ROST 10-K diff: FY 2024-02-03 → FY 2025-02-01

Paragraph-level diff of Risk Factors (Item 1A) and Management's Discussion & Analysis (Item 7).

Item 1A · Risk Factors

+32 paragraphs −40 paragraphs ~32 changed

FY 2024-02-03 (earlier)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORSOur fiscal 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K and information we provide in our Annual Report to Stockholders, press releases, and other investor communications, including those on our corporate website, may contain forward-looking statements with respect to anticipated future events, our projected future financial performance, operations, competitive position, and our planned growth, that are all subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements and from our prior expectations and projections. Refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis for a more complete identification and discussion of “Forward-Looking Statements.”Our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the performance of our common stock may be adversely affected by a number of risk factors. Risks and uncertainties that apply to both Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS include, without limitation, the following: MACROECONOMIC AND RETAIL INDUSTRY BUSINESS RISKSWe are subject to impacts from the macroeconomic environment, financial and credit markets, and geopolitical conditions that affect consumer confidence and consumer disposable income, and also increase our costs. Inflation, supply chain disruptions, and other accompanying economic impacts from geopolitical conflicts, public health crises (such as pandemics), or other external events may continue to have significant negative effects on our costs and on consumer confidence, shopping behavior, and spending, which may adversely affect our sales and profitability. Consumer spending levels and shopping behaviors for the merchandise we sell are affected by many external macroeconomic factors. Currently, elevated inflation is affecting consumer demand for our products and increasing our costs. Factors such as higher fuel and energy costs, rising food prices, high interest rates, increases in housing costs, the size and timing of government stimulus programs, wage rates, unemployment levels, income tax rates and the timing of tax refunds, availability of consumer credit, consumer debt levels, and the resulting effects on consumers’ disposable income and consumer confidence in future economic conditions all have an impact on consumer spending habits for our merchandise. Ongoing geopolitical conflicts may continue to cause various adverse macroeconomic effects, including supply chain disruptions, market volatility and uncertainty, inflation, increases in fuel and energy costs, rising food prices, and depressed financial markets. Our business and operations were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, and could be affected by another public health event in the future. The extent and duration of impacts from future public health crisis on our business and our financial results will depend largely on future developments, including the severity, location, and duration of the issue, efforts to mitigate the resulting economic disruptions, and the related impact on consumer confidence, shopping behavior, and spending, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Such impacts have in the past, and may in the future, adversely affect our profitability, cash flows, financial results, and our capital resources. Elevated inflation, geopolitical conflicts, bank failures, pandemics, and other potential, adverse developments, could reduce demand for our merchandise, increase our cost of goods, freight, and payroll, decrease our inventory turnover, cause greater markdowns, and negatively affect our sales and margins. All of our stores are located in the United States and its territories, so we are especially susceptible to changes in the U.S. economy.10 Competitive pressures in the apparel and home-related merchandise retailing industry are high.The retail industry is highly competitive and the marketplace is highly fragmented, as many different retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of store and online formats and merchandising strategies. We expect competition to increase in the future. There are limited economic barriers for others to enter the off-price retail sector. We compete for customers, associates, store locations, and merchandise with many other local, regional, and national retailers, traditional department stores, upscale mass merchandisers, other off-price retailers, specialty stores, internet and catalog businesses, and other forms of retail commerce. Our retail competitors constantly adjust their pricing, business strategies, and promotional activity (particularly during holiday periods) in response to changing market conditions or their own financial condition. The substantial sales growth in e-commerce has also encouraged the entry of many new competitors, new business models, and an increase in competition from established companies looking for ways to create successful online shopping alternatives. Intense pressures from our competitors, our inability to adapt effectively and quickly to a changing competitive landscape, or a failure to effectively execute our off-price model, could reduce demand for our merchandise, decrease our inventory turnover, cause us to take greater markdowns, and negatively affect our sales and margins.Unexpected changes in the level of consumer spending on or preferences for apparel and home-related merchandise could adversely affect us.Our success depends on our ability to effectively buy and sell merchandise that meets customer demand. We work on an ongoing basis to identify customer trends and preferences, and to obtain merchandise inventory to meet anticipated customer needs. It is very challenging to successfully do this well and consistently across our diverse merchandise categories and in the multiple markets in which we operate throughout the United States and its territories. Although our off-price business model provides us certain advantages and may allow us greater flexibility than traditional retailers have in adjusting our merchandise mix to ever-changing consumer tastes, our merchandising decisions may still fail to correctly anticipate and match consumer trends and preferences, particularly in our newer geographic markets. Failure to correctly anticipate and match the trends, preferences, and demands of our customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. Adverse and/or unseasonable weather may affect shopping patterns and consumer demand for seasonal apparel and other merchandise, and may result in temporary store closures and disruptions in deliveries of merchandise to our stores.Unseasonable weather and prolonged, extreme temperatures, as well as events such as storms, affect consumers’ buying patterns and willingness to shop, and may adversely affect the demand for merchandise in our stores, particularly in apparel and seasonal merchandise. Among other things, weather conditions may also affect our ability to deliver our products to our stores or require us to close certain stores temporarily, thereby reducing store traffic. Even if stores are not closed, many customers may be unable to go, or may decide to avoid going to stores in bad weather. As a result, adverse or unseasonable weather in any of our markets could lead to lower-than-expected sales and cause us to increase our markdowns, which may negatively affect our sales and margins. We may experience volatility in sales and earnings.Our business has slower and busier periods based on holiday and back-to-school seasons, weather, and other factors. Although our off-price business is historically subject to less seasonality than traditional retailers, we may still experience unexpected decreases in sales from time to time, which could result in increased markdowns and reduced margins. Significant operating expenses, such as rent expense and associate wages, do not adjust proportionately with our sales. If sales in a certain period are lower than our plans, we may not be able to adjust these operating expenses concurrently, which could adversely affect our operating results. STRATEGIC RISKS We depend on the market availability, quantity, and quality of attractive brand name merchandise at desirable discounts, and on the ability of our buyers to purchase merchandise to enable us to offer customers a wide assortment of merchandise at competitive prices. Opportunistic buying, lean inventory levels, and frequent inventory turns are critical elements of our off-price business strategy. Maintaining an overall pricing differential to department and specialty stores is also key to our ability to attract customers and sustain our sales and gross margins. Our opportunistic buying places considerable discretion with our merchants, who are in the marketplace continually and who are generally purchasing merchandise for the current or upcoming season. Our ability to meet or exceed our operating performance targets depends upon the continuous, sufficient availability of high quality merchandise that we can acquire at prices sufficiently below those paid by conventional retailers and that represent a value to our customers. To the extent that certain of our vendors are better able to manage their inventory levels and reduce the amount of their excess11inventory, the amount of high quality merchandise available to us could be materially reduced. To the extent that certain of our vendors decide not to sell to us or go out of business, the amount of high quality merchandise available to us could also be materially reduced. Because a significant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell is originally manufactured in other countries, constraints on the availability of shipping capacity, changes in transportation costs or in U.S. tariffs, trade relationships or tax policies, geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters, or public health issues such as pandemics, that reduce the supply or increase the relative cost of imported goods, could also result in disruptions to our existing supply relationships. Shortages, delays, or disruptions in the availability to us of high quality, value-priced merchandise would likely have a material adverse effect on our sales and margins. Our inability to continually attract, train, and retain associates with the retail talent necessary to execute our off-price retail strategies along with labor shortages, increased turnover, or increased labor costs could adversely affect our operating results.Like other retailers, we face challenges in recruiting and retaining sufficient talent in our buying organization, management, stores, distribution centers, and other key areas. Many of our retail store associates are in entry level or part-time positions with elevated rates of turnover. Our ability to control labor costs is subject to numerous external factors, including prevailing wage rates and health and other insurance costs, potential labor organizing activities, as well as the impact of legislation or regulations governing minimum wage or healthcare benefits. Any increase in labor costs may adversely impact our profitability or, if we fail to pay competitive wages, may result in increased turnover. Excessive turnover may result in higher costs associated with finding, hiring, and training new associates. If we cannot hire enough qualified associates, or if there is a disruption in the supply of personnel we hire from third-party providers, especially during our peak seasons, our operations could be negatively impacted.Because of the distinctive nature of our off-price model, we must also attract, train, and retain our key associates across the Company, especially within our buying organization. The loss of one or more of our key personnel or the inability to effectively identify a suitable successor for a key role could have a material adverse effect on our business. There is no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified associates in the future and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our growth, operations, or financial position.We need to obtain acceptable new store sites with favorable consumer demographics to achieve our planned growth. Successful growth requires us to find appropriate real estate sites in our targeted market areas. We compete with other retailers and businesses for acceptable store locations. For the purpose of identifying locations, we rely on consumer demographics. While we believe consumer demographics are helpful indicators of acceptable store locations, we recognize that this information cannot predict future consumer preferences and buying trends with complete accuracy. Time frames for negotiations and store development vary from location to location and can be subject to unforeseen delays or unexpected cancellations. We may not be able to open new stores or, if opened, operate those new stores profitably. Construction and other delays in store openings could have a negative impact on our business and operating results. Additionally, we may not be able to renegotiate our current lease terms which could negatively impact our operating results. New stores may not achieve the same sales or profit levels as our existing stores and adding stores to existing markets may adversely affect the sales and profitability of other existing stores. If we cannot acquire sites on attractive terms, it could limit our ability to grow or adversely affect the economics of our new stores in various markets.To achieve growth, we need to expand in existing markets and enter new geographic markets. Our growth strategy is based on successfully expanding our off-price model in current markets and in new geographic regions. There are significant risks associated with our ability to continue to expand our current business and to enter new markets. Stores we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis and may have higher construction, occupancy, advertising, or operating costs than stores we open in existing markets, thereby affecting our overall profitability. New markets may have competitive conditions, consumer tastes, and discretionary spending patterns that are more difficult to predict or satisfy than our existing markets. Our limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new markets may require us to build brand awareness in that market through greater investments in marketing, advertising, and promotional activity than we originally planned. We may find it more difficult in new markets to hire, motivate, and retain qualified associates. We are subject to risks associated with selling and importing merchandise produced in other countries. Risks in importing and selling such merchandise include import duties and quotas, economic and supply chain uncertainties and adverse economic conditions (including shipping capacity limitations, cost increases, inflation,12recession, and exchange rate fluctuations), foreign government regulations, employment and labor matters, concerns relating to human rights, working conditions, and other issues in factories or countries where merchandise is produced, transparency of sourcing and supply chains, exposure on product warranty and intellectual property issues, consumer perceptions of the safety of imported merchandise, geopolitical conflict (including wars and fears of war), political unrest, natural disasters, regulations to address climate change, and trade restrictions. A predominant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell (even when we purchase it domestically, often as excess inventory sold to us by a domestic vendor) is originally manufactured in other countries. In addition, we directly source a portion of the products sold in our stores from foreign vendors predominantly in Asia (including China). We also buy products that originate from foreign sources indirectly through domestic vendors and manufacturers’ representatives. Although our foreign purchases of merchandise are negotiated and paid for in U.S. dollars, decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could increase the cost of products we purchase from overseas vendors. When we are the importer of record, we may be subject to regulatory or other requirements similar to those applicable to a manufacturer. To the extent that our vendors are located overseas or rely on overseas sources for a large portion of their products, any event causing a disruption, delay, or increase in the cost of imports, including the imposition of import or other restrictions such as product detention, war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or public health issues such as pandemics could adversely affect our business. The flow