal 2021,” and “2020” or “fiscal 2020” relate to the 52-week fiscal years ended January 28, 2023, January 29, 2022, and January 30, 2021, respectively. “2023” or “fiscal 2023” refers to the 53-week fiscal year ending February 3, 2024.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and cash equivalents at January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022 includes $317.2 million and $680.6 million, respectively, of investments primarily in money market securities which are valued at cost, which approximates fair value. We consider all highly-liquid debt instruments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The majority of payments due from financial institutions for the settlement of debit card and credit card transactions process within three business days, and therefore are classified as cash and cash equivalents.

Merchandise inventories at our distribution centers are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, determined on a weighted-average cost basis. Cost is assigned to store inventories using the retail inventory method on a weighted-average basis. Under the retail inventory method, the valuation of inventories at cost and the resulting gross margins are computed by applying a calculated cost-to-retail ratio to the retail value of inventories.

Costs directly associated with warehousing and distribution are capitalized as merchandise inventories. Total warehousing and distribution costs capitalized into inventory amounted to $298.6 million and $203.2 million at January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, respectively.

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets as follows:

Costs incurred related to software developed for internal use are capitalized and amortized, generally over three years.

We capitalize interest on borrowed funds during the construction of certain property and equipment. We capitalized $3.8 million, $1.1 million and $3.2 million of interest costs in the years ended January 28, 2023, January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively.

We utilize a combination of insurance and self-insurance programs, including a wholly-owned captive insurance entity, to provide for the potential liabilities for certain risks, including workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability. Liabilities associated with the risks that are retained by us are not discounted and are estimated, in part, by considering claims experience, exposure and severity factors and other actuarial assumptions.

Dollar Tree Insurance, Inc., a South Carolina-based wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary of ours, charges the operating subsidiary companies premiums to insure the retained workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability exposures. Pursuant to South Carolina insurance regulations, Dollar Tree Insurance, Inc. maintains certain levels of cash and cash equivalents related to its self-insured exposures.

We also maintain certain cash balances related to our insurance programs which are held in trust and restricted as to withdrawal or use. These amounts are reflected in “Restricted cash” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Our lease portfolio primarily consists of leases for our retail store locations and we also lease vehicles and trailers, as well as distribution center space and equipment. We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception by evaluating whether the arrangement conveys the right to use an identified asset and whether we obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from and have the ability to direct the use of the asset. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. We recognize expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with an initial term in excess of 12 months, operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future lease payments over the committed lease term at the lease commencement date.

As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate in determining the present value of future lease payments. Inputs to the calculation of our incremental borrowing rate include the valuations and yields of our outstanding senior notes and their credit spreads over comparable U.S. Treasury rates, adjusted to a collateralized basis by estimating the credit spread improvement that would result from an upgrade of one ratings classification. Most leases include one or more options to renew and the exercise of renewal options is at our sole discretion. We do not include renewal options in our determination of the lease term unless the renewals are deemed to be reasonably certain. Operating lease expense for lease payments not yet paid is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The operating lease right-of-use asset is reduced by lease incentives, which has the effect of

We have real estate leases that typically include payments related to non-lease components, such as common area maintenance, as well as payments for real estate taxes and insurance which are not considered components of the lease. These payments are generally variable and based on actual costs incurred by the lessor. These costs are expensed as incurred as variable lease costs and excluded for the purpose of calculating the right-of-use asset and lease liability. A smaller number of real estate leases contain fixed payments for common area maintenance, real estate taxes and insurance. These fixed payments are considered part of the lease payment and included in the right-of-use asset and lease liability. In addition, certain of our lease agreements include rental payments based on a percentage of retail sales over contractual levels and others include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation. These payments are expensed as incurred as variable lease costs. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive financial covenants.

Purchased leases with terms which were either favorable or unfavorable as compared to prevailing market rates at the date of acquisition are amortized over the remaining lease terms, including, in some cases, an assumed renewal. Amortization expense, net of $29.9 million, $38.5 million and $48.1 million was recognized in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, related to these lease rights.

When a quantitative impairment test is performed for the Family Dollar trade name, we compare the fair value, based on an income approach using the relief-from-royalty method, to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the asset exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. Our annual impairment evaluation of the Family Dollar trade name did not result in impairment charges during fiscal 2022, 2021 or 2020.

Subsequent to the evaluation of the Family Dollar trade name for impairment, we evaluate goodwill for impairment. When a quantitative test is performed, we estimate the fair value of the reporting unit using a combination of a market multiple method and a discounted cash flow method. We recognize goodwill impairment for the amount by which the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value, not to exceed the total carrying amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.

The annual goodwill impairment evaluations in 2022, 2021 and 2020 did not result in impairment. We have recorded cumulative goodwill impairment charges totaling $3,040.0 million, all of which relate to the Family Dollar reporting unit.

We recognize sales revenue, net of estimated returns and sales tax, at the time the customer tenders payment for and takes control of the merchandise.

We report taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are directly imposed on revenue-producing transactions (i.e., sales tax) on a net (excluded from revenue) basis.

We include the cost of merchandise, warehousing and distribution costs, and certain occupancy costs in cost of sales.

We receive vendor support in the form of cash payments or allowances through a variety of reimbursements such as purchase discounts, cooperative advertising, markdowns, scandowns and volume rebates. We have agreements with vendors setting forth the specific conditions for each allowance or payment. We either recognize the allowance as a reduction of current costs or defer the payment over the period the related merchandise is sold. If the payment is a reimbursement for costs incurred, it is offset against those related costs; otherwise, it is treated as a reduction to the cost of merchandise.

We expense pre-opening costs for new, expanded, relocated and re-bannered stores and for distribution centers, as incurred.

We expense advertising costs as they are incurred and they are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” within the accompanying consolidated income statements. Advertising costs, net of co-op recoveries from vendors, were $99.5 million, $93.9 million and $80.8 million in fiscal 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date of such change.

We recognize a financial statement benefit for a tax position if we determine that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination.

We include interest and penalties in the provision for income tax expense and income taxes payable. We do not provide for any penalties associated with tax contingencies unless they are considered probable of assessment.

We recognize expense for all share-based payments to employees and non-employee directors based on their fair values. Total stock-based compensation expense for 2022, 2021 and 2020 was $110.4 million, $79.9 million and $83.9 million, respectively.

We recognize expense related to the fair value of restricted stock units (RSUs) and stock options over the requisite service period on a straight-line basis or a shorter period based on the retirement eligibility of the grantee. The fair value of RSUs is determined using the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of stock option grants is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. We account for forfeitures when they occur.

Basic net income per share has been computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding. Diluted net income per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur assuming the inclusion of dilutive potential shares and has been computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares and dilutive potential shares outstanding. Dilutive potential shares include all outstanding stock options and unvested RSUs after applying the treasury stock method.

Property, plant and equipment, net, as of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022 consists of the following: 

Other current liabilities as of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022 consist of the following:

The provision for income taxes consists of the following: 

United States income taxes have not been provided on accumulated but undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries as we intend to permanently reinvest earnings. We do not consider the tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign earnings and profits to be material.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes.