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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Jan. 28, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Staples leases certain retail and support facilities under long-term non-cancelable lease agreements. Most lease agreements contain renewal options and rent escalation clauses and, in some cases, allow termination within a certain number of years with notice and a fixed payment. Certain agreements provide for contingent rental payments based on sales. Other long-term obligations at January 28, 2012 include $122.6 million relating to future rent escalation clauses and lease incentives under certain existing store operating lease arrangements. These rent obligations are recognized on a straight-line basis over the respective terms of the leases. Future minimum lease commitments due for retail and support facilities (including lease commitments for 37 retail stores not yet opened at January 28, 2012) and equipment leases under non-cancelable operating leases are as follows (in thousands):
Fiscal Year: | Total
2012 | $ | 867,147 |
2013 | 774,273 |
2014 | 664,264 |
2015 | 557,642 |
2016 | 454,235 |
Thereafter | 1,269,073 |
| $ | 4,586,634 |
Future minimum lease commitments do not include $31.9 million of minimum rentals due under non-cancelable subleases. Rent expense was $839.6 million, $829.4 million and $834.3 million for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. As of January 28, 2012, Staples had purchase obligations of $488.9 million. Many of the Company's purchase commitments, including intercompany commitments, may be canceled by the Company without advance notice or payment, and accordingly the Company has excluded such commitments from the following schedule. Contracts that may be terminated by the Company without cause or penalty, but that require advance notice for termination, are valued on the basis of an estimate of what the Company would owe under the contract upon providing notice of termination. Such purchase obligations will arise as follows (in thousands):
Fiscal Year: | Total
2012 | $ | 369,143 |
2013 through 2014 | 49,588 |
2015 through 2016 | 18,755 |
Thereafter | 51,435 |
| $ | 488,921 |
Letters of credit are issued by Staples during the ordinary course of business through major financial institutions as required by certain vendor contracts. As of January 28, 2012, Staples had open standby letters of credit totaling $147.8 million. The Company has become the subject of several class action lawsuits filed in various states, where the plaintiffs alleged the Company failed to comply with federal and state overtime laws and that it failed to pay them overtime because assistant store managers were misclassified as exempt from overtime pay. In January 2010, the Company and the attorneys for the plaintiffs jointly announced a settlement of these suits recording a charge of $42.0 million, including interest, class counsel's attorney's fees and a previous jury verdict obtained in February 2009 for one of these class action lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement, the Company does not admit to any wrongdoing in connection with misclassification and resolves claims for damages as far back as 2002 that cover approximately 5,500 current and former associates. In connection with the 1991 acquisition of Agena S.A., Corporate Express initiated legal proceedings against Béfec (a predecessor of PricewaterhouseCoopers, France), the accountants who certified the acquisition balance sheet. Corporate Express claimed damages totaling €134.0 million plus interest and fees. In October 2010, the Commercial Court in France issued its judgment in this case and did not award any of the claimed damages to Corporate Express. The Company is currently appealing the judgment. Staples has a contractual dispute with Corely S.C./Lyreco S.A.S., as a result of acquiring Corporate Express. Prior to Staples' acquisition of Corporate Express, Corporate Express and Corely/Lyreco entered into an agreement that required Corporate Express to pay €30.0 million to Corely/Lyreco in the event that the merger between Corporate Express and Corely/Lyreco was not completed as a result of Staples' acquisition of Corporate Express. Upon Staples' acquisition of Corporate Express, Corporate Express paid the €30.0 million to Corely/Lyreco. Corely/Lyreco is seeking through arbitration to have Staples gross up this payment to cover the corporate income taxes it incurred as a result of the payment, which Corely/Lyreco claims is approximately €12.0 million plus interest and legal fees. Staples believes that it has meritorious defenses to this contractual dispute. However, there is a reasonable possibility that the arbitral tribunal could rule against Staples and require Staples to pay a portion or all of the corporate taxes incurred by Corely/Lyreco as a result of the payment. At the time the Corporate Express tender offer was fully settled on July 23, 2008, Staples had acquired more than 99% of the outstanding capital stock of Corporate Express. Staples worked diligently to acquire the remaining capital stock of Corporate Express by means of a compulsory judicial "squeeze out" procedure in accordance with the Dutch Civil Code. This squeeze out process turned out to be a long and cumbersome process, and in October 2011, Staples withdrew the squeeze out proceedings. Any additional payments Staples makes to purchase the remaining outstanding capital stock will be recorded in equity pursuant to ASC Topic 810, "Noncontrolling Interest in Consolidated Financial Instruments." In addition, from time to time, the Company is involved in litigation arising from the operation of its business that is considered routine and incidental to its business. The Company does not expect the results of any of these actions to have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations or financial condition.

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