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As Of Filer Filing As/For/On Docs:Pgs Issuer Agent 6/30/03 Distribution & Service D&S SA 20-F 12/31/02 7:243 Bowne of NY City...01/FA
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| FORM 20-F |
United States
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
FORM 20-F
(Mark One)
| o | REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
| x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002
OR
| o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| For the transition period from to |
Commission file number 333-7616
Distribución y Servicio D&S S.A.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Distribution and Service D&S Inc.
(Translation of the Registrant’s name in English)
The Republic of Chile
Avenida Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva 8301
Quilicura
Santiago, Chile
(56-2) 200-5000
(Address and telephone number of principal executive offices)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Name of each exchange on which registered | |
| Common Stock of Registrant represented by American Depositary Shares, or ADSs |
New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.
Common Stock, with no par value: 1,380,000,000
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
x Yes o No
Indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.
o Item 17 x Item 18
| Page | ||||||||||||
| INTRODUCTION | 3 | |||||||||||
| PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER INFORMATION | 4 | |||||||||||
| PART I | 5 | |||||||||||
| Item 1 | IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS |
5 | ||||||||||
| Item 2 | OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE |
5 | ||||||||||
| Item 3 | KEY INFORMATION |
5 | ||||||||||
| Item 4 | INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY |
19 | ||||||||||
| Item 5 | OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS |
43 | ||||||||||
| Item 6 | DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES |
64 | ||||||||||
| Item 7 | MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
69 | ||||||||||
| Item 8 | FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
71 | ||||||||||
| Item 9 | THE OFFER AND LISTING |
71 | ||||||||||
| Item 10 | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
73 | ||||||||||
| Item 11 | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
86 | ||||||||||
| Item 12 | DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES |
87 | ||||||||||
| PART II | 87 | |||||||||||
| Item 13 | DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES |
87 | ||||||||||
| Item 14 | MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY
HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS |
87 | ||||||||||
| Item 15 | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES |
87 | ||||||||||
| Item 16. | [Reserved] |
88 | ||||||||||
| PART III | 88 | |||||||||||
| Item 17 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
88 | ||||||||||
| Item 18 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
88 | ||||||||||
| Item 19 | EXHIBITS |
88 | ||||||||||
| INDEX TO EXHIBITS | 88 | |||||||||||
| SIGNATURE | 90 | |||||||||||
| CERTIFICATION | 91 | |||||||||||
2
INTRODUCTION
Distribución y Servicio D&S S.A. is a corporation organized under the laws of Chile. We completed our initial public offering of common shares in Chile in December 1996. We listed our common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DYS” and completed an initial public offering of ADSs in the United States in October 1997. We also listed our common shares on the Madrid Stock Exchange in December 2002. Our principal executive offices are located at Avenida Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva 8301, Quilicura, Santiago, Chile, and our telephone number is 011-562-200-5000.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This annual report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements appear throughout this annual report, including, without limitation, under Item 3— “Key Information — Risk Factors,” Item 4— “Information on the Company” and Item 5 — “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects”. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things:
| • | our business model, | ||
| • | our strategy, | ||
| • | any acquisitions or divestitures, | ||
| • | any plans for entering into strategic relationships and joint ventures, | ||
| • | any new store openings, | ||
| • | our expectations regarding ongoing litigation, | ||
| • | financings and capital increase, | ||
| • | the performance of the Chilean economy, and | ||
| • | other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this annual report that are not historical fact. |
When used in this annual report, the words “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, unforeseen competitive pressures, Chilean economic conditions and changes in the marketplace. In light of the many risks and uncertainties surrounding our marketplace, you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report will be realized.
3
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER INFORMATION
Unless otherwise specified, references herein to “dollars,” “U.S. dollars” or “US$” are to United States dollars; references to “pesos,” “Chilean pesos” or “Ch$” are to Chilean pesos; references to “UF” are to Unidades de Fomento, a daily indexed Chilean peso-denominated monetary unit that takes into account the effect of the Chilean inflation rate of the previous month. Certain amounts contained herein may not total due to rounding. Unless otherwise specified, our financial data is presented herein in constant Chilean pesos of December 31, 2002 purchasing power.
As used in this Annual Report, “supermarket” means a retail store that sells different foodstuffs and household items, each of which is referred to as a stock keeping unit, or SKU, and that has three or more checkout counters. This definition is consistent with the definition of “supermarket” used by the Chilean Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (Chilean National Institute of Statistics), or INE. One meter equals 3.2808 feet or 1.0936 yards and one square meter equals 10,7639 square feet. The term “net revenues” as used herein includes:
| • | product sales attributed to our retail operations; | ||
| • | fees received from suppliers for access to selling spaces, in the form of rebates, special promotions or payments upon opening new stores (together, “supplier fees”); | ||
| • | revenues from our concessionaires in each store; and | ||
| • | revenues from our credit card operations, in each case, net of the value added taxes, or VAT, paid by the consumer. |
In the presentation of results by format, the contributions to net revenues are included in the store format to which they were attributable. The term “sales,” as used herein, is distinct from “net revenues,” and is limited to product sales (net of value added tax) attributed to our retail operations.
Chile is divided into political subdivisions, each called a “Region”. The Regions are denominated by Roman numerals (i.e., I-XIII), except for the Region which encompasses the capital, Santiago, which is called the Santiago metropolitan region or SMR.
Information contained in this Annual Report regarding annual volume, per capita growth rates and levels, market share, product segment, and population data in the supermarket industry has been computed by us based upon market statistics. Sales figures for the supermarket industry in Chile, which are based upon industry surveys and information reported to INE, are based on data supplied by the A.C. Nielsen Company. Additional data was obtained from third parties and from our own research. We believe that our estimates are reliable, but they have not been confirmed by independent sources.
4
PART I
Item 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
Not applicable.
Item 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
Not applicable.
Item 3. KEY INFORMATION
The following table presents our selected consolidated and other financial and operating information at the dates and for the periods indicated. The selected financial information for the years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, was derived from and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto, included elsewhere in this Form 20-F, which were audited by Deloitte & Touche, independent accountants. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with Chilean GAAP, which differs in certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP. Note 24 to our consolidated financial statements provides a description of the principal differences between Chilean GAAP and U.S. GAAP as they relate to us and a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP of net income and total shareholders’ equity for the periods and as of the dates covered thereby.
As required by Chilean GAAP, our financial statements are adjusted to reflect changes in purchasing power of the Chilean peso due to inflation. These changes are based on the consumer price index, or CPI, measured from December 1 to November 30 of each year. Chilean GAAP requires monetary assets and liabilities to be translated at year-end rates of exchange, non-monetary assets and liabilities to be translated at historical rates of exchange as of the date of acquisition or incurrence, as the case may be, and income and expense accounts to be translated at the average monthly exchange rate for the month in which they are recognized.
For the convenience of the reader, this Form 20-F contains translations of certain Chilean peso amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S. dollar equivalent information for amounts in Chilean pesos is based on the Observed Exchange Rate (as defined herein under “Exchange Rates in Chile”) reported by the Banco Central de Chile (the “Central Bank of Chile” or the “Central Bank”) for December 31, 2002, which was Ch$718.61 = US$1.00. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York does not report a noon buying rate in New York City for Chilean pesos. No representation is made that the Chilean peso or U.S. dollar amounts shown in this Form 20-F could have been or could be converted into pesos or U.S. dollars, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.
Our consolidated financial results for the year ended December 31, 1999 included the results of Ekono-Argentina through November 30, 1999, at which time it was sold to Disco S.A., an Argentine supermarket company, controlled by Royal Ahold, the Netherlands-based retailer. Ekono-Argentina accounted for 10.8% of our net revenues for 1999. At the time of acquisition, in December 1999, Disco S.A. made a cash payment of US$60 million and agreed to pay US$90 million in May 2003, an obligation that was guaranteed by Disco Ahold International Holdings N.V., now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold. In December 2002, Royal Ahold, through its general counsel, communicated to us its intention to submit this obligation to the Argentine regulatory rules on currency convertibility, which provide that U.S. dollar obligations for instruments governed by Argentine law may be satisfied by payment in Argentine peso on a one-to-one basis. On May 2, 2003 Disco S.A. paid to our company the Argentine peso equivalent of the obligation, or US$38 million, effectively defaulting on the obligation, both in the currency of payment as well as in the amount thereof.