of merchandise from our vendors could also be adversely affected by global shipping capacity limitations, labor stoppages, or by financial or political instability in any of the countries in which the goods we purchase are manufactured. Trade restrictions in the form of tariffs or quotas, or both, applicable to the products we sell could also affect the importation of those products and could increase the cost and reduce the supply of products available to us. We cannot predict whether any of the countries from which our products are sourced, or in which our products are currently manufactured or may be manufactured in the future, will be subject to trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments or the likelihood, type, or effect of any such restrictions.Our ability to effectively advertise and market our business could impact customer traffic and demand for our merchandise.Customer traffic and demand for our merchandise is influenced by our advertising and marketing activities, the name recognition and reputation of our brands, and the location of our stores. Although we use marketing and advertising mediums to attract customers to our stores, particularly through traditional and streaming television, digital channels, and new store grand openings, our competitors may spend more or use different approaches, which could provide them with a competitive advantage. Our advertising and other promotional programs may not be effective or may be perceived negatively, or could require increased expenditures, any of which could adversely affect sales or increase costs. OPERATIONAL RISKS In order to achieve our planned gross margins, we must effectively manage our inventories, markdowns, and inventory shortage. As a result of changes in shopping behaviors due to factors such as inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of future pandemics, and disruptions to supply chains and store operations, we are at risk for inventory imbalances and the potential for higher than normal levels of markdowns to sell through our inventory, increased cost of goods, and for lost sales due to insufficient inventory to meet customer demand, any of which would negatively affect our sales, gross margin, and operating results. We purchase the majority of our inventory based on our sales plans. If our actual demand is lower than our sales plans, we may experience excess inventory levels and need to take markdowns on excess or slow-moving inventory, resulting in decreased profit margins. Inflation may continue to cause our costs to purchase inventory to be higher than we planned, and we may not be able to sell the inventory to our customers at correspondingly increased prices, resulting in decreased profit margins. We also may have insufficient inventory to meet customer demand, leading to lost sales opportunities. As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, future pandemics and accompanying economic impacts may change shopping behavior so that our predictions and sales plans become less accurate, and that may lead us to have higher than usual levels of slow-moving or non-salable inventory at our prior planned price levels. We would then need to reduce our selling prices aggressively and progressively in order to clear out that inventory, which would result in decreased profit margins or losses on sales of that inventory, and adversely affect our results of operations in future periods.13As a regular part of our business, we purchase “packaway” inventory with the intent that it will be stored in our warehouses until a later date. The timing of the release of packaway inventory to our stores is principally driven by the product mix and seasonality of the merchandise, and its relation to our store merchandise assortment plans, but it typically remains in storage less than six months. Packaway inventory is frequently a significant portion of our overall inventory. If we make packaway purchases that do not align with consumer preferences at the later time of release to our stores, we could have significant inventory markdowns. Changes in packaway inventory levels could impact our operating cash flow. Although we have various systems to help protect against loss or theft of our inventory, both when in storage and once distributed to our stores, we may have damaged, lost, or stolen inventory (called “shortage”) in higher amounts than we forecast, which would result in write-offs, lost sales, and reduced margins. Information or data security breaches, including cyberattacks on our transaction processing and computer information systems (including malware intrusion, data exfiltration, identity theft, and other types of cybersecurity threats), could disrupt our operations, result in theft or unauthorized disclosure of our confidential and valuable business information or credit card and other customer information, and could adversely affect our business, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, increase our costs, and create significant legal exposure. Like other large retailers, we rely on commercially available computer and telecommunications systems to process, transmit, and store payment card and other personal and confidential information, and to provide information or data security for those transactions. Many of the key information systems and processes we use to handle payment card transactions and check approvals, and the levels of security technology utilized in payment cards, are controlled by the banking and payment card industry, not by us. Cybercriminals may attempt to penetrate our point of sale and other transaction processing information systems to misappropriate customer or business information, including but not limited to credit/debit card, personnel, or trade information. Cybercriminals (including state-sponsored actors) may attempt to penetrate our information systems, including supply chain and logistics systems, to deprive us from access to necessary business information and to disrupt our operations, as part of so-called “ransomware” extortion activity or otherwise. A disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to timely and efficiently transport merchandise to our stores or our distribution centers, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales or increased supply chain costs.Despite security measures we have in place, and our efforts to prevent, monitor, and mitigate attacks and errors, our facilities and systems (or those of third-party service providers we utilize or connect to) may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, phishing, ransomware attacks, and similar fraudulent attacks, or other similar events. It is also possible that an associate within our Company, or at a third party we do business with, may purposefully or inadvertently cause a security breach involving such information. The increasing sophistication of cybercriminals, the increased potential for cyberattacks, the advances in computer capabilities and artificial intelligence, and remote access increases these risks. A breach of our information or data security, a system shut down or other response we may take, or our failure or delay in detecting and mitigating a system breach and a loss of personal or business information, could result in damage to our reputation, loss of customer confidence, violation (or alleged violation) of applicable laws (including laws relating to consumer data protection and privacy, and required notifications of data security breaches), and expose us to civil claims, litigation, and regulatory action, and to unanticipated costs and disruption of our operations.Disruptions in our supply chain or in our information systems could impact our ability to process sales and to deliver product to our stores in a timely and cost-effective manner. Various information systems are critical to our ability to operate and to manage key aspects of our business. We depend on the integrity, continuous availability, and consistent operations of these systems to process transactions in our stores, track inventory flow, manage merchandise allocation and distribution logistics, generate performance and financial reports, and support merchandising decisions.We are currently making, and will continue to make, technology investments to improve or replace information processes and systems that are key to managing our business. We must monitor and choose sound investments and implement them at the right pace. The risk of system disruption is increased whenever significant system changes are undertaken. An excessive rate of technological change could detract from the effectiveness of adoption and could make it more difficult for us to realize benefits from new technology. Poorly targeting opportunities, failing to make good investments, or making an investment commitment significantly above or below our needs could 14 damage our competitive position and adversely impact our business and results of operations. Additionally, the potential problems and interruptions associated with implementing technology system changes could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations in the short term. These initiatives might not provide us with the anticipated benefits, or may provide them on a delayed schedule or at a higher cost.Our information systems, including our back-up systems, are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, cyberattacks, computer viruses, internal or external security breaches, catastrophic events such as severe storms, fires, earthquakes, floods, acts of terrorism, and design or usage errors by our associates or by third parties. If our information systems or our back-up systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make significant investments to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim. Any material interruption in our computer systems could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. A disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to timely and efficiently transport merchandise to our stores or our distribution centers, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales or increased supply chain costs. Such disruptions may result from public health issues such as pandemics, cyberattacks, damage or destruction to our distribution centers, weather-related events, natural disasters, trade restrictions, tariffs, third-party strikes or ineffective cross-dock operations, work stoppages or slowdowns, shipping capacity constraints, supply or shipping interruptions, or other factors beyond our control. Any such disruptions could negatively impact our financial performance or financial condition. Damage to our corporate reputation or brands could adversely affect our sales and operating results.Our reputation is partially based on perceptions of various subjective qualities and overall integrity. Any incident that erodes the trust or confidence of our customers or the general public could adversely affect our reputation and business, particularly if the incident results in significant adverse publicity or governmental inquiry. Such an incident could also include alleged acts or omissions by, or situations involving, our vendors (or their contractors or subcontractors), the landlords for our stores, or our associates outside of work, and may pertain to social or political issues or protests largely unrelated to our business. Similarly, our responses to events or crises and our position (or perceived lack of position) on environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) matters, such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equality, and inclusion (“DE&I”), responsible sourcing, and any perceived lack of transparency about those matters could harm our reputation.The use of social media and other online platforms, including blogs, applications, websites, and other forms of internet-based communications, which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons, continues to increase. The availability of information (whether correct or erroneous) on social media and other online platforms is virtually immediate, as is its impact. Many social media and other online platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information concerning our Company may be posted on such platforms at any time. Information posted may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, which could negatively affect our sales, diminish customer trust, reduce employee morale and productivity, and lead to difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified associates. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.To support our continuing operations, our new store and distribution center growth plans and other capital investment plans, our quarterly dividends, our debt repayments, and our stock repurchase program, we must maintain sufficient liquidity. We depend upon our operations to generate strong cash flows to support our general operating activities, and to finance our operations, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, manage our debt levels, and return value to our stockholders through dividends and stock repurchases. Disruptions to our operations may occur, nationally, regionally, or in specific locations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from operations to support our activities, our growth plans and our financial performance would be adversely affected. If our access to capital is restricted or our borrowing costs increase, our operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted. In addition, if we do not properly allocate our capital resources to maximize returns, our operations, cash flows, and returns to stockholders could be adversely affected.15A pandemic, or natural or man-made disaster in a region where we have a concentration of stores, offices, or a distribution center could harm our business. We have a concentration of store locations in the states of California, Texas, and Florida; together those states include almost 50% of our stores. More than half of our distribution center and warehouse capacity, approximately 22% of our stores, and our corporate headquarters, are located in California. Natural or other disasters, such as wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or other extreme weather and climate conditions, or fires, explosions, and acts of war or terrorism, or public health issues (such as pandemics), in any of our markets could disrupt our operations or our supply chain, or could shut down, damage, or destroy our stores or distribution facilities. We are subject to impacts from instances of damage to our stores and losses of merchandise accompanying protests or demonstrations, which may result in temporary store closures. In recent years, there have been demonstrations and protests in cities throughout the United States. While they have generally been peaceful, in some locations they have been accompanied by violence, damage to retail stores, and the loss of merchandise. While generally subject to coverage by insurance, the repairs of damage to our stores and replacement of lost merchandise may increase our costs and temporarily disrupt store operations, and we may incur increased operating costs for additional security. Governmental authorities in affected cities and regions may take action in an effort to protect people and property while permitting lawful and non-violent protests, including curfews and restrictions on business operations, which may be disruptive to our operations. These activities, governmental responses, and resulting media coverage may also harm consumer confidence and perceptions of personal well-being and security, which may negatively affect shopping behavior and our sales.COMPLIANCE, REGULATORY, AND LEGAL RISKS Consumer problems or legal issues involving the quality, safety, or authenticity of products we sell could harm our reputation, result in lost sales, and/or increase our costs. Various governmental authorities regulate the quality and safety of merchandise we sell. These regulations and related laws frequently change, and the ultimate cost of compliance cannot be precisely estimated. Because of our opportunistic buying strategies, we sometimes obtain merchandise in new categories or from new vendors we have not previously dealt with. Although our vendor arrangements typically place contractual responsibility on the vendor for resulting liability and we generally rely on our vendors to provide authentic merchandise that matches the stated quality attributes and complies with applicable product safety and other laws, any non-compliance with consumer product safety laws may subject us to product recalls, make certain products unsalable, or require us to incur significant compliance costs. We require our vendors (for both import and domestic purchasing) to contractually confirm that they adhere to