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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 6 Months Ended
Jul. 30, 2016
Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation: The consolidated interim financial statements are unaudited and, in the opinion of management, reflect all normal recurring adjustments, accruals and deferrals among periods required to match costs properly with the related revenue or activity, considered necessary by The TJX Companies, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “TJX”) for a fair statement of its financial statements for the periods reported, all in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) consistently applied. The consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, contained in TJX’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016 (“fiscal 2016”).

These interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for the full fiscal year, because TJX’s business, in common with the businesses of retailers generally, is subject to seasonal influences, with higher levels of sales and income generally realized in the second half of the year.

The January 30, 2016 balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP.
Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year: TJX’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest to the last day of January of each year. The current fiscal year ends January 28, 2017 (“fiscal 2017”) and is a 52-week fiscal year. Fiscal 2016 was also a 52-week fiscal year.
Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation: TJX accounts for share-based compensation by estimating the fair value of each award on the date of grant. TJX uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model for stock options awarded and uses the market price on the grant date for performance-based restricted stock awards. Total share-based compensation expense was $24.9 million for the quarter ended July 30, 2016 and $22.6 million for the quarter ended August 1, 2015. Total share-based compensation expense was $49.9 million for the six months ended July 30, 2016 and $43.8 million for the six months ended August 1, 2015. These amounts include stock option expense as well as restricted and deferred stock amortization. There were options to purchase 1.0 million shares of common stock exercised during the quarter ended July 30, 2016 and options to purchase 3.3 million shares of common stock exercised during the six months ended July 30, 2016. There were options outstanding to purchase 25.3 million shares of common stock as of July 30, 2016. As of July 30, 2016, there was $123.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested share-based compensation arrangements granted under TJX’s stock incentive plan.
Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents: TJX generally considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. As of July 30, 2016, TJX’s cash and cash equivalents held by its foreign subsidiaries were $1,150.2 million, of which $264.3 million was held in countries where TJX has the intention to reinvest any undistributed earnings indefinitely.
Investments

Investments: Investments with maturities greater than 90 days but less than one year at the date of purchase are included in short-term investments. These investments are classified as trading securities and are stated at fair value. Investments are classified as either short- or long-term based on their original maturities. TJX’s investments are primarily high-grade commercial paper, institutional money market funds and time deposits with major banks.
Merchandise Inventories

Merchandise Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. TJX uses the retail method for valuing inventories at all of its businesses, except at Sierra Trading Post (“STP”) and Trade Secret. The businesses that utilize the retail method have some inventory that is initially valued at cost before the retail method is applied as it has not been fully processed for sale (e.g. inventory in transit and unprocessed inventory in our distribution centers). Under the retail method, TJX utilizes a permanent markdown strategy and lowers the cost value of the inventory that is subject to markdown at the time the retail prices are lowered in the stores. TJX accrues for inventory obligations at the time title transfers, which is typically at the time when inventory is shipped. As a result, merchandise inventories on TJX’s balance sheet include an accrual for in-transit inventory of $678.3 million at July 30, 2016, $690.3 million at January 30, 2016 and $638.2 million at August 1, 2015. Comparable amounts were reflected in accounts payable at those dates.
Leases

Leases: TJX begins to record rent expense when it takes possession of a store, which is typically 30 to 60 days prior to the opening of the store and generally occurs before the commencement of the lease term, as specified in the lease. Lease agreements involving property built to our specifications are reviewed to determine if our involvement in the construction project requires that we account for the project costs as if we were the owner for accounting purposes. We have entered into several lease agreements where we are deemed the owner of a construction project for accounting purposes. Thus, during construction of the facility the construction costs incurred by the lessor are included as a construction in progress asset along with a related liability of the same amount on our balance sheet. Upon completion of the project, a sale-leaseback analysis is performed to determine if the Company should record a sale to remove the related asset and related obligation and record the lease as either an operating or capital lease obligation. If the Company is precluded from derecognizing the asset when construction is complete, due to continuing involvement beyond a normal leaseback, the lease is accounted for as a financing transaction and the recorded asset and related financing obligation remain on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Accordingly, the asset is depreciated over its estimated useful life in accordance with the Company’s policy and a portion of the lease payments is allocated to ground rent and treated as an operating lease. The portion of the lease payment allocated to ground rental expense is based on the fair value of the land at the commencement of construction. Lease payments allocated to the non-land asset are recognized as reductions to the financing obligation and interest expense.
New Accounting Standards

New Accounting Standards: In March 2016, a pronouncement was issued that aims to simplify several aspects of accounting and reporting for share-based payment transactions. One provision requires that excess income tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to share-based payments be recognized within income tax expense in the statement of income, rather than within additional paid-in capital on the balance sheet. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact that this provision, which is to be applied prospectively, will have on its financial statements. The Company does not expect the other provisions within the pronouncement will have a material impact on its financial statements. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods, with early adoption permitted.

In May 2014, a pronouncement was issued that creates common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP. The new guidance supersedes most preexisting revenue recognition guidance. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard was originally scheduled to be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board proposed an update to this rule which deferred its effective date for one year. The proposed update stipulates the new standard would be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods therein, with an option to adopt the standard on the originally scheduled effective date. The standard shall be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. For TJX, the standard will be effective in the first quarter of the fiscal year ending January 26, 2019. TJX is currently evaluating the impact of the new pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, a pronouncement was issued that aims to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and requiring disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods; early adoption is permitted and modified retrospective application is required. TJX is in the process of evaluating this guidance to determine the impact it will have on our financial statements.

 

In April 2015, a pronouncement was issued that requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The guidance was effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. For TJX, the standard was effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. As a result, we have recast the January 30, 2016 consolidated balance sheet to conform to the current period presentation. The adoption of this standard reduced previously-presented other assets by $9.1 million and reduced long-term debt by $9.1 million as of January 30, 2016. In addition, we have also recast the August 1, 2015 consolidated balance sheet to conform to the current period presentation. The adoption of this standard reduced previously-presented other assets by $9.9 million and reduced long-term debt by $9.9 million as of August 1, 2015.

In November 2015, a pronouncement was issued that requires entities to present deferred tax assets (DTAs) and deferred tax liabilities (DTLs) as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. It simplified then existing guidance, which required entities to separately present DTAs and DTLs as current or noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. TJX adopted this guidance as of January 30, 2016, and applied it retrospectively. The impact on the August 1, 2015 consolidated balance sheet was to reduce previously-presented current DTAs by $128.2 million, decreased long-term DTAs by $2.4 million and reduced long-term DTLs by $130.6 million as of August 1, 2015.