5
Our company has steadfastly rejected the applicability of the Argentine currency convertibility regime to Disco S.A. and to Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V., the guarantor, a non-Argentine entity, as to this obligation (which was explicitly undertaken to be a U.S. dollar obligation). We have retained counsel in Chile, Argentina and the Netherlands and have commenced legal actions against the guarantor, Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V., in the Netherlands Antilles, and against its parent, Royal Ahold, in the Netherlands, in order to collect the defaulted amount.
If our legal actions are unsuccessful, we will incur an extraordinary loss of US$52 million.
Subsequent to the issuance of our 2001 financial statements, we determined that it was appropriate to restate the U.S. GAAP data presented for 1999 through 2001 for the following reasons:
| • | In connection with the sale of Ekono Argentina to Disco S.A. in 1999 we recorded a US$90 million cash consideration receivable from Disco S.A. discussed above at its undiscounted value. Since this amount was not payable until May 2003, U.S. GAAP requires that the receivable be recorded at its present value and that the imputed interest on the receivable be recognized as interest over the term of the receivable. The U.S. GAAP data for 1999 through 2001 has been restated to reflect a reduction in the profit of the Ekono Argentina sale in 1999 and the increase in interest income from 1999 through 2001 by the interest accreted on the receivable. | ||
| • | In 1996 we acquired a 100% interest in Maquinsa S.A. As a result of a dispute with a former shareholder of Maquinsa S.A. we paid ThCh$1,032,927 in 1999 as a result of arbitration proceedings relating to this dispute. This amount was initially recorded as an adjustment to the goodwill that was recorded upon the acquisition of Maquinsa S.A. However, we have adjusted the U.S. GAAP reconciliation as the amount should have been recognized as an expense in 1999 under U.S. GAAP. |
The effect of these adjustments on our net income and shareholders’ equity under U.S. GAAP is described in note 24.b.6 to the financial statements.
6
| At and for the year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002(1) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions of constant Ch$ and millions of US$, except per Share or ADS amounts) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
INCOME STATEMENT DATA: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chilean GAAP: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
Ch$ | 721,827 | Ch$ | 903,156 | Ch$ | 852,182 | Ch$ | 940,310 | Ch$ | 1,048,237 | US$ | 1,459 | ||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
(569,592 | ) | (714,094 | ) | (666,743 | ) | (728,632 | ) | (808,988 | ) | (1,126 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Gross income |
152,235 | 189,062 | 185,439 | 211,677 | 239,249 | 333 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selling and administrative expenses |
(125,377 | ) | (159,121 | ) | (137,123 | ) | (155,623 | ) | (197,007 | ) | (274 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Operating income |
26,858 | 29,942 | 48,317 | 56,055 | 42,242 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Non-operating income |
2,972 | 1,473 | 2,541 | 1,597 | 1,307 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Non-operating expenses |
(9194 | ) | (37067 | ) | (17,521 | ) | (15,273 | ) | (20,546 | ) | 29 | |||||||||||||||
Price level restatement |
1,425 | (1,572 | ) | 664 | 5,703 | 5,431 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
Non-operating loss |
(4,798 | ) | (37166 | ) | (14,316 | ) | (7,972 | ) | (13,808 | ) | (19 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes |
22,061 | (7,223 | ) | 34,000 | 48,082 | 28,434 | 40 | |||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) taxes |
(2,091 | ) | (2,381 | ) | (3,512 | ) | (7,537 | ) | (4,657 | ) | (6 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
Ch$ | 19,969 | Ch$ | (9,606 | ) | Ch$ | 30,488 | Ch$ | 40,546 | Ch$ | 23,777 | US$ | 33 | |||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per share(2) |
Ch$ | 14.48 | Ch$ | (6.96 | ) | Ch$ | 22.08 | Ch$ | 29.39 | Ch$ | 17.2 | US$ | 0.02 | |||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per ADS(3) |
217.31 | (104.51 | ) | 331.32 | 440.72 | 258.4 | 0.36 | |||||||||||||||||||
Dividends per share(4) |
1.11 | 8.90 | 8.69 | 6.18 | 5.0 | 0.007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends per ADS(3)(4) |
16.69 | 133.42 | 130.39 | 92.7 | 75 | 0.104 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding (in
millions)(5) |
1,378 | 1,378 | 1,380 | 1,380 | 1,380 | 1,380 | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. GAAP: |
Restated | Restated | Restated | Restated | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenues |
Ch$ | 721,827 | Ch$ | 903,156 | Ch$ | 852,182 | Ch$ | 940,310 | Ch$ | 1,048,237 | US$1,459 | |||||||||||||||
Operating income |
26,555 | 29,524 | 47,900 | 55,617 | 36,850 | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
19,477 | (18,519 | ) | 32,035 | 44,006 | 29,116 | 41 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per share |
14.13 | (13.43 | ) | 23.21 | 31.89 | 21.1 | 0.05 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per ADS(3) |
212.01 | (201.29 | ) | 348.21 | 478.33 | 316.48 | 0.44 | |||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding (in
millions)(5) |
1,378 | 1,378 | 1,380 | 1,380 | 1,380 | 1,380 | ||||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE SHEET DATA: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chilean GAAP: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
Ch$ | 167,859 | Ch$ | 164,986 | 136,682 | 154,885 | 247,513 | 344 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net property, plant and equipment |
485,246 | 398,278 | 412,965 | 454,232 | 489,579 | 681 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
672,205 | 628,324 | 620,515 | 686,682 | 755,261 | 1,051 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Short-term debt(6) |
200,085 | 90,330 | 12,976 | 44,982 | 114,691 | 160 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debt |
47,525 | 125,267 | 188,409 | 162,052 | 137,476 | 191 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total shareholders equity |
269,021 | 246,523 | 266,244 | 290,949 | 300,733 | 418 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ratio of shareholders equity to
capitalization |
52.1 | % | 53.3 | % | 56.9 | % | 58.4 | % | 54.3 | % | — | |||||||||||||||
U.S. GAAP: |
Restated | Restated | Restated | Restated | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
Ch$ | 675,367 | Ch$ | 629,618 | Ch$ | 622,838 | Ch$ | 688,543 | Ch$ | 760,691 | US$ | 1,059 | ||||||||||||||
Long-term debt |
47,525 | 127,650 | 192,264 | 162,052 | 137,476 | 191 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total shareholders’ equity |
260,820 | 234,134 | 252,221 | 275,331 | 290,220 | 404 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other Financial Information
(Chilean GAAP): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
Ch$ | 213,547 | Ch$ | 27,566 | 50,039 | 71,199 | 68,160 | 94.85 | ||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
20,538 | 35,514 | 29,804 | 31,443 | 34,254 | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Funds from (provided) operations |
4,927 | 91,028 | 63,918 | 66,131 | 27,664 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Financial Ratios(7) (Chilean GAAP): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross margin |
21.1 | % | 20.9 | % | 21.8 | % | 22.5 | % | 22.82 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Operating margin |
3.7 | % | 3.3 | % | 5.7 | % | 6.0 | % | 4.03 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Net margin |
2.8 | % | (1.1 | )% | 3.6 | % | 4.3 | % | 2.27 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Current ratio |
48.1 | % | 65.0 | % | 84.5 | % | 68.3 | % | 79.52 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total debt/total shareholders’ equity |
92.0 | % | 87.4 | % | 75.6 | % | 74.1 | % | 83.85 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Operating Data |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of stores (at end of period): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Almac |
6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ekono |
31 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Lider |
13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Lider Vecino |
— | — | 3 | 5 | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Lider Mercado |
— | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ekono-Argentina |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
7
| At and for the year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002(1) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (in millions of constant Ch$ and millions of US$, except per Share or ADS amounts) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
59 | 51 | 52 | 54 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total selling space of stores(8) |
260,052 | 230,031 | 242,007 | 263,635 | 309,361 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Average selling space per store(9) |
4,408 | 4,510 | 4,566 | 4,810 | 5,005 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Average sales per store (in millions)(10) |
Ch$ | 11,626 | Ch$ | 14,367 | Ch$ | 14,531 | Ch$ | 16,019 | Ch$ | 16,036 | US$ | 22.3 | ||||||||||||||
Increase (decrease) in same store
sales(11) |
