Business General The Company began operations in 1926
. In July 1986, Safeway was incorporated in the state of Delaware as SSI Holdings Corporation and, thereafter, its name was changed to Safeway Stores, Incorporated. In February 1990, the Company changed its name to Safeway Inc. On February 19, 2014, Safeway announced it is in discussions concerning a possible transaction involving the sale of the Company. Although the discussions are ongoing, the Company has not reached an agreement on a transaction, and there can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to an agreement or a completed transaction. Separately, the Company has decided to distribute the remaining 37.8 million shares it owns of Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (“Blackhawk”) (approximately 72.2% of the outstanding Blackhawk shares) to Safeway stockholders. Currently, the plan is to make the distribution on a pro rata basis to all Safeway stockholders in a transaction intended to be tax-free to Safeway and its stockholders. However, if the Company consummates a sale transaction, the distribution may be taxable. In addition, Safeway owns 49% of Casa Ley S.A. de C.V. (“Casa Ley”), the fifth largest food and general merchandise retailer in Mexico based on sales. Based on Casa Ley’s improving performance, the Company believes it is an appropriate time to explore alternatives to monetize its investment in Casa Ley. While the Company has discussed its desire to monetize its investment with the majority owners of Casa Ley, there can be no assurance as to whether the Company will be able to sell its interest in Casa Ley at a price and on terms that the Company finds acceptable. On November 3, 2013, Safeway completed the sale of substantially all of the net assets of Canada Safeway Limited (“CSL” and now known as CSL IT Services ULC) to Sobeys Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited. See Note B to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information. During the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company exited the Chicago market, where it operated 72 Dominick’s stores. See Note B to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information. The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest December 31. The last three fiscal years consist of the 52-week period ended December 28, 2013 (“fiscal 2013” or “2013”), the 52-week period ended December 29, 2012 (“fiscal 2012” or “2012”) and the 52-week period ended December 31, 2011 (“fiscal 2011” or “2011”). Safeway Inc. is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with 1,335 stores at year-end 2013. The Company’s U.S. retail operations are located principally in California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, Texas and the Mid-Atlantic region. In support of its U.S. retail operations, the Company has an extensive network of distribution, manufacturing and food-processing facilities. Safeway owns and operates GroceryWorks.com Operating Company, LLC (“GroceryWorks”), an online grocery channel doing business under the names Safeway.com and Vons.com (collectively “Safeway.com”). Blackhawk, a majority-owned subsidiary of Safeway, is a leading prepaid payment network utilizing proprietary technology to offer a broad range of gift cards, other prepaid products and payment services. Blackhawk’s payment network supports its three primary constituents: consumers who purchase the products and services Blackhawk offers, content providers who offer branded products that are redeemable for goods and services, and distribution partners who sell those products. Blackhawk’s product offerings include gift cards, prepaid telecom products and prepaid financial services products, including general purpose
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reloadable (“GPR”) cards and Blackhawk’s reload network. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Blackhawk acquired InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions TM, a leader in the corporate incentives and consumer promotions marketplace, and Retailo AG, a leading third-party gift card distribution network in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. See Note C to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information. Stores Safeway’s average store size is approximately 47,500 square feet. The Company determines the size of a new store based on a number of considerations, including the needs of the community the store serves, the location and site plan and the estimated return on capital invested. Safeway’s “Lifestyle” store showcases the Company’s commitment to quality with an expanded perishables offering. It features an earth-toned décor package that is warm and inviting with special lighting to highlight products and departments, custom flooring and unique display features. The Company believes this warm ambiance significantly enhances the shopping experience. Safeway’s stores provide a full array of grocery items with a portion tailored to local preferences. Most stores offer a wide selection of food and general merchandise and feature a variety of specialty departments such as bakery, delicatessen, floral, seafood and pharmacy. In addition, the majority of stores offer Starbucks coffee shops, and some offer adjacent fuel centers. Safeway continues to operate a number of smaller stores that also offer an extensive selection of food and general merchandise and that generally include one or more specialty departments. These stores remain an important part of the Company’s store network in smaller communities and certain other locations where larger stores may not be feasible because of space limitations and/or community needs or restrictions. The following table summarizes Safeway’s stores by size at year-end 2013:
Square footage Number of stores
Percent of total
Less than 30,000 145 10.9 % 30,000 to 50,000 541 40.5 More than 50,000 649 48.6 Total stores 1,335 100.0 % Store Ownership At year-end 2013, Safeway owned 46% of its stores and leased its remaining stores.
