v2.4.0.6

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

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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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.

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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.

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Tabular disclosure of the reconciliation using percentage or dollar amounts of the reported amount of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for the year to the amount of income tax expense that would result from applying domestic federal statutory tax rates to pretax income from continuing operations.

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Tabular disclosure of income before income tax between domestic and foreign jurisdictions.

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