(1.8 | )% | (9.7 | )% | 2.4 | % | 3.0 | % | 1.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Sales per square meter (in millions)(12) |
Ch$ | 2.51 | Ch$ | 3.22 | Ch$ | 3.19 | Ch$ | 3.35 | Ch$ | 3.19 | US$ | 0.004 | ||||||||||||||
Total number of employees(13) |
11,866 | 10,536 | 12,154 | 15,988 | 17,912 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sales per employee(14) |
Ch$ | 67.33 | Ch$ | 71.07 | Ch$ | 67.22 | Ch$ | 65.80 | Ch$ | 58.12 | US$ | 0.081 | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Chilean peso amounts (except dividends) have been translated into U.S. dollars at the rate of Ch$718.61 per U.S. dollar, the Observed Exchange Rate at December 31, 2002. Dividends are translated at the Observed Exchange Rate on the date of payment. | |
| (2) | Net income (loss) per share expressed in constant Chilean pesos. | |
| (3) | Determined by multiplying per share amounts by 15 (one ADS = 15 shares). | |
| (4) | Figures are in constant Chilean pesos and U.S. dollars. U.S. dollar amounts for dividends are calculated by applying the Observed Exchange Rate on the dividend payment date to the nominal peso amount. | |
| (5) | Calculated on the basis of the number of shares outstanding and fully paid. | |
| (6) | Short-term debt consists of short-term debt plus current portion of long-term debt. | |
| (7) | These ratios, which are expressed as percentages, were calculated as follows: Gross Margin = (Gross income)/(Net revenues); Operating Margin = (Operating income)/(Net revenues); Net margin = (Net income)/(Net revenues); Current Ratio = (Current Assets)/(Current Liabilities). | |
| (8) | In square meters at period end. For 1999 includes a reduction of 32,002 square meters due to our sale of Ekono-Argentina to Disco S.A. | |
| (9) | In square meters at period end. Calculated by adding the average monthly selling space for each month during the year and dividing the result by 12. Average monthly selling space is defined as total selling space as of the last day of the month divided by the number of stores open on the last day of such month. Sales area of Farmalider stores not included(marginal). | |
| (10) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos and U.S. dollars. Sales for the period divided by the average number of stores at the end of each month during the period. It includes sales from Farmalider stores. | |
| (11) | Reflects increase (decrease) in net revenues of all stores open and operated by our company throughout two corresponding financial periods and, consequently, excludes net revenues of stores opened or closed or which underwent renovation during either of such periods. | |
| (12) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos and U.S. dollars. Sales for the period divided by the average square meters of selling space at the end of each month during the period includes sales from Farmalider stores, sales area of these stores is not included. | |
| (13) | Number of full-time equivalent employees at period-end (company total). | |
| (14) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos and U.S. dollars. Sales for the period divided by the average number of employees at the end of each month during the period (full time shifts in stores) including employees in Farmalider stores. |
8
Exchange Rates
Chile’s Ley Orgánica Constitucional del Banco Central de Chile Nº 18,840 (the “Central Bank Act”), enacted in 1989, relaxed restrictions on buying and selling foreign currencies in Chile. Prior to 1989, the law authorized the purchase and sale of foreign currencies in only those cases explicitly authorized by the Central Bank.
The Central Bank Act provides that the Central Bank of Chile (“the Central Bank”) may determine that certain purchases and sales of foreign currencies specified by law must be carried out in the market formed by banks and other institutions authorized by the Central Bank for such purposes (the “Formal Exchange Market”). The Central Bank reports an exchange rate (“Observed Exchange Rate”) which for any given date is computed by averaging prices from the previous day’s transactions in the Formal Exchange Market. Banks and other institutions may effect purchases and sales of foreign currencies in the Formal Exchange Market at such rates as they freely determine from time to time.
Since 1989, the Central Bank has also made use of a referential daily rate (“Reference Exchange Rate”) that factors in domestic and foreign inflation as well as variations in the parity between the peso and the U.S. dollar, the Euro and the Japanese yen. As of December 30, 2002, the Reference Exchange Rate was Ch$549.08 to US$1.00. The Central Bank buys or sells foreign currency in the Formal Exchange Market to maintain the average exchange rate within certain limits. In order to promote exchange rate flexibility, however, as of September 2, 1999, the Central Bank decided to suspend its formal commitment to intervene in the foreign exchange market to maintain the limits on the range of exchange rates. It was, therefore, agreed that the Central Bank would intervene in the exchange rate market only in exceptional cases and that it would report such decisions. The Central Bank will continue to calculate and publish the daily referential exchange rate according to the regulations in effect as a medium-term benchmark for the market and for its use in contracts still in effect with that exchange rate.
The Central Bank has ruled that certain foreign currency transactions, including those transactions associated with foreign investment, may be effected only through the Formal Exchange Market. While authorized to effect transactions within a given pre-established range of exchange rates surrounding the Reference Exchange Rate, the Central Bank operates at the cash rate.
Foreign exchange transactions that may be effected outside the Formal Exchange Market can be carried out in the so-called Mercado Informal (the “Informal Exchange Market”), which is an accepted currency market in Chile. There are no limits imposed on the extent to which the rate of exchange in the Informal Exchange Market can fluctuate above or below the Observed Exchange Rate.
The following table sets forth the high, low, average and year-end Observed Exchange Rates for U.S. dollars for the periods indicated as expressed in pesos per US$1.00, as reported by the Central Bank. No indication is made that the Chilean peso or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this annual report actually represent, could have been or could be converted into, U.S. dollars or Chilean pesos, as the case may be, at the rates indicated, at any particular rate or at all. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York does not report a daily 12:00 P.M. buying rate for Chilean pesos:
| Observed Exchange Rate (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Low (1) | High (1) | Average (2) | Year End | |||||||||||||
1997 |
411.85 | 439.81 | 420.64 | 439.18 | |||||||||||||
1998 |
439.58 | 475.41 | 462.20 | 472.41 | |||||||||||||
1999 |
470.23 | 550.93 | 512.85 | 530.07 | |||||||||||||
2000 |
501.04 | 580.37 | 542.08 | 573.65 | |||||||||||||
2001 |
557.13 | 716.62 | 636.39 | 654.79 | |||||||||||||
2002 |
641.75 | 756.56 | 694.46 | 718.61 | |||||||||||||
December 2002 |
692.94 | 712.38 | 701.95 | 718.61 | |||||||||||||
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| Observed Exchange Rate (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Low (1) | High (1) | Average (2) | Year End | |||||||||||||
January 2003 |
709.22 | 738.87 | 722.48 | N/A | |||||||||||||
February 2003 |
733.10 | 755.26 | 745.21 | N/A | |||||||||||||
March 2003 |
725.79 | 758.21 | 743.28 | N/A | |||||||||||||
April 2003 |
705.32 | 731.56 | 718.25 | N/A | |||||||||||||
May 2003 |
694.22 | 713.73 | 703.58 | N/A | |||||||||||||
| (1) | Reflects pesos at historical values rather than constant pesos. | |
| (2) | The average of Observed Exchange Rates for pesos on the last day of each full month during the relevant period. | |
| (3) | Transactions carried out on the previous bank business day reported by the Central Bank |
Source: The Central Bank.
The Chilean government’s economic policies and any future changes in the value of the Chilean peso against the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect on the dollar value of an investor’s return on investment. The Chilean peso has been subject to large devaluations in the past and may be subject to significant fluctuations in the future.
Cash distributions with respect to shares of Common Stock received by the Depositary will be received in Chilean pesos. The Depositary will attempt to convert such pesos to U.S. dollars at the then-prevailing exchange rate for the purpose of making dividend and other distribution payments with respect to the ADSs. If the value of the Chilean peso falls relative to the U.S. dollar between the declaration of dividends on the Common Stock and the distribution of such dividends by the Depositary, the amount in U.S. dollars distributed to holders of ADRs will decrease. Consequently, the value of the ADSs and any distributions to be received from the Depositary could be materially adversely affected by reductions in the value of the peso relative to the dollar.
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common shares involves a high degree of risk. Investors in our common shares should carefully consider the following risk factors and the other information in this annual report.
Risks Relating to Our Company
Increased competition may adversely affect our results of operations.