various conduct, compliance, and other requirements, including those relating to environmental, employment and labor (including wages and working conditions), health, safety, and anti-bribery standards. From time to time, our vendors, their contractors, or their subcontractors may be alleged to not be in compliance with these standards or with applicable local laws. Although we have implemented policies and procedures to promote compliance with laws and regulations relating to doing business in foreign markets and importing merchandise, and to monitor the compliance of our suppliers, this does not guarantee that suppliers and other third parties with whom we do business will not violate (or not allegedly violate) such laws and regulations or our policies. Significant or continuing non-compliance (or alleged non-compliance) with such standards and laws by one or more vendors could have a negative impact on our reputation, could subject us to claims and liability, and could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Regardless of fault, any real or perceived issues with the quality and safety of merchandise we offer (particularly products such as food and children’s items), issues with the authenticity of merchandise, or our inability or that of our vendors, to comply on a timely basis with laws and regulatory requirements, could adversely affect our reputation, result in lost sales, inventory write-offs, uninsured product liability or other legal claims, penalties or losses, merchandise recalls, and increased costs. An adverse outcome in various legal, regulatory, or tax matters could damage our reputation or brand and increase our costs.As an ordinary part of our business, we are involved in various legal proceedings, regulatory reviews, tax audits, and/or other legal matters. These may include lawsuits, inquiries, demands, or other claims or proceedings by governmental entities and private plaintiffs, including those relating to employment and employee benefits (including classification, employment rights, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, and retaliation), workplace safety,16securities, real estate, tort, commercial, consumer protection, privacy, product compliance and safety, advertising, environmental, comparative pricing, product labeling, intellectual property, tax, escheat, and whistle-blower claims. We continue to be involved in a number of employment-related lawsuits, including class/representative actions which are primarily in California.We are subject to federal, state, and local rules and regulations in the United States, and to various international laws, which change from time to time. These legal requirements collectively affect multiple aspects of our business, including the cost of health care, workforce management and employee benefits, minimum wages, advertising, comparative pricing, import/export, sourcing and manufacturing, data protection (including customer and associate data privacy, choice, and notification rights), intellectual property, and others. If we fail to comply (or are alleged not to comply) with any of these requirements, we may be subject to fines, settlements, penalties, or other costs. In addition, an adverse outcome (or the adverse publicity from the claims) in any of these matters may damage our reputation or brand. We are also subject to the continuous examination of our tax returns and reports by federal, state, and local tax authorities and these examining authorities may challenge positions we take.Significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our tax provisions and reserves for legal claims. Actual results may differ and our costs may exceed the reserves we establish in estimating the probable outcomes. In addition, applicable accounting principles and interpretations may change from time to time, and those changes could have material effects on our reported operating results and financial condition. Changes in U.S. tax or trade policy regarding apparel and home-related merchandise produced in other countries could adversely affect our business. A predominant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell is originally manufactured in other countries. The U.S. government has at times indicated a willingness to significantly change existing trade policies, including those with China. This exposes us to risks of disruption and cost increases in our established patterns for sourcing our merchandise and creates increased uncertainties in planning our sourcing strategies and forecasting our margins. Changes in U.S. tariffs, quotas, trade relationships, or tax provisions that reduce the supply or increase the relative cost of goods produced in other countries could increase our cost of goods and/or increase our effective tax rate. Although such changes would have implications across the entire industry, we may fail to effectively adapt and to manage the adjustments in strategy that would be necessary in response to those changes. In addition to the general uncertainty and overall risk from potential changes in U.S. laws and policies, as we make business decisions in the face of uncertainty as to potential changes, we may incorrectly anticipate the outcomes, miss out on business opportunities, or fail to effectively adapt our business strategies and manage the adjustments that are necessary in response to those changes. These risks could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, increase our effective tax rates, and reduce our profitability. 17

FY 2025-02-01 (later)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORSOur fiscal 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and information we provide in our Annual Report to Stockholders, press releases, and other investor communications, including those on our corporate website, may contain forward-looking statements with respect to anticipated future events, our projected future financial performance, operations, competitive position, and our planned growth, that are all subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements and from our prior expectations and projections. Refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis for a more complete identification and discussion of “Forward-Looking Statements.”Our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the performance of our common stock may be adversely affected by a number of risk factors. Risks and uncertainties that apply to both Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS include, without limitation, the following: MACROECONOMIC AND RETAIL INDUSTRY BUSINESS RISKSWe are subject to impacts from changes in the macroeconomic environment, financial and credit markets, geopolitical conditions, and government regulation or policy. Continuing inflation, tariff increases (or threats of increases), potential supply chain disruptions, and other external events may have significant negative effects on our costs, and also on consumer confidence, shopping behavior, and spending, which may adversely affect our sales and profitability. Elevated inflation, government policy and regulatory changes (including trade and tariff changes and threats of changes), geopolitical conflicts, bank failures, public health crises, and other potential, adverse developments and related uncertainties, could reduce demand for our merchandise, disrupt our buying patterns, increase our cost of goods, freight, and payroll, decrease our inventory turnover, cause greater markdowns, and negatively affect our sales and margins. All of our stores are located in the United States and its territories, so we are especially susceptible to changes in the U.S. economy and trade policy. Consumer spending levels and shopping behaviors for the merchandise we sell are affected by many external macroeconomic factors. Elevated inflation, including increased fuel and energy costs, food prices, interest rates, and housing costs, wage rates, unemployment levels, availability of consumer credit, consumer debt levels, income tax rates and the timing of tax refunds, and various government policies and practices (including immigration), and the resulting effects on consumers’ disposable income and consumer confidence in future economic conditions all have an impact on consumer spending habits for our merchandise. Changes and uncertainty in U.S. trade or tax policy regarding apparel and home-related merchandise produced in other countries could adversely affect our business. A predominant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell is originally manufactured in other countries. The U.S. government has indicated a willingness to significantly change existing trade policies. This exposes us to risks of disruption and cost increases in our established patterns for sourcing our merchandise and creates increased uncertainties in planning our sourcing strategies and forecasting our margins. Changes in tariffs, quotas, trade relationships, or tax provisions that reduce the supply or increase the relative cost of goods produced in other countries could increase our cost of goods and/or increase our effective tax rate. Although such changes would have implications across the entire industry, we may fail to effectively adapt and manage the adjustments in strategy that would be necessary in response to those changes. In addition to the general uncertainty and overall risk from potential changes in laws and policies, as we make business decisions in the face of uncertainty as to potential changes, we may incorrectly anticipate the outcomes, miss out on business opportunities, or fail to effectively adapt our business strategies and manage the adjustments that are necessary in response to those changes. These risks could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, increase our effective tax rates, and reduce our profitability and market share.10 Competitive pressures in the apparel and home-related merchandise retailing industry are high.The retail industry is highly competitive and the marketplace is fragmented, as many different retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of store and online formats and merchandising strategies. We expect competition to increase in the future. There are limited economic barriers for others to enter the off-price retail sector. We compete for customers, associates, store locations, and merchandise with other off-price retailers, traditional department stores, mass merchandisers, specialty stores, online and catalog businesses, and other local, regional, and national retailers. Our retail competitors constantly adjust their pricing, business strategies, and promotional activity (particularly during holiday periods) in response to changing market conditions or their own financial condition. The substantial sales growth in e-commerce has also encouraged the entry of many new competitors, new business models, and an increase in competition from established companies looking for ways to create successful online shopping alternatives. Intense pressures from our competitors, our inability to adapt effectively and quickly to a changing competitive landscape, or a failure to effectively execute our off-price model, could reduce demand for our merchandise, decrease our inventory turnover, cause us to take greater markdowns, and negatively affect our sales and margins.Unexpected changes in the level of consumer spending on or preferences for apparel and home-related merchandise could adversely affect us.Our success depends on our ability to effectively buy and sell merchandise that meets customer demand. We continually work to identify customer trends and preferences, and to obtain merchandise inventory to meet anticipated customer needs. It is very challenging to successfully do this well and consistently across our diverse merchandise categories and in the multiple markets in which we operate throughout the United States and its territories. Although our off-price business model provides us certain advantages and may allow us greater flexibility than traditional retailers have in adjusting our merchandise mix to ever-changing consumer tastes, our merchandising decisions may still fail to correctly anticipate and match consumer trends and preferences, particularly in our newer geographic markets. Failure to correctly anticipate and match the trends, preferences, and demands of our customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. Adverse or unseasonable weather may affect shopping patterns and consumer demand for seasonal apparel and other merchandise, and may result in temporary store closures and disruptions in deliveries of merchandise to our stores.Unseasonable weather and prolonged, extreme temperatures, as well as events such as storms, affect consumers’ buying patterns and willingness to shop, and may adversely affect the demand for merchandise in our stores, particularly in apparel and seasonal merchandise. Among other things, weather conditions may also affect our ability to deliver our products to our stores or require us to close certain stores temporarily, thereby reducing store traffic. Even if stores are not closed, many customers may be unable to go, or may decide to avoid going to stores in bad weather. As a result, adverse or unseasonable weather in any of our markets could lead to lower-than-expected sales and cause us to increase our markdowns, which may negatively affect our sales and margins. We may experience volatility in sales and earnings.Our business has slower and busier periods based on holiday and back-to-school seasons, weather, and other factors. We may experience unexpected decreases in sales from time to time, which could result in increased markdowns and reduced margins. If sales in a certain period are lower than our plans, we may not be able to adjust operating expenses concurrently, which could adversely affect our operating results.11STRATEGIC RISKS We depend on the market availability, quantity, and quality of attractive brand name merchandise at desirable discounts, and on the ability of our buyers to source and purchase merchandise to enable us to offer customers a wide assortment of merchandise at competitive prices. Opportunistic buying, lean inventory levels, and frequent inventory turns are critical elements of our off-price business strategy. Maintaining an overall pricing differential to our competitors is also key to our ability to attract customers and sustain our sales and gross margins. Our opportunistic buying places considerable discretion with our merchants, who are in the marketplace continually and who are generally purchasing merchandise for the current or upcoming season. Our ability to meet or exceed our operating performance targets depends upon the continuous, sufficient availability of high quality merchandise that we can acquire at prices sufficiently below those paid by conventional retailers and that will represent a value to our customers. To the extent that certain of our vendors are better able to manage their inventory levels and reduce the amount of their excess inventory, the amount of high quality merchandise available to us could be materially reduced. To the extent that certain of our vendors decide not to sell to us or go out of business, the amount of high quality merchandise available to us could also be materially reduced. Because a significant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell is originally manufactured in other countries, constraints on the availability of shipping capacity, changes in transportation or tariff costs, trade relationships or tax policies, geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters, or public health issues, that reduce the supply or increase the relative cost of imported goods, could also result in disruptions to our supply relationships. Cost increases, shortages, delays, or disruptions in the availability to us of high quality, value-priced merchandise could have a material adverse effect on our sales and margins. Our inability to continually attract, train, and retain associates with the retail talent necessary to execute our off-price retail strategies, as well as labor shortages, increased turnover, or increased labor costs could adversely affect our operating results.Like other retailers, we face challenges in recruiting and retaining sufficient talent in our buying organization, management, stores, distribution centers, and other key areas. Many of our retail store associates are in entry level or part-time positions with elevated rates of turnover. Our ability to control labor costs is subject to numerous external factors, including prevailing wage rates and health and other insurance costs, potential labor organizing activities, as well as the impact of legislation or regulations governing minimum wage or healthcare benefits. Any increase in labor costs may adversely