Private Label/Merchandise Safeway’s operating strategy is to provide value to its customers by maintaining high store standards and a wide selection of high-quality products at competitive prices. To provide one-stop shopping for today’s busy shoppers, the Company emphasizes high-quality produce and meat and offers many unique items through its various specialty departments.
Safeway is focused on differentiating its offering with high-quality perishables. The Company believes it has developed a reputation for having the best produce in the market, through high-quality specifications and precise handling procedures, and the most tender and flavorful meat and poultry, through both the Company’s Rancher’s Reserve Tender Beef offering and Open Nature all natural beef, chicken and sausages. Safeway’s deli/food service department has developed a variety of solutions for today’s busy shoppers, including Signature Café sandwiches, soups and salads as well as Primo Taglio deli meats and cheeses. Many Safeway bakeries offer freshly made bread, and the floral department is recognized by its signature gazebo.
Safeway has continued to develop its portfolio of Consumer Brands private label products. The Company has focused its brands into three areas: Health & Wellness, Premium and Core. The prices in each category are generally lower than those of comparable products from national brands.
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The Health & Wellness portfolio includes the O Organics, Eating Right, Open Nature and Bright Green brands. These offerings address consumers’ specific health needs or preferences. O Organics is an exclusively organic brand. Eating Right offers products created for specific eating needs such as high protein, gluten free, low calorie and general health maintenance. Open Nature is a line of products that are 100% natural. Bright Green is an environmentally friendly household product line.
The Premium portfolio includes the Safeway SELECT, Signature Café, Rancher’s Reserve, Primo Taglio, waterfront BISTRO and Debi Lilly offerings. Safeway SELECT is a line of quality products that the Company believes are unique to the category. Waterfront BISTRO is a seafood brand designed to make preparing a restaurant-quality meal at home easy. Debi Lilly is a line of unique bouquets, candles, vases and gifts.
In the fourth quarter of 2013, Safeway announced a partnership with celebrity chef Marcella Valladolid, creating a proprietary brand for Safeway bearing her name. Initially launched with marinated meats, authentic tortillas and snacks, this line will continue to expand as Safeway looks to offer more products that appeal to Hispanics and all Hispanic food lovers.
In the Core portfolio are the Safeway brands Lucerne, Refreshe, the Snack Artist and Pantry Essentials. The Safeway brand is a family of four brands: Safeway Farms, Safeway Kitchens, Safeway Home and Safeway Care. The Lucerne brand has been producing quality dairy products for over 100 years. The Snack Artist offers high-quality and great value snacks in a variety of categories such as chips, snacking nuts and frozen categories in whimsical, resealable packaging, a unique feature in the category. Pantry Essentials was launched in 2011 as a value line, offering basic items across several categories, including dairy, meat, canned vegetables and paper goods.
During 2012, Safeway completed the roll out of the just for U™ personalized pricing and digital marketing program in U.S. markets. This program allows a customer to download personalized pricing and digital coupons to the Safeway Club Card.
Manufacturing and Wholesale The principal function of manufacturing operations is to manufacture and process private-label merchandise sold in stores operated by Safeway. As measured by sales dollars, 13% of Safeway’s private-label merchandise is manufactured in Company-owned plants, and the remainder is purchased from third parties. Safeway operated the following manufacturing and processing facilities in the United States at year-end 2013: Milk plants 6 Bakery plants 6 Ice cream plants 2 Soft drink bottling plants 4 Fruit and vegetable processing plants 1 Cake commissary 1 Total 20 In addition, the Company operates laboratory facilities for quality assurance and research and development in certain plants and at its corporate offices. Distribution Safeway has 13 distribution/warehousing centers in the United States, which collectively provide the majority of all products to Safeway’s retail operating areas. The distribution center in Maryland is operated by a third party.