The retail food industry in Chile is characterized by growing competition and increasing pressure on profit margins. The number and type of competitors and the degree of competition experienced by individual stores vary by location. Competition occurs on the basis of price, location, quality of products, service product variety and store conditions. Through our different store formats, we compete across the full spectrum of food retailing in Chile with a number of national hypermarket and supermarket chains, smaller chains and unaffiliated independent food stores. International food retailers arrived in Chile in 1998 when Carrefour (France) opened its first store. Additionally, Ahold arrived through a joint venture with owners of Disco-Velox, who were the owners of Santa Isabel. In addition, it is likely that certain international food retailers may elect to participate in the Chilean market through joint ventures with national food retailers or through the acquisition of significant shareholdings in national food retailers. In Chile, we and our principal competitors have all announced expansion and modernization plans that are likely to result in our adopting more aggressive pricing policies at affected store locations. Additionally, there has been a consolidation process in the Chilean supermarket industry. Jumbo has purchased Santa Isabel from Ahold, to bolster its participation in the supermarket format. Also, some companies in other areas of the retail industry in Chile are expanding into other retail areas (including, for example, the merger of Falabella and Sodimac, a department store and home improvement store respectively). These developments will likely create opportunities for mergers and acquisitions. Our company intends to avail itself of future opportunities for growth.
Increasing competition may cause us to lower our prices and take other actions that adversely affect our profitability, compel us to reduce our planned capital expenditures or otherwise forego growth opportunities. Some of our competitors and potential competitors in Chile have greater financial resources than we do and could use these resources to take steps which could adversely affect our financial condition and competitive position. Although our management believes that we currently compete effectively in our industry and maintain a position of market leadership, there can be no assurance that future competition will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.
The Ibáñez family owns a substantial majority of our share capital and exercises significant influence over board decisions.
At December 31, 2002, Mr. Manuel Ibáñez Ojeda and his sons, Felipe Ibáñez Scott and Nicolás Ibàñez Scott, our controlling shareholders, controlled, directly or indirectly, 75.68% of our outstanding capital stock. Therefore, our controlling shareholders are in a position to direct our management and to determine the result of substantially all matters to be decided by a shareholder’s vote, including the election of a majority of the members of the board of directors, the determination of the amount of dividends we distribute (subject to the legally mandated minimum of 30% of net income), the ability to control persons named to our Executive Committee and management, the acquisition or disposition of assets, future issuance of shares or other securities and other management policies. In addition, if no voting instructions are received by the Depositary (as defined in Item 10 — “Additional Information—The Deposit Agreement”) from a holder of American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, on or before the date established by the Depositary for such purpose, such holder shall be deemed, and the Depositary shall
11
deem such holder, to have instructed the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy with full power of substitution to the President of our board of directors, or to a person designated by the President of our board of directors, to vote such shares on any such matter described under Item 10 — “Additional Information—Other Limitations”. For information on the Depositary Agreement, see Item 10 — “Additional Information—The Deposit Agreement”.
The decision of the Ibáñez family to dispose of a significant number of its shares could adversely affect the trading price of the shares and ADSs.
Because the Ibáñez family controls 75.68% of our capital stock, the disposition by them of a significant number of their shares, or the perception that such a disposition might occur, could adversely affect the trading price of the shares on the Chilean Stock Exchanges (and, consequently, the trading price of the ADSs). We cannot assure you that the Ibáñez family will continue to own a controlling percentage of our capital stock or that a reduction in their ownership percentage would not have an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
The growth of our credit card operations may expose us to increased credit and financial risk and may adversely affect our credit portfolio, financial condition and results of operations.
We continue to expand the operations of Presto, our in-store credit card, both in terms of the numbers of accountholders and the credit products offered. Presto is currently offered in all of our 62 Chilean store locations existing at December 31, 2002, that is, in four Almac stores, 23 Ekono stores, 21 Lider stores, all 13 Lider Vecino stores, and our Lider Mercado store (our newest hypermarket format launched in 2001). We assume sole responsibility for account approval and credit risk by administering Presto as a separate operating unit. Subject to our credit standards, we are seeking to increase the in-store credit available to our customers, particularly to permit the purchase of more expensive, higher margin, durable goods. As a result, our credit card operations accept a significant portion of applicants otherwise rejected by credit card operations administered by local banks. This expansion of credit card operations represents our first entry into the provision of financial services and an assumption by us of new credit risks and financial risks where we previously have had no direct experience. There can be no assurance that the continued expansion of our credit card operations (including our assumption of account approval and credit risk) will not result in a deterioration of the credit portfolio of Presto or that other factors, including macroeconomic factors, will not adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.
If we are unable to access capital markets in the future, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations or obtain sufficient funds from external sources to fund our capital expenditure requirements. Our future ability to access financial markets in sufficient amounts and at acceptable costs to finance our operations and fund our proposed capital expenditures will depend to a large degree on prevailing capital and financial market conditions over which we have no control, and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows or to obtain such financing could result in the delay or abandonment of some or all of our planned expenditures, which, in turn, could adversely affect our competitive position, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.
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The default on the payment of the deferred amount of the purchase price for Ekono-Argentina may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operation.
Due to the sale of Ekono-Argentina to Disco S.A. in December of 1999 for US$150 million, our direct exposure to Argentine risk has been limited. However, only US$60 million of the purchase price for our Argentine operations was paid in May 2000, with the balance of US$90 million payable in May 2003. We benefit from a guarantee on the deferred amount by the Netherlands Antilles Company “Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V.” We were informed in December 2002 that Disco S.A. would not pay us the entire US$150 million amount in dollars, but would instead convert the US$90 million balance owed to us into Argentine pesos under Argentine dollar convertibility regulations. On May 2, 2003, Ahold made payment of 126 million Argentine pesos, the equivalent of US$45 million, based on an effective exchange rate of 2.8 Argentine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar. This amount remitted by Ahold remains in Argentina. We are seeking approval from the Central Bank of Argentina to remit this amount to Chile. We do not accept Ahold’s attempt to reduce our balance due under the Argentine convertibility regime. Moreover, we are currently pursuing claims against the guarantor, Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V., in the Netherlands Antilles; as well as Royal Ahold, the parent company of the guarantor, in the Netherlands. Although we believe that our claim against Disco – Ahold International Holdings N.V. and Royal Ahold will ultimately succeed, should our claim fail and the default in the payment on such deferred amount continue unabated, the result will adversely affect our financial condition.
You may be unable to exercise preemptive rights.
Chilean law requires us, whenever we issue new capital stock for cash, to grant preemptive rights to all holders of our capital stock, giving them the right to purchase a sufficient number of shares to maintain their existing ownership percentage. However, we may not be able to offer shares to U.S. holders of ADSs pursuant to preemptive rights granted to our shareholders in connection with future issuances of capital stock, thereby subjecting the ADS holders to potential dilution.
In May 1997, the Chilean foreign exchange procedure, which must be complied with in relation to any subscription of rights and delivery of ADRs to holders of ADSs, was amended. Under the new procedures established by the Central Bank, a Chilean company with an existing ADS program may apply to the Central Bank to amend its Foreign Investment Contract (which will also be deemed to incorporate all laws and regulations applicable to international offerings in effect as of the date of the amendment) so as to extend the benefits of such contract to new shares issued pursuant to preemptive rights offerings to existing ADS holders. Any such amendment (which will be deemed to incorporate all laws and regulations applicable to international offerings in effect as of the date of the amendment) will be reviewed by the Central Bank on a case-by-case basis. These procedures are expected to make it easier for Chilean companies to offer preemptive rights to ADS holders in connection with capital increases.
Nevertheless, we may not be able to offer shares to U.S. holders of ADSs pursuant to preemptive rights granted to our shareholders unless a registration statement under the Securities Act is effective with respect to such rights and shares, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. At the time of any future offerings of shares, we intend to evaluate the costs and potential liabilities associated with any such registration statement, the indirect benefits to us of enabling U.S. holders of ADSs to exercise preemptive rights, and any other factors that we consider appropriate at the time, before making a decision as to whether to file such registration statement. We cannot assure you that any such registration statement would be filed.