impact our profitability or, if we fail to pay competitive wages, may result in increased turnover. Excessive turnover may result in higher costs associated with finding, hiring, and training new associates. If we cannot hire enough qualified associates, or if there is a disruption in the supply of personnel we hire from third-party providers, especially during our peak seasons, our operations could be negatively impacted.Because of the distinctive nature of our off-price model, we must also attract, train, and retain our key associates across the Company, especially within our buying organization. The loss of one or more of our key personnel or the inability to effectively identify and successfully transition suitable successors for key roles could have a material adverse effect on our business. There is no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified associates in the future and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our growth, operations, or financial position.We need to obtain acceptable new store sites with favorable consumer demographics to achieve our planned growth. Successful growth requires us to find appropriate real estate sites in our targeted market areas. We compete with other retailers and businesses for acceptable store locations. For the purpose of identifying locations, we rely on consumer demographics. While we believe consumer demographics are helpful indicators of acceptable store locations, we recognize that this information cannot predict future consumer preferences and buying trends with complete accuracy. Time frames for negotiations and store development vary from location to location and can be subject to unforeseen delays or unexpected cancellations. We may not be able to open new stores or, if opened, operate those new stores profitably. Construction and other delays in store openings could have a negative impact on our business and operating results. Additionally, we may not be able to renegotiate our current lease terms which could negatively impact our operating results. New stores may not achieve the same sales or profit levels as our existing stores and adding stores to existing markets may adversely affect the sales and profitability of other existing stores. If we cannot acquire sites on attractive terms, it could limit our ability to grow or adversely affect the economics of our new stores in various markets.12To achieve growth, we need to expand in existing markets and enter new geographic markets. Our growth strategy is based on successfully expanding our off-price model in current markets and in new geographic regions. There are significant risks associated with our ability to continue to expand our current business and to enter new markets. Stores we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis, and may have higher construction, occupancy, advertising, or operating costs than stores we open in existing markets, thereby affecting our overall profitability. New markets may have competitive conditions, consumer tastes, and discretionary spending patterns that are more difficult to predict or satisfy than our existing markets. Our limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new markets may require us to build brand awareness in that market through greater investments in marketing, advertising, and promotional activity than we originally planned. We may find it more difficult in new markets to hire, motivate, and retain qualified associates. We are subject to risks associated with importing and selling merchandise produced in other countries. Risks in importing and selling such merchandise include tariffs and quotas, economic and supply chain uncertainties and adverse economic conditions (including shipping capacity limitations, cost increases, inflation, recession, and exchange rate fluctuations), foreign government regulations, employment and labor matters, concerns relating to human rights, working conditions, and other issues in factories or countries where merchandise is produced, transparency of sourcing and supply chains, exposure on product warranty and intellectual property issues, consumer perceptions of the safety of imported merchandise, geopolitical conflict (including wars and fears of war), political unrest, natural disasters, regulations to address climate change, and trade restrictions. A predominant portion of the apparel and other goods we sell (even when we purchase it domestically, often as excess inventory sold to us by a domestic vendor) is originally manufactured in other countries. In addition, we directly source a portion of the products sold in our stores from foreign vendors, predominantly in Asia (including China). We also buy products that originate from foreign sources indirectly through domestic vendors and manufacturers’ representatives. Although our foreign purchases of merchandise are negotiated and paid for in U.S. dollars, tariffs or other import duties, or decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could increase the cost of products we purchase from overseas vendors. When we are the importer of record, we may be subject to regulatory or other requirements similar to those applicable to a manufacturer. To the extent that our vendors are located overseas or rely on overseas sources for a large portion of their products, any event causing a disruption, delay, or increase in the cost of imports, including imposition of import or other restrictions such as product detention, war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or public health issues could adversely affect our business. The flow of merchandise from our vendors could also be adversely affected by global shipping capacity limitations, labor stoppages, or by financial or political instability in any of the countries in which the goods we purchase are manufactured. Trade restrictions in the form of tariffs or quotas, or both, applicable to the products we sell could also affect the importation of those products and could increase the cost and reduce the supply of products available to us. We cannot predict whether any of the countries from which our products are sourced, or in which our products are currently manufactured or may be manufactured in the future, will be subject to trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments or the likelihood, type, or effect of any such restrictions.Our ability to effectively advertise and market our business could impact customer traffic and demand for our merchandise.Customer traffic and demand for our merchandise is influenced by our advertising and marketing activities, the name recognition and reputation of our brands, and the location of our stores. Although we use a variety of marketing and advertising mediums to attract customers to our stores, particularly through a mix of traditional and streaming television, digital channels (including social media), and new store grand openings, our competitors may spend more or use different approaches, which could provide them with a competitive advantage. Our advertising and other promotional programs may not be effective or may be perceived negatively, or could require increased expenditures, any of which could adversely affect sales or increase costs.13OPERATIONAL RISKS In order to achieve our planned gross margins, we must effectively manage our inventories, markdowns, and inventory shortage. We purchase the majority of our inventory based on our sales plans. If our actual demand is lower than our sales plans at our intended price points, we may experience excess inventory levels and need to take markdowns on excess or slow-moving inventory, resulting in decreased profit margins. We also may have insufficient inventory to meet customer demand, leading to lost sales opportunities.As a regular part of our business, we purchase “packaway” inventory with the intent that it will be stored in our warehouses until a later date. The timing of the release of packaway inventory to our stores is principally driven by the product mix and seasonality of the merchandise, and its relation to our store merchandise assortment plans, but it typically remains in storage less than six months. Packaway inventory is frequently a significant portion of our overall inventory. If we make packaway purchases that do not align with consumer preferences at the later time of release to our stores, we could have significant inventory markdowns. Changes in packaway inventory levels could impact our operating cash flow. Although we have various systems to help protect against loss or theft of our inventory, both when in storage and once distributed to our stores, we may have damaged, lost, or stolen inventory (called “shortage”) in higher amounts than we forecast, which would result in write-offs, lost sales, and reduced margins. Information or data security breaches, including cyberattacks on our transaction processing and computer information systems (including malware intrusion, data exfiltration, identity theft, and other types of cybersecurity threats), could disrupt our operations, result in theft or unauthorized disclosure of our confidential and valuable business information or credit card and other customer information, and could adversely affect our business, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, increase our costs, and create significant legal exposure. Like other large retailers, we rely on commercially available computer and telecommunications systems to process, transmit, and store payment card and other personal and confidential information, and to provide information or data security for those transactions. Many of the key information systems and processes we use to handle payment card transactions and check approvals, and the levels of security technology utilized in payment cards, are controlled by the banking and payment card industry, not by us. Cybercriminals may attempt to penetrate our point of sale and other transaction processing information systems to misappropriate customer or business information, including but not limited to credit/debit card, personnel, or trade information. Cybercriminals (including state-sponsored actors) may attempt to penetrate our information systems, including supply chain and logistics systems, to deprive us from access to necessary business information and to disrupt our operations, as part of so-called “ransomware” extortion activity or otherwise. A disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to timely and efficiently transport merchandise to our stores or our distribution centers, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales or increased supply chain costs.Despite security measures we have in place, and our efforts to prevent, monitor, and mitigate attacks and errors, our facilities and systems (or those of third-party service providers we utilize or connect to) may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, phishing, ransomware attacks, and similar fraudulent attacks, or other similar events. It is also possible that an associate within our Company, or at a third party we do business with, may purposefully or inadvertently cause a security breach involving such information. The increasing sophistication of cybercriminals, the increased potential for cyberattacks, the advances in computer capabilities and artificial intelligence (“AI”), and remote access increases these risks. A breach of our information or data security, a system shut down or other response we may take, or our failure or delay in detecting and mitigating a system breach and a loss of personal or business information, could result in damage to our reputation, loss of customer confidence, violation (or alleged violation) of applicable laws (including laws relating to consumer data protection and privacy, and required notifications of data security breaches), and expose us to civil claims, litigation, and regulatory action, and to unanticipated costs and disruption of our operations. 14Disruptions in our supply chain or in our information systems could impact our ability to process sales and to deliver product to our stores in a timely and cost-effective manner. Various information systems are critical to our ability to operate and to manage key aspects of our business. We depend on the integrity, continuous availability, and consistent operations of these systems to process transactions in our stores, track inventory flow, manage merchandise allocation and distribution logistics, generate performance and financial reports, and support merchandising decisions.We are currently making, and will continue to make, technology investments to improve or replace information processes and systems that are key to managing our business. We must monitor and choose sound investments and implement them at the right pace. The risk of system disruption is increased whenever significant system changes are undertaken. An excessive rate of technological change could detract from the effectiveness of adoption and could make it more difficult for us to realize benefits from new technology. Poorly targeting opportunities, failing to make good investments, or making an investment commitment significantly above or below our needs could damage our competitive position and adversely impact our business and results of operations. Additionally, the potential problems and interruptions associated with implementing technology system changes could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations in the short term. These initiatives might not provide us with the anticipated benefits, or may provide them on a delayed schedule or at a higher cost.Our information systems, including our back-up systems, are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, cyberattacks, computer viruses, internal or external security breaches, catastrophic events such as severe storms, fires, earthquakes, floods, acts of terrorism, and design or usage errors by our associates or by third parties. If our information systems or our back-up systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make significant investments to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim. Any material interruption in our computer systems could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. A disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to timely and efficiently transport merchandise to our stores or our distribution centers, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales or increased supply chain costs. Such disruptions may result from public health issues such as pandemics, cyberattacks, damage or destruction to our distribution centers, weather-related events, natural disasters, trade restrictions, tariffs, third-party strikes or ineffective cross-dock operations, work stoppages or slowdowns, shipping capacity constraints, supply or shipping interruptions, or other factors beyond our control. Any such disruptions could negatively impact our financial performance or financial condition. Damage to our corporate reputation or brands could adversely affect our sales and operating results.Our reputation is partially based on perceptions of various subjective qualities and overall integrity. Any incident that erodes the trust or confidence of our customers or the general public could adversely affect our reputation and business, particularly if the incident results in significant adverse publicity or governmental inquiry. Such an incident could also include alleged acts or omissions by, or situations involving, our vendors (or their contractors or subcontractors), the landlords for our stores, or our associates outside of work, and may pertain to social or political issues or protests largely unrelated to our business. Similarly, our responses to events or crises and our position (or perceived lack of position) on environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) matters, such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equality, and inclusion (“DE&I”), responsible sourcing, and any perceived lack of transparency about those matters could harm our reputation, receive negative feedback from stakeholders, including our customers and investors, and could adversely affect our sales.The use of social media and other online platforms, including blogs, applications, websites, and other forms of internet-based communications, which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons, continues to increase. The availability of information (whether correct or erroneous) on social media and other online platforms is virtually immediate, as is its impact. Many social media and other online platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information concerning our Company may be posted on such platforms at any time. Information posted may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, which could negatively affect our sales, diminish customer trust, reduce employee morale and productivity, and lead to difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified associates. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.15To support our continuing operations, our new store and distribution center growth plans and other capital investment plans, our stock repurchase program, our debt repayments, and our quarterly dividends, we must maintain sufficient liquidity. We depend upon our operations to generate strong cash flows to support our general operating activities, and to finance our operations, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, manage our debt levels, and return value to our stockholders through stock repurchases and dividends. Disruptions to our operations may occur, nationally, regionally, or in specific locations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from operations to support our activities, our growth plans and our financial performance would be adversely affected. If our access to capital is restricted or our borrowing costs increase, our operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted. In addition, if we do not properly allocate our capital resources to maximize returns, our operations, cash flows, and returns to stockholders could be adversely affected. A natural or man-made disaster in a region where we have a concentration of stores, offices, or a distribution center could harm our business. We have a concentration of store locations in the states of California, Texas, and Florida; together those states include almost 50% of our stores. More than half of our distribution center and warehouse capacity, approximately 22% of our stores, and our corporate headquarters, are located in California. Natural or other disasters, such as wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or other extreme weather and climate conditions, or fires, explosions, and acts of war or terrorism, or public health issues, in any of our markets could disrupt our operations or our supply chain, or could shut down, damage, or destroy our stores or distribution facilities.COMPLIANCE, REGULATORY, AND LEGAL RISKS Consumer problems or legal issues involving the quality, safety, or authenticity of products we sell could harm our reputation, result in lost sales, and/or increase our costs. Various governmental authorities regulate the quality and safety of merchandise we sell. These regulations and related laws frequently change, and the ultimate cost of compliance cannot be precisely estimated. Because of our opportunistic buying strategies, we sometimes obtain merchandise in new categories or from new vendors we have not previously dealt with. Although our vendor arrangements typically place contractual responsibility on the vendor for resulting liability and we generally rely on our vendors to provide authentic merchandise that matches the stated quality attributes and complies with applicable product safety and other laws, any non-compliance with consumer product safety laws may subject us to product recalls, make certain products unsalable, or require us to incur significant compliance costs. We require our vendors (for both import and domestic purchasing) to contractually confirm that they adhere to various conduct, compliance, and other requirements, including those relating to environmental, employment and labor (including wages and working conditions), health, safety, and anti-bribery standards. From time to time, our vendors, their contractors, or their subcontractors may be alleged to not be in compliance with these standards or with applicable local laws. Although we have implemented policies and procedures to promote compliance with laws and regulations relating to doing business in foreign markets and importing merchandise, and to monitor the compliance of our suppliers, this does not guarantee that suppliers and other third parties with whom we do business will not violate (or not allegedly violate) such laws and regulations or our policies. Significant or continuing non-compliance (or alleged non-compliance) with such standards and laws by one or more vendors could have a negative impact on our reputation, could subject us to claims and liability, and could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Regardless of fault, any real or perceived issues with the quality and safety of merchandise we offer (particularly products such as food and children’s items), issues with the authenticity of merchandise, or our inability or that of our vendors, to comply on a timely basis with laws and regulatory requirements, could adversely affect our reputation, result in lost sales, inventory write-offs, uninsured product liability or other legal claims, penalties or losses, merchandise recalls, and increased costs. An adverse outcome in various legal, regulatory, or tax matters could damage our reputation or brand and increase our costs.As an ordinary part of our business, we are involved in various legal proceedings, regulatory reviews, tax audits, and/or other legal matters. These may include lawsuits, inquiries, demands, or other claims or proceedings by governmental entities and private plaintiffs, including those relating to employment and employee benefits (including16classification, employment rights, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, and retaliation), workplace safety, securities, real estate, tort, commercial, consumer protection, privacy, product compliance and safety, advertising, environmental, comparative pricing, product labeling, intellectual property, tax, escheat, and whistle-blower claims. We continue to be involved in a number of employment-related lawsuits, including class/representative actions which are primarily in California.We are subject to federal, state, and local rules and regulations in the United States, and to various international laws, which change from time to time. These legal requirements collectively affect multiple aspects of our business, including the cost of health care, workforce management and employee benefits, minimum wages, advertising, comparative pricing, import/export, sourcing and manufacturing, data protection (including customer and associate data privacy, choice, and notification rights), intellectual property, and others. If we fail to comply (or are alleged not to comply) with any of these requirements, we may be subject to fines, settlements, penalties, or other costs. In addition, an adverse outcome (or the adverse publicity from the claims) in any of these matters may damage our reputation or brand. We are also subject to the continuous examination of our tax returns and reports by federal, state, and local tax authorities and these examining authorities may challenge positions we take.Significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our tax provisions and reserves for legal claims. Actual results may differ, and our costs may exceed the reserves we establish in estimating the probable outcomes. In addition, applicable accounting principles and interpretations may change from time to time, and those changes could have material effects on our reported operating results and financial condition.

Item 7 · Management's Discussion & Analysis

+105 paragraphs −112 paragraphs ~105 changed

FY 2024-02-03 (earlier)

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OverviewRoss Stores, Inc. operates two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores—Ross Dress for Less ® (“Ross”) and dd’s DISCOUNTS ® . Ross is the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States, with 1,764 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, as of February 3, 2024. Ross offers first-quality, in-season, name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 60% off department and specialty store regular prices every day. We also operate 345 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores in 22 states as of February 3, 2024 that feature a more moderately-priced assortment of first-quality, in-season, name brand apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 70% off moderate department and discount store regular prices every day. Our primary objective is to pursue and refine our existing off-price strategies to maintain and improve both profitability and financial returns over the long term. Although inflation has moderated during the past year, the cost of essentials remains elevated and continues to pressure our low-to-moderate income customers’ discretionary spending. We are closely monitoring market share trends for the off-price industry and we believe our share gains will continue to grow through continued focus on bringing value and convenience to our customers, despite the ongoing uncertainty in the current macroeconomic and geopolitical environments. We believe our merchandising and operational strategies enable us to deliver the most competitive bargains available to meet our customers’ ongoing demand for quality branded goods for the family and home at compelling discounts every day. Our merchandising strategies include offering a wide assortment of quality branded bargains for our customers. We believe staying diligently focused on executing our merchandising strategies is an important driver of our ability to gain market share in fiscal 2024 and the long term. The fiscal year ended February 3, 2024 is referred to as fiscal 2023 and was a 53-week year. The fiscal years ended January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022 are referred to as fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively, and were 52-week years. The discussion that follows relates to fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022. Discussion of fiscal 2021 items and year-to-year comparisons between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2022. 26Results of Operations~~The following table summarizes our financial results for fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021: 2023 2022 2021~~Sales~~Sales (millions) $ 20,377 $ 18,696 $ 18,916 Sales growth (decline) 9.0% (1.2)% 50.9% Comparable store sales growth (decline) 5% 1 (4)% 1 13% 2~~Costs and expenses (as a percent of sales)Cost of goods sold 72.7% 74.6% 72.5% Selling, general and administrative 16.0% 14.8% 15.2% Interest (income) expense, net (0.8)% 0.0% 0.4% Earnings before taxes (as a percent of sales) 12.1% 10.6% 11.9% Net earnings (as a percent of sales) 9.2% 8.1% 9.1%1 Comparable stores are stores open for more than 14 complete months.2 Amount shown is for fiscal 2021 compared to the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 (“fiscal 2019”). Comparable store sales for this purpose represents sales from stores that were open at the end of fiscal 2019, less stores closed in fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2021. Stores. Our long-term strategy is to open additional stores based on market penetration, local demographic characteristics, competition, expected store profitability, and the ability to leverage overhead expenses. We continually evaluate opportunistic real estate acquisitions and opportunities for potential new store locations. We also evaluate our current store locations and determine store closures based on similar criteria. Total stores open at the end of fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021 were 2,109, 2,015, and 1,923, respectively. The number of stores at the end of fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021 increased by 5%, 5%, and 3% from the respective prior years. In fiscal 2023, we opened 97 new stores. Looking forward to 2024, we expect to open approximately 90 new stores. We continue to believe that consumers’ increased focus on value and convenience and the significant number of brick-and-mortar retail closures and bankruptcies over the last several years provide opportunities for us to gain market share. The following table summarizes the stores opened and closed during fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021: Store Count 2023 2022 2021Ross Dress for Less~~Beginning of the period 1,693 1,628 1,585 Opened in the period 72 1 71 44 Closed in the period (1) (6) 2 (1) Total Ross Dress for Less stores end of period 1,764 1,693 1,628~~dd’s DISCOUNTS~~Beginning of the period 322 295 274 Opened in the period 25 28 21 Closed in the period (2) (1) —~~Total dd’s DISCOUNTS stores end of period~~345 322 295 Total stores end of period 2,109 2,015 1,923~~1 Includes the reopening of a store previously temporarily closed due to a weather event. 2 Includes the temporary closure of a store impacted by a weather event.27 The total selling square footage as of February 3, 2024, January 28, 2023, and January 29, 2022 was 42.8 million, 41.4 million, and 39.9 million, respectively. Sales. Sales for fiscal 2023 increased $1.7 billion, or 9.0%, compared to the prior year. This was primarily due to the 5% increase in comparable store sales, the opening of 94 net new stores during fiscal 2023, and the impact of the 53rd week. Our sales mix is shown below for fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021: 2023 1 2022 2021Home Accents and Bed and Bath 26 % 26 % 26 %~~Ladies 23 % 24 % 25 % Men’s 15 % 15 % 14 % Accessories, Lingerie, Fine Jewelry, and Cosmetics 15 % 14 % 14 % Shoes 13 % 12 % 12 % Children’s 8 % 9 % 9 %~~Total 100 % 100 % 100 %Cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold in fiscal 2023 increased $0.9 billion compared to the prior year mainly due to the 5% comparable store sales increase, higher sales from the opening of 94 net new stores during fiscal 2023, higher incentive compensation expense, and the impact of the 53rd week, partially offset by lower ocean and domestic freight costs. Cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2023 decreased approximately 195 basis points from fiscal 2022 primarily due to a 160 basis point increase in merchandise margin mainly due to lower ocean freight costs, a 60 basis point decrease in domestic freight costs, 25 basis points of leverage in occupancy costs, and a 20 basis point decrease in distribution costs primarily due to the timing of packaway inventory carrying costs. Partially offsetting these items was a 70 basis point increase in buying costs primarily due to higher incentive compensation expense. We expect lower merchandise margin as a percentage of sales in fiscal 2024 as we plan to offer more brands that are sharply priced throughout our stores. We expect this impact will be partially offset by lower incentive compensation expense, which is expected to return to target levels. Selling, general and administrative expenses. For fiscal 2023, selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) increased $508.4 million compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to higher incentive compensation expense, higher store wages, the opening of 94 net new stores during fiscal 2023, and the impact of the 53rd week. SG&A as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2023 increased by approximately 125 basis points compared to fiscal 2022 primarily due to higher incentive compensation expense and higher store wages. We expect lower incentive compensation expense in fiscal 2024, which is expected to return to target levels. Interest (income) expense, net . In fiscal 2023, interest (income) expense, net improved by $167.0 million compared to fiscal 2022 primarily due to increased interest income from higher interest rates. 28 The table below shows the components of interest (income) expense, net for fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021: ($000) 2023 2022 2021 Interest expense on long-term debt $ 84,596 $ 84,558 $ 88,286 Other interest expense 1,599 1,668 1,351 Capitalized interest (12,106) (5,678) (14,476) Interest income (238,207) (77,706) (833) Interest (income) expense, net $ (164,118) $ 2,842 $ 74,328 Taxes on earnings. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021 was approximately 24%. Our effective tax rate represents the applicable combined federal and state statutory rates reduced by the federal benefit of state taxes deductible on federal returns. Our effective tax rate is impacted by changes in tax law and accounting guidance, location of new stores, level of earnings, tax effects associated with stock-based compensation, and the resolution of tax positions with various tax authorities. In fiscal 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) was signed into law. The IRA made several changes to business tax provisions including a one percent excise tax on stock repurchases made after December 31, 2022. The one percent excise tax does not impact our effective tax rate. Net earnings. Net earnings as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2023 was higher than in fiscal 2022 primarily due to lower cost of goods sold and higher interest income, partially offset by higher SG&A expenses. Earnings per share. Diluted earnings per share in fiscal 2023 was $5.56 compared to $4.38 in the prior year. Fiscal 2023 includes a per share benefit of approximately $0.20 from the 53rd week. The $1.18 increase in dil uted earnings per share in fiscal 2023 was primarily attributab le to a 24% increase in net earnings (which included a 4% impact from the 53rd week) and a 3% reduction in weighted-average diluted shares outstanding, primarily due to stock repurchases under our stock repurchase program.Financial Condition Liquidity and Capital ResourcesThe primary sources of funds for our business activities are cash flows from operations and short-term trade credit. Our primary ongoing cash requirements are for merchandise inventory purchases, payroll, operating and variable lease costs, taxes, capital expenditures related to our new and existing stores, and investments in distribution centers, information systems, and buying and corporate offices. We also use cash to repurchase stock under our stock repurchase programs, pay dividends, and repay debt as it becomes due. ($ millions) 2023 2022 2021 Cash provided by operating activities $ 2,514.5 $ 1,689.4 $ 1,738.8 Cash used in investing activities (762.8) (654.1) (557.8) Cash used in financing activities (1,428.5) (1,405.4) (1,152.4) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents $ 323.2 $ (370.1) $ 28.6 29Operating ActivitiesNet cash provided by operating activities was $2.5 billion in fiscal 2023. This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation. Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.7 billion in fiscal 2022. This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, and an increase in deferred income taxes, partially offset by merchandise inventory payments and payment of fiscal 2021 incentive bonuses . Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.7 billion in fiscal 2021 . This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, partially offset by higher merchandise inventory receipts net of accounts payable . The increase in cash flow from operating activities in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily driven by higher current year incentive compensation accruals combined with lower incentive compensation payments and higher net earnings, partially offset by lower accounts payable leverage (defined as accounts payable divided by merchandise inventory). Accounts payable leverage was 89% and 99% as of February 3, 2024 and January 28, 2023 , respectively. The decrease in accounts payable leverage in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily driven by timing of inventory receipts and related payments versus last year. As a regular part of our business, packaway inventory levels will vary over time based on availability of compelling merchandise purchase opportunities in the marketplace and our decisions on the timing for release of that inventory. Packaway merchandise is purchased with the intent that it will be stored in our warehouses until a later date. The timing of the release of packaway inventory to our stores is principally driven by the product mix and seasonality of the merchandise, and its relation to our store merchandise assortment plans. As such, the aging of packaway varies by merchandise category and seasonality of purchase, but typically packaway remains in storage less than six months. We expect to continue to take advantage of packaway inventory opportunities to maximize our ability to deliver bargains to our customers. Changes in packaway inventory levels impact our operating cash flow. Packaway inventory was 40% of total inventory at the end of fiscal 2023 and 2022.Investing ActivitiesNet cash used in investing activities was $762.8 million, $654.1 million, and $557.8 million in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021 , respectively, and was related to our capital expenditures. Our capital expenditures include costs to build, expand, and improve distribution centers, open new stores and improve existing stores, and for various other expenditures related to our information technology systems and buying and corporate offices. The increase in cash used for inv esting activities in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily due to higher capital expenditures related to the construction and build-out of new stores, the construction of distribution centers, including capital expenditures related to our new Buckeye, Arizona distribution center, and various information technology projects. 30Our capital expenditures over the last three years are set forth in the table below:($ millions) 2023 2022 2021 New stores $ 209.2 $ 170.9 $ 124.9 Existing stores 167.6 147.6 103.3 Information systems, corporate, and other 80.0 65.4 50.3 Distribution and transportation 306.0 270.2 279.3 Total capital expenditures $ 762.8 $ 654.1 $ 557.8 Capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 are projected to be approximately $840 million. Our planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 are for investments in our supply chain to support long-term growth, including construction of our next distribution centers, investments in our information technology systems, costs for fixtures and leasehold improvements to open new Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS stores, and for various other expenditures related to our stores, distribution centers, and buying and corporate offices. We expect to fund capital expenditures with available cash. The increase in our planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023 is primarily driven by investments in our next distribution centers, information technology systems, existing store improvements, and various expenditures related to distribution centers, and buying and corporate offices.Financing ActivitiesNet cash used in financing activities was $1.4 billion, $1.4 billion, and $1.2 billion in fiscal 2023, 2022 , and 2021, respectively, primarily resulting from stock repurchases under our stock repurchase programs and dividend payments. Revolving credit facilities. We have a $1.3 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility (“Credit Facility”). As of February 3, 2024 , we had no borrowings or standby letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Facility, t he $1.3 billion Credit Facility remained in place and available, and we were in compliance with the financial covenant. Refer to Note D: Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. Senior notes. As of February 3, 2024, we had approximately $2.5 billion of outstanding unsecured Senior Notes. Refer to Note D: Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. Other financing activities. In May 2021, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $1.5 billion of the Company’s common stock through fiscal 2022. In March 2022, our Board of Directors approved a two-year program to repurchase up to $1.9 billion of the Company’s common stock through fiscal 2023. This program replaced the previously approved $1.5 billion stock repurchase program, effective at the end of fiscal 2021 (at which time we had repurchased $650 million under the previous $1.5 billion program). In March 2024, our Board of Directors approved a new two-year program to repurchase up to $2.1 billion of the Company’s common stock through fiscal 2025. The following table summarizes our stock repurchase activity in fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021:Fiscal Year Shares repurchased (in millions) Average repurchase price Amount repurchased (in millions)2023 8.2 $ 115.24 $ 950 1 2022 10.3 $ 92.15 $ 950~~2021 5.7 $ 114.29 $ 650~~1 Amount excludes excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.During fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, we also acquired 0.5 million shares of treasury stock in each year from our employee equity incentive plans for aggregate purchase prices of approximately $48.6 million, $48.9 million, and $57.3 million, respectively. 31 On March 5, 2024 , our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.3675 per common share, payable on March 29, 2024. Our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.3350 per common share in February, May, August, and November 2023. Our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.3100 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2022 and a cash dividend of $0.2850 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2021. During fiscal 2023, 2022, and 2021, we paid dividends of $454.8 million, $431.3 million, and $405.1 million, respectively.Short-term trade credit represents a significant source of financing for our merchandise inventory. Trade credit arises from customary payment terms and trade practices with our vendors. We regularly review the adequacy of credit available to us from all sources and expect to be able to maintain adequate trade credit, bank credit facility, and other credit sources to meet our capital and liquidity requirements.During fiscal 2023, fiscal 2022, and fiscal 2021, our liquidity and capital requirements were provided by available cash and cash flows from operations. We ended fiscal 2023 with $4.9 billion of unrestricted cash balances, which were held primarily in overnight money market funds invested in U.S. treasury and government instruments across a highly diversified set of banks and other financial institutions. We also have $1.3 billion available under our senior unsecured revolving credit facility. We estimate that existing cash and cash equivalent balances, cash flows from operations, bank credit facility, and trade credit are adequate to meet our operating cash needs and to fund our planned capital investments, debt repayments, common stock repurchases, and quarterly dividend payments for at least the next 12 months.Contractual Obligations~~The table below presents our significant contractual obligations as of February 3, 2024:~~Less than 1 year Greater than 1 year Total¹ ($000) Recorded contractual obligations:~~Senior notes $ 250,000 $ 2,224,991 $ 2,474,991 Operating leases 723,031 2,656,418 3,379,449~~New York buying office ground lease 2~~7,552 1,101,192 1,108,744~~Unrecorded contractual obligations: Real estate obligations 3~~14,339 218,625 232,964 Interest payment obligations 80,316 354,818 435,134~~Purchase obligations 44,236,623 104,916 4,341,539 Total contractual obligations $ 5,311,861 $ 6,660,960 $ 11,972,821 1 We have a $56.0 million liability for unrecognized tax benefits that is included in Other long-term liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. This liability is excluded from the schedule above as the timing of payments cannot be reasonably estimated.2 Our New York buying office building is subject to a 99-year ground lease. 3 Minimum lease payments for operating leases signed that have not yet commenced. 4 Purchase obligations primarily consist of merchandise inventory purchase orders, commitments related to construction projects, transportation, information technology services, store fixtures and supplies, and maintenance contracts.32 Supply chain finance program. We facilitate a voluntary supply chain finance program (the “program”) to provide certain suppliers with the opportunity to sell their receivables due from us to participating financial institutions at the sole discretion of both the suppliers and the financial institutions. A third party administers the program; our responsibility is limited to making payment on the terms originally negotiated with the supplier, regardless of whether the supplier sells its receivable to a financial institution. We do not enter into financial agreements with the participating financial institutions in connection with the program. The range of payment terms we negotiate with our suppliers is consistent, irrespective of whether a supplier participates in the program. All outstanding payments owed under the program are recorded within Accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amounts owed to participating financial institutions under the program and included in Accounts payable were $146.9 million and $119.2 million at February 3, 2024 and January 28, 2023, respectively. We account for all payments made under the program as a reduction to operating cash flows in Accounts payable within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Standby letters of credit and collateral trust. We use standby letters of credit outside of our revolving credit facility in addition to a funded trust to collateralize some of our insurance obligations. As of February 3, 2024 and January 28, 2023, we had $2.2 million and $2.6 million, respectively, in standby letters of credit outstanding and $60.8 million and $57.8 million, respectively, in a collateral trust. The standby letters of credit are collateralized by restricted cash and the collateral trust consists of restricted cash and cash equivalents. Other than the unrecorded contractual obligations noted above, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements as of February 3, 2024.Other Critical Accounting Estimates The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. These estimates and assumptions are evaluated on an ongoing basis and are based on historical experience and on various other factors that management believes to be reasonable. We believe the following critical accounting estimates describe the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting estimates.Merchandise inventory. Our merchandise inventory is stated at the lower of cost (determined using a weighted-average basis) or net realizable value. Merchandise inventory includes acquisition, transportation, pr ocessing, and storage costs related to packaway inventory. Included in the carrying value of our merchandise inventory is a provision for shortage. The shortage reserve is based on historical shortage rates as determined through our annual physical merchandise inventory counts and cycle counts. Historically, our actual physical inventory count results have shown our provision for shortage to be reliable. A five percent change in shortage rates as of February 3, 2024 would not have materially impacted our cost of goods sold in fiscal 2023. Insurance obligations. We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risk management activities, including workers’ compensation, general liability, and employee-related health care benefits. Our self-insurance and deductible liability is determined actuarially, based on claims filed and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. Should a greater amount of claims occur compared to what is estimated or the costs of medical care increase beyond what was anticipated, our recorded reserves may not be sufficient and additional charges could be required. A five percent increase or decrease in our insurance reserves would not have materially impacted our net earnings in fiscal 2023.Recent Accounting Pronouncements Refer to Note A: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements and their impact to our Consolidated Financial Statements.33Forward-Looking StatementsOur Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2023, and information we provide in our Annual Report to Stockholders, press releases, and other investor communications including those on our corporate website, may contain a number of forward-looking statements regarding, without limitation, projected sales, costs, earnings, planned new store growth, capital expenditures, sustainability and carbon reduction targets, and other matters. These forward-looking statements reflect our then-current beliefs, plans, and estimates with respect to future events and our projected financial performance, operations, and competitive position. The words “plan,” “expect,” “target,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “projected,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “looking ahead,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Future impact from inflation, high interest rates and interest rate increases, ongoing military conflicts and economic sanctions, public health crises, climate change, and other economic, regulatory, and industry trends that could potentially impact our revenue, profitability, operating conditions, and growth are difficult to predict. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements and our previous expectations, plans, and projections. Refer to ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more complete discussion of risk factors for Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS. The factors underlying our forecasts and plans are dynamic and subject to change. As a result, any forecasts or forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are given, and do not necessarily reflect our outlook at any other point in time. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements.

