v2.4.0.6

Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Jan. 28, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] |
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities | The approximate tax effect of the significant components of Staples' deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
|  | January 28, 2012 |  | January 29, 2011
Deferred income tax assets: |  |  |  |
Deferred rent |  | $ | 46,446 |  |  | $ | 49,256 |
Foreign tax credit carryforwards |  | 90,730 |  |  | 109,913 |
Net operating loss carryforwards |  | 313,732 |  |  | 402,136 |
Capital loss carryforwards |  | 18,598 |  |  | 20,110 |
Employee benefits |  | 126,632 |  |  | 125,466 |
Merger related charges |  | 15,072 |  |  | 20,044 |
Inventory |  | 42,556 |  |  | 52,604 |
Insurance |  | 39,375 |  |  | 35,891 |
Deferred revenue |  | 82,724 |  |  | 26,672 |
Depreciation |  | 32,887 |  |  | 45,362 |
Unrealized loss on hedge instruments |  | 6,028 |  |  | 4,629 |
Other—net |  | 77,925 |  |  | 78,786 |
Total deferred income tax assets |  | 892,705 |  |  | 970,869 |
Total valuation allowance |  | (307,616 | ) |  | (331,567 | )
Net deferred income tax assets |  | $ | 585,089 |  |  | $ | 639,302 |
Deferred income tax liabilities: |  |  |  |
Intangibles |  | $ | (148,601 | ) |  | $ | (200,901 | )
Other—net |  | (4,616 | ) |  | (3,308 | )
Total deferred income tax liabilities |  | (153,217 | ) |  | (204,209 | )
Net deferred income tax assets |  | $ | 431,872 |  |  | $ | 435,093 |
Schedule of Income before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign | For financial reporting purposes, consolidated income before income taxes includes the following components (in thousands):
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
Pretax income: |  |  |  |  |  |
United States |  | $ | 1,009,979 |  |  | $ | 877,936 |  |  | $ | 728,765 |
Foreign |  | 449,162 |  |  | 478,659 |  |  | 427,129 |
|  | $ | 1,459,141 |  |  | $ | 1,356,595 |  |  | $ | 1,155,894 |
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) | The provision for income taxes consists of the following (in thousands):
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
Current tax expense: |  |  |  |  |  |
Federal |  | $ | 253,078 |  |  | $ | 142,282 |  |  | $ | 329,809 |
State |  | 59,877 |  |  | 49,797 |  |  | 42,547 |
Foreign |  | 155,647 |  |  | 103,317 |  |  | 116,180 |
Deferred tax expense (benefit): |  |  |  |  |  |
Federal |  | 75,233 |  |  | 141,103 |  |  | (63,494 | )
State |  | (4,666 | ) |  | 6,329 |  |  | (8,191 | )
Foreign |  | (63,861 | ) |  | 25,198 |  |  | (18,068 | )
Total income tax expense |  | $ | 475,308 |  |  | $ | 468,026 |  |  | $ | 398,783 |
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation | A reconciliation of the federal statutory tax rate to Staples' effective tax rate on net income is as follows:
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
Federal statutory rate |  | 35.0 | % |  | 35.0 | % |  | 35.0 | %
State effective rate, net of federal benefit |  | 2.6 |  |  | 3.3 |  |  | 2.9 |
Effect of foreign taxes |  | (4.6 | ) |  | (5.5 | ) |  | (3.4 | )
Tax credits |  | (0.5 | ) |  | (0.4 | ) |  | (0.7 | )
Italian tax refund (previously deemed uncollectible) |  | (1.4 | ) |  | — |  |  | — |
Other |  | 1.5 |  |  | 2.1 |  |  | 0.7 |
Effective tax rate |  | 32.6 | % |  | 34.5 | % |  | 34.5 | %
Summary Of Unrecognized Tax Benefits | The following summarizes the activity related to our unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands):
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
Balance at beginning of fiscal year |  | $ | 254,167 |  |  | $ | 264,277 |  |  | $ | 222,892 |
Additions for tax positions related to current year |  | 48,032 |  |  | 25,876 |  |  | 47,354 |
Additions (reductions) for tax positions of prior years |  | 15,361 |  |  | (9,983 | ) |  | 15,422 |
Reduction for Statute of Limitations Expiration |  | (13,441 | ) |  | (19,840 | ) |  | (20,802 | )
Settlements |  | (53,722 | ) |  | (6,163 | ) |  | (589 | )
Balance at end of fiscal year |  | $ | 250,397 |  |  | $ | 254,167 |  |  | $ | 264,277 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 9 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of net deferred tax asset or liability recognized in an entity's statement of financial position, including the following: the total of all deferred tax liabilities, the total of all deferred tax assets, the total valuation allowance recognized for deferred tax assets. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 2 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32537-109319 + Details
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