To the extent that holders of ADSs are unable to exercise such rights because a registration statement has not been filed, the Depositary will attempt to sell such holders’ preemptive rights and distribute the net proceeds of the sale (net of the Depositary’s fees and expenses) to the holders of the ADSs, provided that a secondary market for such rights exists and a premium can be recognized over the
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cost of any such sale. A secondary market for the sale of preemptive rights can be expected to develop if the subscription price of the shares upon exercise of the rights is below the prevailing market price of the shares. In addition, Chilean income tax law provides a tax deduction to an individual resident taxpayer in an amount equal to a percentage of the individual’s investment in newly issued shares. Amounts received in exchange for the sale or assignment of preemptive rights relating to shares will be taxable in Chile and the United States. If such rights cannot be sold, they will expire and holders of ADSs will not realize any value from the grant of such preemptive rights. In either case, the equity interest in our company of the holders of ADSs would be diluted proportionately. We cannot assure you that a secondary market of preemptive rights will develop in connection with any future issuance of shares or, that if such a market does develop, a premium can be realized on their sale.
You may be unable to receive share dividends.
Chilean law provides that we can declare a dividend in cash or in shares. When a share dividend is declared above the legal minimum (which minimum must be paid in cash), we have the option to declare that the portion of the dividend above the legal minimum be paid either in shares or in cash. In the event that a share dividend is declared, U.S. holders of ADSs may not be permitted to receive such a dividend in shares unless a registration statement under the Securities Act is effective with respect to such shares, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. In the event that we shall offer or cause to be offered a dividend in shares to the U.S. holders of ADSs, or an option to elect to receive dividends in shares instead of cash, we agreed to consult with the Depositary to determine whether it is lawful and feasible to make such option available to U.S. holders of ADSs and, if such share dividend or option is to be made available to such holders, the procedures to be followed. In the event that we determine with the Depositary that such share dividend or option cannot be offered to U.S. holders of ADSs, the Depositary will sell such shares or elect to receive cash if such option is available and allocate the proceeds of such sale, or such cash, for the account of such ADS holders. The inability of all or certain U.S. holders of ADSs to receive dividends in shares could result in such holders not maintaining their percentage ownership of our common stock following the payment of dividends in shares unless such holder makes additional market purchases of ADSs.
Risks Relating to Chile
Our growth and profitability depend on the level of economic activity in Chile and other emerging markets.
At December 31, 2002, all of our assets were located in Chile. Since our sale of our Argentine operations in December 1999, all of our revenues have originated in Chile. Retail food sales show a high degree of correlation with the economic situation prevailing in the relevant market. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations are dependent to a significant extent upon economic conditions prevailing in Chile.
The main Chilean economic indices for 2002 show:
| • | GDP increased 2.1%; | ||
| • | internal consumption increased 1.4%; | ||
| • | unemployment remained at 9%; and | ||
| • | total supermarket sales increased 7.3%, but same store sales decreased by 2.6%. |
Our financial condition and results of operations could also be adversely affected by changes over which we have no control, including:
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| • | the economic or other policies of the Chilean government, which has a substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector; | ||
| • | other political or economic developments in or affecting Chile; and | ||
| • | regulatory changes or administrative practices of Chilean authorities. |
Our financial condition and results of operations also depend to some extent on the level of economic activity in both Latin American and other countries, especially the United States and certain nations in Asia. Although economic conditions are different in each country, investors’ reactions to developments in one country may affect the securities of issuers in other countries, including Chile.
The economic problems encountered by Argentina may have an adverse effect on the Chilean economy and on our results of operations and the share price of our ADSs and shares.
Argentina’s insolvency and recent default on its public debt, which deepened the existing financial, economic and political crises in that country, could adversely affect Chile, the market value of our shares and ADSs, or our business. The current Argentine president, Néstor Kirchner, took office on May 25, 2003, after his predecessor as president, Eduardo Duhalde, took office on January 6, 2002 in the midst of significant political unrest and after a series of interim presidents and administrations came to power following the resignation of President Fernando de la Rua in December 2001. The devaluation of the Argentine peso will continue to have a material adverse effect on Argentina and presents risks that the Argentine financial system may collapse and that substantial inflation may occur. The Argentine government prohibited Argentine debtors from servicing their external debt without Argentine Central Bank approval. If Argentina’s economic environment does not improve, the economy of Chile, as both a neighboring country and a trading partner, could also be affected and could experience slower growth than in recent years.
Securities prices of Chilean companies are, to varying degrees, influenced by economic and market considerations in other emerging market countries and by the U.S. economy. We cannot assure that the Argentine economic crisis will not have an adverse effect on Chile, the price of our shares and ADSs, or our business.
Currency fluctuations could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and the value of our shares and ADSs.
The Chilean government’s economic policies and any future changes in the value of the Chilean peso against the U.S. dollar could affect the dollar value of our common stock and our ADSs. The peso has been subject to large devaluations in the past and could be subject to significant fluctuations in the future. In the period from December 31, 1998 to December 31, 2002, the value of the Chilean peso relative to the U.S. dollar decreased approximately 52.1%, as compared to a 16.1% decrease in value in the period from December 31, 1995 to December 31, 1998. The observed exchange rate on May 31, 2003 was Ch$714.1 = U.S.$1.00. Our results of operations may be affected by fluctuations in the exchange rates between the peso and the dollar despite Chilean regulations relating to the general avoidance of material exchange rate mismatches.
No assurances can be given that the regulations referred to in the preceding paragraph will continue. In the absence of such regulations, and in the event of a devaluation of the peso, the financial condition and results of operations of Chilean companies, including us, and the ability of Chilean companies, including us, to meet obligations in foreign currencies, could be adversely affected. The Chilean government’s economic policies and future fluctuations in the value of the peso against the U.S.
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dollar could adversely affect our operating results and the dollar value of an investor’s return on an investment in the ADSs.
Chilean trading in the shares of our common stock that underlie our ADSs will be conducted in pesos. Cash distributions with respect to shares of our common stock will be received in Chilean pesos by the depositary and converted by the depositary into U.S. dollars at the then-prevailing exchange rate for the purpose of making payments in respect of our ADSs. If the value of the Chilean peso falls relative to the U.S. dollar, the value of our ADSs and any distributions to be received from the depositary would be adversely affected. In addition, the depositary will incur customary currency conversion costs (to be borne by the holders of our ADSs) in connection with the conversion and subsequent distribution of dividends or other payments.
Inflation could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and the value of our shares and ADSs.
Although Chilean inflation has moderated in recent years, Chile has experienced high levels of inflation in the past. High levels of inflation in Chile could adversely affect the Chilean economy and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The annual rates of inflation (as measured by changes in the CPI and as reported by the INE) in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 were 6.0%, 4.7%, 2.3%, 4.5%, 3.1% and 3.0%, respectively. We cannot assure you that Chilean inflation will not increase significantly. We generally pass on our increased costs resulting from inflation to our customers through increases in the prices of the products we sell. There can be no assurance, however, whether or to what extent we will pass on increased costs in the future. Further, there can be no assurance that the performance of the Chilean economy, our operating results or the value of the ADSs will not be adversely affected by continuing or increased levels of inflation or that Chilean inflation will not increase significantly from the current level.
The market for our shares may be volatile and illiquid.
The Chilean securities markets are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than major securities markets in the United States. The companies listed on the Santiago Stock Exchange, which is Chile’s principal exchange, had an aggregate equity market capitalization of approximately Ch$34,272,528 million (US$47,693 million) at December 31, 2002 and an aggregate average monthly trading volume of approximately US$284 million for 2002. The ten largest companies in terms of market capitalization at December 31, 2002, represented approximately 47% of the Santiago Stock Exchange’s aggregate market capitalization. Daily share trading volumes on the Santiago Stock Exchange are on average substantially lower than those on the principal national securities exchanges in the United States. For 2002, approximately 10% of the securities listed and traded on the Santiago Stock Exchange traded on 90% or more of the trading days.
In addition, the Chilean securities markets may be affected by developments in other emerging markets, particularly other countries in Latin America.
Chile imposes controls on foreign investment and repatriation of investments that may affect your investment in, and earnings from, our ADSs.