FY 2025-02-01 (later)

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OverviewRoss Stores, Inc. operates two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores—Ross Dress for Less ® (“Ross”) and dd’s DISCOUNTS ® . Ross is the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States, with 1,831 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, as of February 1, 2025. Ross offers first-quality, in-season, name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 60% off department and specialty store regular prices every day. We also operate 355 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores in 22 states as of February 1, 2025 that feature a more moderately-priced assortment of first-quality, in-season, name brand apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 70% off moderate department and discount store regular prices every day. Our primary objective is to pursue and refine our existing off-price strategies to maintain and improve both profitability and financial returns over the long term. Macroeconomic pressures and uncertainties continue to impact both consumer confidence and discretionary spending. We are closely monitoring these external factors, along with market share trends for the off-price industry. We believe that our flexible business model better positions us to navigate through uncertainty, and we plan to continue to focus on strong execution of our key initiatives. We believe that our market share gains can continue to grow through our continued focus on bringing value and convenience to our customers. Our merchandising strategies emphasize consistently offering a wide assortment of quality branded bargains for our customers. We believe that our merchandising and operational strategies enable us to deliver the most competitive bargains available to meet our customers’ ongoing demand for quality branded goods for the family and home at compelling discounts every day. Additionally, we anticipate the current retail environment will result in more opportunities for us to obtain close-out merchandise and to deliver even greater values on branded goods. We believe that staying diligently focused on executing our merchandising strategies is an important driver of our ability to gain market share in fiscal 2025 and the long term. The fiscal years ended February 1, 2025, February 3, 2024, and January 28, 2023 are referred to as fiscal 2024, fiscal 2023, and fiscal 2022, respectively. Fiscal 2023 was a 53-week year. Fiscal 2024 and 2022 were each 52-week years. The discussion that follows relates to fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023. Discussion of fiscal 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2023. 25Results of OperationsThe following table summarizes our financial results for fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022: 2024 2023 2022SalesSales (millions) $ 21,129 $ 20,377 $ 18,696 Sales growth (decline) 3.7% 9.0% (1.2)% Comparable store sales growth (decline) 1 3% 5% (4)%Costs and expenses (as a percent of sales)Cost of goods sold 72.2% 72.7% 74.6% Selling, general and administrative 15.5% 16.0% 14.8% Operating income (as a percent of sales) 12.2% 11.3% 10.7% Interest (income) expense, net (0.8)% (0.8)% 0.0% Net earnings (as a percent of sales) 9.9% 9.2% 8.1%1 Comparable stores are stores open for more than 14 complete months.Stores. Total stores open at the end of fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022 were 2,186, 2,109, and 2,015, respectively. The number of stores at the end of fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022 increased by 4%, 5%, and 5% from the respective prior years. In fiscal 2024, we opened 89 new stores. Looking forward to 2025, we expect to open approximately 90 new stores. Our long-term strategy is to open additional stores based on market penetration, local demographic characteristics, competition, expected store profitability, and the ability to leverage overhead expenses. We continually evaluate opportunistic real estate acquisitions and opportunities for potential new store locations. We also evaluate our current store locations and determine store closures based on similar criteria. We continue to believe that consumers’ focus on value and convenience provide opportunities for us to gain market share. The following table summarizes the stores opened and closed during fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022: Store Count 2024 2023 2022Ross Dress for LessBeginning of the period 1,764 1,693 1,628 Opened in the period 75 72 1 71 Closed in the period (8) (1) (6) 2 Total Ross Dress for Less stores end of period 1,831 1,764 1,693dd’s DISCOUNTSBeginning of the period 345 322 295 Opened in the period 14 25 28 Closed in the period (4) (2) (1)Total dd’s DISCOUNTS stores end of period355 345 322 Total stores end of period 2,186 2,109 2,0151 Includes the reopening of a store previously temporarily closed due to a weather event. 2 Includes the temporary closure of a store impacted by a weather event.The total selling square footage as of February 1, 2025, February 3, 2024, and January 28, 2023 was 43.9 million, 42.8 million, and 41.4 million, respectively. 26 Sales. Sales for fiscal 2024 increased $752.3 million, or 3.7%, compared to the prior year. This was primarily due to the 3% increase in comparable store sales and the opening of 77 net new stores during fiscal 2024. Sales for fiscal 2023 included approximately $308 million from the additional week of sales due to the 53rd week. Our sales mix is shown below for fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022: 2024 1 2023 2022Home Accents and Bed and Bath 26 % 26 % 26 %Ladies 22 % 23 % 24 % Men’s 16 % 15 % 15 % Accessories, Lingerie, Fine Jewelry, and Cosmetics 15 % 15 % 14 % Shoes 12 % 13 % 12 % Children’s 9 % 8 % 9 %Total 100 % 100 % 100 %Cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold in fiscal 2024 increased $458.9 million compared to the prior year primarily due to the 3% comparable store sales increase and higher sales from the opening of 77 net new stores during fiscal 2024. Cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2024 decreased approximately 40 basis points from fiscal 2023 primarily due to a 45 basis point decrease in buying costs mainly due to lower incentive compensation expense, a 45 basis point decrease in distribution costs, and a 30 basis point decrease in domestic freight costs. Partially offsetting these items was a 60 basis point decrease in merchandise margin primarily due to our continued efforts to offer more sharply priced branded bargains and a 20 basis point increase in occupancy costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses. For fiscal 2024, selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) increased $15.5 million compared to the prior year. In December 2024, we completed the sale of a packaway warehouse facility and recognized a pre-tax gain on sale of $61.6 million. This sale, along with lower incentive compensation expense, partially offset the increase in SG&A which was primarily driven by the opening of 77 net new stores during fiscal 2024. SG&A as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2024 decreased 50 basis points compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the gain recognized from the previously mentioned packaway facility sale and lower incentive compensation expense. Operating income. Operating income as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2024 increased 90 basis points compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to lower cost of goods sold and lower SG&A expenses. In fiscal 2025, we expect operating income as a percentage of sales to be impacted by sales deleverage, higher distribution costs, and lower incentive compensation expense. Interest (income) expense, net . In fiscal 2024, interest (income) expense, net improved by $7.5 million compared to fiscal 2023. Interest (income), expense, net as a percentage of sales, was flat compared to the prior year. The table below shows the components of interest (income) expense, net for fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022: ($000) 2024 2023 2022 Interest income $ (234,955) $ (238,207) $ (77,706) Capitalized interest expense (19,447) (12,106) (5,678) Other interest expense 1,571 1,599 1,668 Interest expense on long-term debt 81,263 84,596 84,558 Interest (income) expense, net $ (171,568) $ (164,118) $ 2,842 27 Taxes on earnings. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022 was approximately 24%. Our effective tax rate represents the applicable combined federal and state statutory rates reduced by the federal benefit of state taxes deductible on federal returns. Our effective tax rate is impacted by changes in tax law and accounting guidance, location of new stores, level of earnings, tax effects associated with stock-based compensation, and the resolution of tax positions with various tax authorities. Earnings per share. Diluted earnings per share in fiscal 2024 was $6.32 compared to $5.56 in the prior year. Fiscal 2024 earnings include a per share benefit of approximately $0.14 from the sale of the packaway warehouse facility. Fiscal 2023 earnings include a per share benefit of approximatel y $0.20 from the 53rd week . The $0.76 increase in dil uted earnings per share in fiscal 2024 was primarily attributab le to a 12% increase in net earnings and a 2% reduction in weighted-average diluted shares outstanding largely due to stock repurchases under our stock repurchase program.Financial Condition Liquidity and Capital ResourcesThe primary sources of funds for our business activities are cash flows from operations and short-term trade credit. Our primary ongoing cash requirements are for merchandise inventory purchases, payroll, operating and variable lease costs, taxes, capital expenditures related to our new and existing stores, and investments in distribution centers, information systems, and buying and corporate offices. We also use cash to repurchase stock under our stock repurchase programs, pay dividends, and repay debt as it becomes due. In September 2024, we repaid at maturity the $250 million principal amount of the 3.375% Senior Notes. As of February 1, 2025, we had $700 million principal amount of 4.600% Senior Notes that will reach maturity in 2025. ($ millions) 2024 2023 2022 Cash provided by operating activities $ 2,357 $ 2,514 $ 1,689 Cash used in investing activities (637) (763) (654) Cash used in financing activities (1,859) (1,428) (1,405) Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents $ (139) $ 323 $ (370)Operating ActivitiesNet cash provided by operating activities was $2.4 billion in fiscal 2024. This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, and the gain on sale of property (i.e., packaway warehouse facility), partially offset by the payment of fiscal 2023 incentive bonuses in fiscal 2024. Net cash provided by operating activities was $2.5 billion in fiscal 2023. This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation. Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.7 billion in fiscal 2022 . This was primarily driven by net earnings excluding non-cash expenses for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, and an increase in deferred income taxes, partially offset by merchandise inventory payments and payment of fiscal 2021 incentive bonuses. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023 was primarily driven by higher incentive compensation payments, partially offset by higher net earnings. Accounts payable leverage (defined as accounts payable divided by merchandise inventory) was 87% and 89% as of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024 , respectively. The decrease in accounts payable leverage in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023 was primarily due to the timing of inventory receipts and related payments versus last year. 28 As a regular part of our business, packaway inventory levels will vary over time based on availability of compelling merchandise purchase opportunities in the marketplace and our decisions on the timing for release of that inventory to our stores. Packaway merchandise is purchased with the intent that it will be stored in our warehouses until a later date. The timing of the release of packaway inventory to our stores is principally driven by the product mix and seasonality of the merchandise, and its relation to our store merchandise assortment plans. As such, the aging of packaway varies by merchandise category and seasonality of purchase, but typically packaway remains in storage for less than six months. We expect to continue to take advantage of packaway inventory opportunities to maximize our ability to deliver bargains to our customers. Changes in packaway inventory levels affect our operating cash flow. Packaway inventory was 41% of total inventory at the end of fiscal 2024, compared to 40% at the end of fiscal 2023.Investing ActivitiesNet cash used in investing activities was $637 million, $763 million, and $654 million in fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022 , respectively, and was primarily related to our capital expenditures. In fiscal 2024, capital expenditures were partially offset by cash proceeds from the sale of the packaway warehouse facility. Our capital expenditures include costs to build, expand, and improve distribution centers, open new stores and improve existing stores, and for various other expenditures related to our information technology systems and buying and corporate offices. The decrease in cash used in investing activities in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023 was primarily due to lower capital expenditures in fiscal 2024 related to our new Buckeye, Arizona distribution center and cash proceeds from the sale of the packaway facility, partially offset by the purchase of land and the start of construction for our next distribution center.Our capital expenditures over the last three years are set forth in the table below:($ millions) 2024 2023 2022 Distribution and transportation $ 260 $ 306 $ 270 New stores 193 209 171 Existing stores 171 168 148 Information systems, corporate, and other 96 80 65 Total capital expenditures $ 720 $ 763 $ 654 Capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 are projected to be approximately $855 million. Our planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 are for costs to open new stores and improve existing stores, investments in our supply chain to support long-term growth, including construction of our next distribution centers, investments in our information technology systems, and for various other expenditures related to our stores, distribution centers, and buying and corporate offices. We expect to fund capital expenditures with available cash. The increase in our planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024 is primarily driven by investments in our next distribution centers, new and existing store improvements, and various investments in our information technology systems.Financing ActivitiesNet cash used in financing activities was $1.9 billion, $1.4 billion, and $1.4 billion in fiscal 2024, 2023 , and 2022, respectively, primarily resulting from stock repurchases under our stock repurchase program and dividend payments. In fiscal 2024, we repaid the $250 million principal amount of the 3.375% Senior Notes in September 2024. Revolving credit facilities. We have a $1.3 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility (“Credit Facility”). As of February 1, 2025 , we had no borrowings or standby letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Facility, t he $1.3 billion Credit Facility remained in place and available, and we were in compliance with the financial covenant. Refer to Note D: Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. 29 Senior notes. As of February 1, 2025, we had approximately $2.2 billion of outstanding unsecured Senior Notes, of which $699.7 million was classified within Current Liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Refer to Note D: Debt in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. Other financing activities. In March 2024, our Board of Directors approved a two-year program to repurchase up to $2.1 billion of the Company’s common stock through January 31, 2026. This program followed the previous two-year $1.9 billion stock repurchase program, effective at the end of fiscal 2023. The following table summarizes our stock repurchase activity in fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022:Fiscal Year Shares repurchased (in millions) Average repurchase price Amount repurchased (in millions)2024 7.3 $ 144.46 $ 1,050 12023 8.2 $ 115.24 $ 950 1 2022 10.3 $ 92.15 $ 9501 Amount excludes excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.During fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022, we also acquired 0.6 million, 0.5 million, and 0.5 million shares of treasury stock, respectively, from our employee equity incentive plans for aggregate purchase prices of approximately $86.1 million, $48.6 million, and $48.9 million, respectively. On March 4, 2025, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4050 per common share, payable on March 31, 2025. Our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.3675 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2024. Our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.3350 per common share in February, May, August, and November 2023, and a cash dividend of $0.3100 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2022. During fiscal 2024, 2023, and 2022, we paid dividends of $488.7 million, $454.8 million, and $431.3 million, respectively.Short-term trade credit represents a significant source of financing for our merchandise inventory. Trade credit arises from customary payment terms and trade practices with our vendors. We regularly review the adequacy of credit available to us from all sources and expect to be able to maintain adequate trade credit, bank credit facility, and other credit sources to meet our capital and liquidity requirements.During fiscal 2024, fiscal 2023, and fiscal 2022, our liquidity and capital requirements were provided by available cash and cash flows from operations. We ended fiscal 2024 with $4.7 billion of unrestricted cash balances, which were held primarily in overnight money market funds invested in U.S. treasury and government instruments across a highly diversified set of banks and other financial institutions. We also have $1.3 billion available under our Credit Facility. We estimate that existing cash and cash equivalent balances, cash flows from operations, our bank credit facility, and trade credit are adequate to meet our operating cash needs and to fund our planned capital investments, debt repayments, interest payments, common stock repurchases, and quarterly dividend payments for at least the next 12 months. 30Contractual ObligationsThe table below presents our significant contractual obligations as of February 1, 2025:Less than 1 year Greater than 1 year Total¹ ($000) Recorded contractual obligations:Senior notes $ 700,000 $ 1,524,991 $ 2,224,991 Operating leases 758,519 2,869,467 3,627,986New York buying office ground lease 27,552 1,092,953 1,100,505Unrecorded contractual obligations: Real estate obligations 39,026 178,204 187,230 Interest payment obligations 55,778 299,040 354,818Purchase obligations 44,183,454 104,916 4,288,370 Total contractual obligations $ 5,714,329 $ 6,069,571 $ 11,783,900 1 We have a $61.3 million liability for unrecognized tax benefits that is included in Other long-term liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. This liability is excluded from the schedule above as the timing of payments cannot be reasonably estimated.2 Our New York buying office building is subject to a 99-year ground lease. 3 Minimum lease payments for operating leases signed that have not yet commenced. 4 Purchase obligations primarily consist of merchandise inventory purchase orders, commitments related to construction projects, transportation, information technology services, store fixtures and supplies, and maintenance contracts.Supply chain finance program. We facilitate a voluntary supply chain finance program (the “program”) to provide certain suppliers with the opportunity to sell their receivables due from us to participating financial institutions at the sole discretion of both the suppliers and the financial institutions. A third-party financial institution administers the program. Our responsibility is limited to making payments on the terms originally negotiated with each supplier, regardless of whether a supplier sells its receivable to a financial institution. We are not a party to the agreements between the participating financial institutions and the suppliers in connection with the program, and we do not receive financial incentives from the suppliers or the financial institutions. We do not provide guarantees under the program, and our rights and obligations to our suppliers are not affected by the program. The range of payment terms negotiated with suppliers is consistent, irrespective of whether a supplier participates in the program. All outstanding payments owed under the program are recorded within Accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We account for all payments made under the program as a reduction to operating cash flows in Accounts payable within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The amounts owed to participating financial institutions under the program and included in Accounts payable were $159.2 million and $146.9 million at February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, respectively. Standby letters of credit and collateral trust. We use standby letters of credit outside of our revolving credit facility and a funded trust to collateralize some of our insurance obligations. As of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, we had $1.8 million and $2.2 million, respectively, in standby letters of credit outstanding. As of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, we had $63.9 million and $60.8 million, respectively, held in a collateral trust. The standby letters of credit are collateralized by restricted cash and the collateral trust consists of restricted cash and cash equivalents. Other than the unrecorded contractual obligations noted above, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements as of February 1, 2025. 31Other Critical Accounting Estimates The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. These estimates and assumptions are evaluated on an ongoing basis and are based on historical experience and on various other factors that management believes to be reasonable. We believe the following critical accounting estimates describe the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting estimates.Merchandise inventory. Our merchandise inventory is stated at the lower of cost (determined using a weighted-average basis) or net realizable value. Inventory we purchase can either be shipped to stores or processed as packaway merchandise with the intent that it will be warehoused and released to stores at a later date. Merchandise inventory includes acquisition, transportation, pr ocessing, and storage costs. Included in the carrying value of our merchandise inventory is a provision for shortage. The shortage reserve is based on historical shortage rates as determined through our annual physical inventory counts and cycle counts. Historically, our actual physical inventory count results have shown our provision for shortage to be reliable. A five percent change in shortage rates as of February 1, 2025 would not have materially impacted our cost of goods sold in fiscal 2024. Insurance obligations. We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risk management activities, including workers’ compensation, general liability, and employee-related health care benefits. Our self-insurance and deductible liability is determined actuarially, based on claims filed and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. Should a greater amount of claims occur compared to what is estimated or the costs of medical care increase beyond what was anticipated, our recorded reserves may not be sufficient and additional charges could be required. A five percent increase or decrease in our insurance reserves would not have materially impacted our net earnings in fiscal 2024.Recent Accounting Pronouncements Refer to Note A: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements and their impact to our Consolidated Financial Statements.Forward-Looking StatementsOur Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2024, and information we provide in our Annual Report to Stockholders, press releases, and other investor communications including those on our corporate website, may contain a number of forward-looking statements regarding, without limitation, projected sales, costs, earnings, planned new store growth, capital expenditures, sustainability and carbon reduction targets, and other matters. These forward-looking statements reflect our then-current beliefs, plans, and estimates with respect to future events and our projected financial performance, operations, and competitive position. The words “plan,” “expect,” “target,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “projected,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “looking ahead,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Future impact from inflation, high interest rates and interest rate changes, tariffs, ongoing military conflicts and economic sanctions, extreme weather, public health events, natural disasters, climate change, and other economic, regulatory, consumer spending, and industry trends that could potentially adversely affect our revenue, profitability, operating conditions, and growth are difficult to predict. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements and our previous expectations, plans, and projections. Refer to ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more complete discussion of risk factors for Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS. The factors underlying our forecasts and plans are dynamic and subject to change. As a result, any forecasts or forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are given, and do not necessarily reflect our outlook at any other point in time. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. 32