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Capital Expenditure Program A key component of the Company’s long-term growth strategy is its capital expenditure program. The Company’s capital expenditure program funds, among other things, new stores, remodels, retail shopping center development, manufacturing plants, distribution facilities and information technology. Safeway’s management has maintained a rigorous program to select and approve new capital investments. As previously reported, Safeway completed the sale of the net assets of CSL to Sobeys Inc. on November 3, 2013. Additionally, in the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company exited the Chicago market where it operated 72 Dominick’s stores. CSL and Dominick’s are reported as discontinued operations. All information in the table below excludes discontinued operations. It details changes in the Company’s store base and presents the Company’s cash capital expenditures over the last five years (dollars in millions):
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Total stores at beginning of year 1,346 1,377 1,392 1,422 1,436 Stores opened: New 3 3 4 3 2 Replacement 4 5 18 9 4
7 8 22 12 6 Stores closed or sold 18 39 37 42 20 Total stores at year end 1,335 1,346 1,377 1,392 1,422 Number of fuel stations at year end 349 340 334 326 322 Total retail square footage at year end (in millions) 63.4 63.8 65.1 65.1 66.0 Cash paid for property additions 767.4 821.2 992.4 689.6 721.7 Cash paid for property additions as a percentage of sales and other revenue
2.1 % 2.3 % 2.8 % 2.1 % 2.2 %
In 2014, the Company expects to spend approximately $800 million to $900 million for capital expenditures. The decline in the store count over the last five years is due to a focus on completing Lifestyle remodels rather than opening new stores while, at the same time, selling or closing underperforming stores. In 2012, the Company disposed of 25 of its Genuardi’s stores. See Note B to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Financial Information about Segments, Geographic Areas and Sales Revenue by Type of Similar Product Note Q to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report provides financial information about the Company’s segments, geographic areas and sales revenue by type of similar product. Trade Names and Trademarks Safeway has invested significantly in the development and protection of “Safeway” both as a trade name and a trademark and considers it to be an important business asset. Safeway also owns more than 300 other trademarks registered and/or pending in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and other jurisdictions, including trademarks for its product and services such as Safeway, Safeway SELECT, Rancher’s Reserve, O Organics, Lucerne, Primo Taglio, Eating Right, mom to mom, waterfront BISTRO, Bright Green, Pantry Essentials, Open Nature, Refreshe, Snack Artist, Signature Café, Priority, just for U™, My Simple Nutrition, Ingredients for Life, and other trademarks such as Pak’N Save Foods, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, and Carrs Quality Centers. Each trademark registration is for an initial period of 10 or 20 years, depending on the registration date, and may be renewed so long as it is in continued use in commerce.
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Safeway considers its trademarks to be of material importance to its business and actively defends and enforces its rights. Working Capital At year-end 2013, working capital consisted of $8.5 billion in current assets and $5.9 billion in current liabilities. Normal operating fluctuations in these substantial balances can result in changes to cash flow from operations presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows that are not necessarily indicative of long-term operating trends. There are no unusual industry practices or requirements relating to working capital items. Seasonality Blackhawk receives a significant portion of the cash inflow from the sale of third-party prepaid cards late in the fourth quarter of the year and generally remits the cash, less commissions, to the card partners early in the first quarter of the following year. Safeway’s first three fiscal quarters contain 12 weeks. The fourth quarters of 2013, 2012 and 2011 contain 16 weeks. See Note V to the consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this report. Competition Food retailing is very competitive. The principal competitive factors that affect the Company’s business are location, quality, price, service, selection and condition of assets. We face intense competition from traditional grocery retailers, non-traditional competitors such as supercenters and club stores, as well as from specialty and niche supermarkets, drug stores, dollar stores, convenience stores and restaurants. Safeway and its competitors engage in price competition which, from time to time, has adversely affected operating margins in the Company’s markets. Raw Materials Various agricultural commodities constitute the principal raw materials used by the Company in the manufacture of its food products. Management believes that raw materials for its products are not in short supply, and all are readily available from a wide variety of independent suppliers. Compliance with Environmental Laws The Company’s compliance with federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations that have been enacted or adopted regulating the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise related to the protection of the environment has not had and is not expected to have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s financial position or results of operations. Employees At year-end 2013, Safeway had more than 138,000 full- and part-time employees. Just over 75% of Safeway’s employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements negotiated with union locals affiliated with one of seven different international unions. There are almost 400 such agreements, typically having three- to five-year terms. Accordingly, Safeway renegotiates a significant number of these agreements every year.
During 2013, contracts covering approximately 28,000 employees were ratified, excluding Canadian operations and Dominick’s. In particular, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (“UFCW”) collective bargaining agreements which covered approximately 25,000 employees, primarily in stores in the Company’s Northwest and Eastern divisions, were ratified. Available Information Safeway’s investor Web site is located at www.safeway.com/investor_relations. You may access our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings free of charge at our corporate Web site promptly after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. We also maintain certain corporate governance documents on our Web site, including the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Director Independence Standards, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for the Company’s corporate directors, officers and employees, and the charters for our Audit, Nominating and Corporate Governance, and Executive Compensation committees. We will provide a copy of any such documents to any stockholder who requests it. We do not intend for information found on the Company’s Web site to be part of this document.
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