Equity investments in Chile by non-Chilean residents generally are subject to various exchange control regulations that restrict the repatriation of investments and earnings therefrom. The ADS facility, however, is the subject of a Foreign Investment Contract among the Depositary, us and the Central Bank, which grants the Depositary and the holders of the ADSs access to Chile’s Mercado Cambiario Formal, or Formal Exchange Market. Pursuant to current Chilean law, the Foreign Investment Contract may not be amended unilaterally by the Central Bank. Additionally, there are judicial precedents (although not
16
binding on future judicial decisions) indicating that the Foreign Investment Contract may not be abrogated by future legislative changes. There can be no assurance, however, that additional Chilean restrictions applicable to the holders of ADSs, to the disposition of underlying shares of Common Stock or to the repatriation of the proceeds from such disposition could not be imposed in the future, nor can there be any assessment of the duration or implications of any such restrictions that might be imposed. If, for any reason, including changes in the Foreign Investment Contract or Chilean law, the Depositary was unable to convert pesos to U.S. dollars, investors might receive dividends or other distributions in pesos. Transferees of shares withdrawn from the ADS facility will not be entitled to access the Formal Exchange Market unless the withdrawn shares are redeposited with the Depositary.
Cash and property dividends paid by us with respect to ADSs held by a foreign (non-Chilean) holder will be subject to a 35.0% Chilean withholding tax, which is withheld by our company. Stock dividends are not subject to Chilean taxation.
Chile has different corporate disclosure, governance and accounting standards than those you may be familiar with in the United States.
The securities laws of Chile which govern open or publicly listed companies, such as our company, impose disclosure requirements that are more limited than those in the United States in certain important respects. In addition, although Chilean law imposes restrictions on insider trading and price manipulation, the Chilean securities markets are not as highly regulated and supervised as the U.S. securities markets. There are also important differences between Chilean and U.S. accounting and financial reporting standards. As a result, Chilean financial statements and reported earnings generally differ from those reported based on U.S. accounting and reporting standards. See Note 24 to our audited financial statements for a description of the principal differences between Chilean GAAP and U.S. GAAP as they relate to us and a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP of net income and total shareholders’ equity for the periods and as of the dates therein indicated.
Pursuant to Chilean Companies Law No. 19.705, enacted in December 2000, the controlling shareholders of a Chilean open stock corporation can only sell their controlling shares through a tender offer issued to all shareholders in which the bidder would have to buy all the offered shares up to the percentage determined by it, when the price paid is substantially higher than the market price (that is, when the price paid was higher than the average market price of a period starting 90 days before the proposed transaction and ending 30 days before such proposed transaction, plus 10%). Transitory Article 10 of Law No. 19.705 established a term of three years during which the controlling shareholders of an open stock corporation would be authorized to sell their controlling shares directly to a third party without requiring a tender offer to all shareholders, provided that such authorization was granted by a general shareholders’ meeting held within a six-month period after the enactment of said Law. At our Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 24, 2001, however, our controlling shareholders decided not to invoke this grace period provided for by Transitory Article No. 10 of Law No. 19.705.
Despite our shareholders’ decision not to adopt Transitory Article No. 10 of Law 19.705, minority shareholders of our company may nevertheless still have fewer and less well defined rights under Chilean law and our Estatutos, as amended on April 24, 2001, which function as our Articles of Incorporation and our Bylaws, than they might have as minority shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a United States jurisdiction.
You may not be able to fully exercise your withdrawal rights.
In accordance with Chilean laws and regulations, any shareholder that votes against certain actions or does not attend the meeting at which such actions are approved may withdraw from our company and receive payment for our shares according to a prescribed formula, provided that such
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shareholder exercises its rights within certain prescribed time periods. Such actions triggering withdrawal rights include the approval of:
| • | the transformation of our company into an entity that is not a corporation (sociedad anónima) governed by the Chilean Companies Law; | ||
| • | our merger with or into another company; | ||
| • | the sale of 50% or more of our assets, whether or not our liabilities are included, or the formulation of a business plan contemplating a sale on those terms; | ||
| • | creation of personal securities or asset-backed securities for the purpose of guaranteeing third-party obligations in excess of 50% of our assets; | ||
| • | the creation of preferential rights for a class of shares or an amendment to those already existing rights, in which case the right to withdraw only accrues to the dissenting shareholders of the class or classes of shares adversely affected; | ||
| • | the remedy of nullification of our documents of incorporation caused by a formality or an amendment to such documents that results in the granting of a right to such remedy; and | ||
| • | such other cases as may be established by the Bylaws (no such additional cases currently are specified in the Bylaws). |
However, because of the absence of legal precedent as to whether a shareholder that has, at the same time, voted both for and against a proposal (such as the Depositary) may exercise withdrawal rights with respect to those shares voted against the proposal, there is doubt as to whether holders of ADSs will be able to exercise withdrawal rights either directly or through the Depositary.
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Item 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
General
Distribución y Servicio D&S S.A. is a corporation organized under the laws of Chile. We were incorporated in 1985, and we completed our initial public offering of common shares in Chile in December 1996. We listed our common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DYS” and completed an initial public offering of ADSs in the United States in October 1997. We also listed our common shares on the Madrid Stock Exchange in December 2002. Our principal subsidiaries are Administradora de Concesiones Comerciales de Hipermercados S.A., Administradora de Concesiones Comerciales de Supermercados S.A., Sociedad Anónima Inmobiliaria Terrenos y Establecimientos Comerciales S.A. (SAITEC S.A.), and Maquinsa S.A..
We are the largest operator of supermarkets in Chile in terms of sales with an estimated market share of 33.13% at December 2002 (30.4% for 2002 as a whole). With over a century of experience in the distribution and retailing of food in the Chilean market, we have developed five complementary store formats operating under five brand names, Almac (launched in the 1950s), Ekono (launched in 1984), Lider (launched in 1995), Lider Vecino (launched in 2000) and Lider Mercado (launched in 2001), each of which enjoys strong name recognition by the Chilean consumer and identification with a specific market position. We increased our total number of stores from 45 to 62 over the last five years, of which 39 are located in the Santiago metropolitan region, which has the highest population density of any region in Chile and in which we have a leading market share estimated at 41.2% at December 2002. Our expansion program currently contemplates the opening of eight new stores (four stores in 2003 and four stores in 2004) and the transformation of all our Ekono and Almac stores into the Lider Vecino format in 2003 to 2004.
Our multi-format strategy has allowed us to capitalize on the growing Chilean economy, particularly on the rising purchasing power of the middle and lower-middle classes in Chile. Our store formats permit us to segment the Chilean market and appeal to a wide range of customers with various combinations of price, quality, selection and service:
| • | the Almac format emphasizes quality of service and convenience, and currently includes four stores; | ||
| • | our 23 Ekono stores are value-oriented supermarkets, offering a wide assortment of merchandise at low prices, with the current slogan “You are the one that counts”; | ||
| • | our 21 Lider hypermarkets seek to be the low price leader, as evidenced by their slogan “Always the lowest prices” and their offer of “one-stop” shopping for traditional food items and non-food items such as home appliances, electronics, textiles, hardware and toys; | ||
| • | our 13 Lider Vecino stores combine the proximity and friendly atmosphere of neighborhood supermarkets with the advantages of low prices and wide product assortment; and | ||
| • | our single Lider Mercado store emphasizes perishables and provides the broadest assortment of quality products at low prices. |
Our expansion over the last several years has focused on the Lider format.
| • | The following table sets forth, at and for the year ended December 31, 2002, certain information regarding our operations in Chile: |
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| Chile | Total | |||||||||||
| Ekono-Almac(1) | Lider-Lider Vecino- | |||||||||||
| Lider Mercado(2) | ||||||||||||
Number of stores |
27 | 35 | 62 | |||||||||
Total selling space (in square meters) |
45,637 | 263,624 | 309,261 | |||||||||
Average selling space per store (in square meters) |
1,694 | 7,532 | 4,990 | |||||||||
Total number of employees(7) |
3,156 | 13,249 | 16,405 | |||||||||
Net revenues(3) (4) |
176.255 | 871.982 | 1.048.237 | |||||||||
Sales per square meter(3) (5) |
3.29 | 3.18 | 3.19 | |||||||||
Sales per employee(3)(6) |
51.0 | 59.9 | 58.1 | |||||||||
| (1) | Includes results for our company’s Ekono and Almac supermarkets. | |
| (2) | Includes results for our company’s Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado hypermarkets. | |
| (3) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos. | |
| (4) | Includes Ch$35,896 million from real estate leases made to third parties and other revenues. | |
| (5) | Supermarket sales for the period divided by the average square meters of selling space at the end of each month during the period. | |
| (6) | Sales for the period divided by the average number of employees at the end of each month during the period. | |
| (7) | Full shifts at December, only including employees in stores. |
We believe we have certain distinguishing characteristics and competitive strengths including:
| • | Multiformat Strategy. We have four established store formats with distinct attributes, allowing us to segment the market and target growth areas with the preferred format for the local market conditions. The multiple formats provide the flexibility to match each store site with the format best suited to the surrounding area. | ||
| • | Ownership of Strategic Real Estate. We own 94% of our current Chilean selling space and properties accounting for 95% of the additional selling space to be opened in Chile through the year 2002. This results in greater stability for our current operations and predictability for our expansion program. | ||
| • | Experienced Management. Our management has a demonstrated ability to launch and operate varied formats. | ||
| • | Leading Market Share. We are the market leader in Chile with a market share of 33.13% of Chilean supermarket sales for December 2002 as compared to an estimated 32.9% market share in 2001. | ||
| • | Advanced Distribution and Technology. Our distribution center on the outskirts of Santiago incorporates the most up-to-date technology and distribution logistics. With point of sale, or POS, scanners at every check-out and real time inventory control and sales monitoring systems, we use advanced retail technology comparable to that of leading supermarket companies worldwide. |
In 2002, we had net revenues of Ch$1,048,237 million (US$1,458.7 million), operating income of Ch$42,242 million (US$58.8 million) and net income of Ch$23,777 million (US$33.1 million). Our constant Chilean peso consolidated (or combined) net revenues have increased at a compound annual rate of 7.81% over the five year period from 1998 through 2002, from Ch$719,716 million in 1998 to Ch$1,048,237 million in 2002.
Our principal executive offices are located at Avenida Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva 8301, Quilicura, Santiago, Chile, and our telephone number is 011-562-200-5000.
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Strategy
We seek to further expand our sales and profitability by capitalizing on our core strengths and enhancing our market position in Chile. Key elements of our strategy include:
• Expansion and Renovation Program. From 2002 to 2004, we currently anticipate capital expenditures of approximately US$346 million and an increase of approximately 30% of total net selling space. Over the past five years, we spent approximately US$794 million, primarily to develop and expand our store formats. In 2003 and 2004, we expect to open eight new stores in Chile (four in each year) and to transform all our Ekono stores into the Lider format. Expansion will be concentrated in the Lider format in order to take advantage of the increasing purchasing power of the middle and lower middle classes in Chile to which these formats are targeted.
• Improvement of Operations-Faro Project. In October 2002, we initiated a comprehensive review of our operations which we refer to as the Faro Project (translated as the Lighthouse Project), with the objective of reducing costs and simplifying our operations by designing and implementing new procedures in two pilot stores. This program consists of four different focus areas. First, we are working on improving our level of productivity by increasing our number of part-time employees. We are also implementing nightly shift-changes in order to bolster productivity and efficiency. Second, we are improving our supply chain by implementing new software and technologies such as planograms, category management and SLIM, an automatic replenishment system. Third, we are working on reducing our operating costs by centralizing all negotiations with service suppliers, including utility, cleaning, raw materials, and maintenance companies. We are also in the process of reducing the number of suppliers we use. Finally, we are implementing a new process designed to reduce shrinkage. In February 2002, we began expanding the Faro project to other stores. We expect the program to be fully implemented in all stores by the end of November 2003.
• Expansion in Chile beyond the Santiago Metropolitan Region. As of December 31, 2000, we had 37 of our 52 stores located within the Santiago metropolitan region. In 2001 and 2002 we opened seven stores outside of Santiago and by the end of 2003 we will have opened three more stores outside of Santiago. Those openings include stores in Regions II, VI, VIII and X. As part of our growth strategy, we intend to continue our expansion throughout other regions of Chile, with plans to open four additional regional stores by the end of 2004.
• Increasing Sales of Private Label Products. We are targeting our private label products for expansion, which are marketed under the “Ekono”, “Lider” and “Buffet” brand names. Management believes that increasing private label offerings will permit us to provide consumers with lower priced products and bolster our average profit margin due to the fact that our private label products on average afford a profit margin significantly higher than brand name products.
• Expansion of Credit Card Operations. To provide an increased source of consumer credit and enhance the purchasing power of our customers, we intend to expand the use of our Presto in-store credit card. By continuing with our account approval responsibilities and increasing the amount of consumer financing we provide, we seek to benefit both in terms of increased sales and finance charges.
• Realizing Benefits of Centralized Distribution Center. We have already realized benefits from our distribution center in Santiago and expect to obtain further benefits in the future. Our goal is to centralize distribution of up to 75% of the merchandise required by our supermarkets and hypermarkets in the Santiago metropolitan area, permitting us to reduce in-store inventories, increase personnel efficiencies, reduce storage space. The results of these improvements, we believe will allow us to increase selling space, reduce shrinkage, and lower “stock-outs”. We are considering building additional distribution centers to serve our stores outside of the Santiago metropolitan area as we expand in other
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regions. Moreover, through our Faro project, we continue to work on improving efficiency in our central distribution center in order to achieve a target of 95% shelf service level.
• Continued Emphasis on Human Resource Management. We emphasize human resource management as a key area for a successful retail business. Management believes that it has developed a distinctive corporate culture and that its personnel policies for employees at all levels are distinguished by their emphasis on individual responsibility within a context of ongoing training and regular performance reviews.
History
Our history can be traced back to 1893 with the trading firm of Gratenau y Cía., founded by German immigrants in Valparaíso, a Chilean port city. Mr. Adolfo Ibáñez Boggiano joined Gratenau y Cía. in 1899. In the 1930s, Ibáñez y Cía., the successor firm to Gratenau y Cía., opened Depósitos Tres Montes, small retail warehouses selling coffee, tea and maté. In 1944, Mr. José Manuel Ibáñez Ojeda, in keeping with the evolving retail environment, converted the warehouses into self-service establishments selling an expanded range of products. The firm entered the modern age of food retailing in 1957 with the inauguration in Santiago of the first Supermercado Almac. Thereafter, Almac supermarkets gradually replaced the older self-service establishments.
During the 1980s, under its current leadership, the firm entered a new period of expansion. In 1984, the firm established its first Ekono supermarket in Santiago. In 1985, our company was incorporated as a distribution and service center for the related Almac and Ekono supermarkets.
On September 30, 1996, we acquired Ekono-Argentina for an aggregate purchase price equivalent to US$40 million. Ekono-Argentina had been established by the controlling shareholders in 1993 as a joint venture with Casa Tía S.A. (“Casa Tía”), an Argentine retailer, and opened its first two stores in Buenos Aires later that same year. In December of 1999, we entered into a contract to sell 100% of the shares of Ekono-Argentina to Disco S.A. for US$150 million. Of the total purchase price, US$60 million was paid in cash in May 2000 and the balance is payable on a deferred basis over three years. At the time of sale, Ekono-Argentina consisted of ten stores in Argentina which operated in the Ekono format and had net revenues of US$166 million, representing 10.8% of our annual consolidated net revenues in 1999.
In 1995, we opened our first hypermarket store under the Lider tradename. The following year on October 31, 1996, we acquired, from unrelated third parties, a 100.00% interest in Fullmarket S.A. for $12,541,143, that was paid during 1997. During 1999, we increased the goodwill balance by $1,032,927 paid as the result of the arbitration proceeding that settled a dispute with Fullmarket’s former owners.
In June of 2000, we launched a new store format with the opening of our first “Lider Vecino” (“Neighborhood Lider”) store in the Nuñoa neighborhood of Santiago. To launch this new format, we transformed certain larger, existing Ekono supermarket facilities into Lider Vecino hypermarkets. This transformation has allowed us to target smaller communities with our hypermarkets by simply converting our larger, existing Ekono supermarket facilities, which range between 2,500 and 5,000 square meters, into Lider Vecino supermarkets. These factors provide us with an advantage over our primary competitors in these communities, which are comprised of traditional supermarkets.
The objective of the Lider Vecino format is to combine the proximity and friendly atmosphere that characterizes neighborhood supermarkets with the advantages of low prices and the broad product assortment offered by Lider hypermarkets. Lider Vecino hypermarkets enjoy increased efficiency in terms of sales per square meter while serving customers in neighborhoods where Lider stores are not as easily
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accessible due to distance, or are not a first choice as a result of their larger surface area and longer shopping experience.
Since the launch of the first Lider Vecino hypermarket in June of 2000 (Vespucio Sur in Santiago), two additional Lider Vecino stores were opened that same year: Iquique in Region I and Vicuña Mackenna in the Santiago metropolitan region. Both of these stores were converted into Lider Vecino hypermarkets from the Ekono supermarket format. During 2001 two new Lider Vecino stores were added, Talca and Osorno, both in the Regions.
Additionally, Lider Temuco was opened in Region VIII (6,650 sq. meters) in April 2001, and Ekono Macul, which had been demolished, was replaced by a new Lider Macul (6,020 sq. meters), which opened in August of the same year.
During the first half of 2002, six additional Ekono supermarkets were converted into Lider Vecino hypermarkets (San Bernardo, Tomás Moro, Recoleta, Los Morros, Santa Rosa and Independencia) in the Santiago metropolitan region. Additionally, two new Lider Vecino stores were built: one in Region VIII (Los Angeles) and one in the Santiago metropolitan region (Matucana).
In July 2001, the Lider Mercado format was launched with the opening of the Puente Nuevo hypermarket (11,850 sq. meters of sales area) in the municipality of Lo Barnechea (North East side of Santiago), which has the highest average family income in the country. This new concept places special emphasis on perishable items, including fresh meats and produce. The Lider Mercado format seeks to satisfy customers looking for high quality products at low prices. Unless otherwise distinguished, all references herein to our Lider hypermarket division include our Lider Vecino hypermarkets and our Lider Mercado hypermarket.
Market Overview
Food Retailing Industry in Chile
The Chilean food retailing industry is characterized by relatively high fragmentation and strong regional competition between supermarket chains. Supermarkets also compete with smaller grocery stores, convenience stores and open air markets. There are currently no supermarket chains in Chile that operate in every region or have achieved a dominant position in the national market. Accordingly, the level of competition and the identity of competitors varies from region to region. Supermarket chains in Chile, including ourselves, generally compete on the basis of location, price, service, product quality and selection, as well as type and frequency of promotions.
The Chilean supermarket industry is also characterized by a low level of penetration. Example, according to a study conducted by A.C. Nielsen in 1999, there were 8,677 people for every supermarket in the United States as compared to 24,300 people for every supermarket in Chile. A.C. Nielsen figures for Chile in 2002 show 23,900 inhabitants per supermarket based on population estimates from the National Bureau of Statistics (INE). According to Deutsche Bank estimates for 2002, there are 19,600 people in Chile for every supermarket as compared to 11,600 in the United States, and 56 square meters of selling space for every 1000 inhabitants in Chile, as compared to 380 square meters in the United States. We estimate that in 2002 the seven largest supermarket chains in Chile accounted for approximately 60.3% of total supermarket net sales. In 2002, we accounted for approximately 30.5% of total net sales of the supermarket industry in Chile which represents the highest total market share in Chile (this percentage is calculated including sales of non-food items). In the Santiago metropolitan region, which has the highest population density (with 40% of Chile’s population), the highest levels of per capita disposable income and highest level of supermarket penetration in Chile, we have the largest
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market share in terms of sales (including both food and non-food items), with approximately 41.2% of the total market of which Lider has 7.7% and Ekono and Almac have 33.5% for the year 2002.
To the extent estimates are contained in the discussion below and attributed to our company, management believes them to be reliable, but these estimates have not been confirmed by independent sources. Most market information is derived from information compiled by A.C. Nielsen or INE. Although supermarkets are the primary retail distribution outlet of foodstuffs and other household items in the Santiago metropolitan region with an estimated 47% of net sales in the region, we estimate that, in the rest of Chile, supermarkets account for 53% of such net sales. We believe that total net sales by supermarkets in Chile grew at an average annual rate of 9.9% during the last ten years, exceeding the 7.6% average annual growth rate of GDP in Chile. The following table sets forth our estimates of certain information regarding population of Chile and its supermarket industry, at and for 2002:
| Average Number of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentage | Percentage of Total | Inhabitants per | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contribution to | Supermarket Sales | Supermarket | Number of | Supermarket in | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | GDP(1) | Population(2) | for the Year(3) | Sales(4) | Supermarkets (5) | Thousands(5) | ||||||||||||||||||
Regions with D&S Stores |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
I |
3.6 | 426,351 | 70,643 | 2.3 | 16 | 26.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
II |
8.8 | 492,846 | 130,559 | 4.3 | 26 | 19.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
IV |
2.7 | 600,363 | 117,699 | 3.9 | 29 | 20.7 | ||||||||||||||||||
V |
8.4 | 1,542,492 | 312,232 | 10.2 | 71 | 21.7 | ||||||||||||||||||
VI |
4.5 | 773,950 | 134,663 | 4.4 | 43 | 18.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
VII |
4.0 | 904,104 | 116,530 | 3.8 | 34 | 26.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
VIII |
8.4 | 1,853,678 | 297,258 | 9.7 | 92 | 20.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
IX |
2.4 | 864,929 | 133,425 | 4.4 | 55 | 15.7 | ||||||||||||||||||
X |
4.3 | 1,061,735 | 190,921 | 6.3 | 46 | 23.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Santiago Metropolitan Region |
47.8 | 6,038,974 | 1,424,594 | 46.7 | 194 | 31.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Subtotal |
94.9 | 14,559,422 | 2,928,523 | 95.9 | 606 | 24.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Regions without D&S Stores |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
III |
2.6 | 252,353 | 57,001 | 1.9 | 19 | 13.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
XI |
0.5 | 86,697 | 18,022 | 0.6 | 5 | 17.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
XII |
2.0 | 151,869 | 50,090 | 1.6 | 15 | 10.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Subtotal |
5.1 | 490,919 | 125,112 | 4.1 | 39 | 12.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total |
100.0 | 15,050,341 | 3,053,635 | 100.0 | 645 | 23.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | For the year ended December 31, 1998 (last update available). | |
| (2) | Population according to last national census (April 2002 preliminary figures). | |
| (3) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos. | |
| (4) | May not sum due to rounding. | |
| (5) | As of September 30, 2002. |
Source: A.C. Nielsen and our company, INE national population census, Chilean Central Bank
Although this trend was affected by the 1998-2000 recession in Chile, over the last decade, increased acceptance of supermarkets as principal outlets of foodstuffs and other household items resulted in steady increases in supermarket sales. In the same period, the Chilean supermarket industry was characterized by the growth of larger stores (including increased numbers of hypermarkets), both on a free-standing basis and within shopping centers and other commercial developments such as anchor tenants, and a consolidation of ownership in fewer, larger supermarket chains. Current trends in the industry include increased differentiation among competitors, with some supermarket chains emphasizing a low price/low service strategy, while others pursue a strategy of moderate or higher prices with higher
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levels of service. Other important trends in the Chilean supermarket industry include increased funding of marketing costs by suppliers, expansion by leading chains into the regions outside the Santiago metropolitan region, the growth of private label products and increased demand for prepared foods.
Growth in total net sales by supermarkets and other food stores in Chile is positively correlated to growth in consumer disposable income and the growth in GDP and inversely correlated to significant increases in real prices and sales or value added taxes. As a result, Chile’s current recession had a significant negative effect on supermarket sales. In Chile all products sold by supermarkets are subject to a value added tax of 18%, and soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are subject to additional taxes.
Chilean Operations
General
At December 31, 2002, we operated 62 stores which together had over 309,361 square meters of total selling space. Of the 62 stores we operated, four were Almac supermarkets, 23 were Ekono supermarkets, 21 were Lider hypermarkets, 13 were Lider Vecino hypermarkets, and one was a Lider Mercado hypermarket. We have reorganized our store divisions to administer Ekono and Almac jointly as a supermarket segment and Lider together with Lider Vecino and Lider Mercado as a hypermarket segment. The following table sets forth by store division, the number of stores, total selling area, average selling area, average sales per square meter, number of employees and net sales per employee at and for December 31, 2002:
| Total | Average | Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of | Selling | Selling Area | Sales per | Number of | Sales per | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stores | Areas(1) | per Store(1) | Sq. Meter(2)(3) | Employees(4) | Employee(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ekono-Almac |
27 | 45,637 | 1,694 | 3.29 | 3,156 | 51.0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Lider-Lider Vecino-Lider-Mercado |
35 | 263,624 | 7,532 | 3.18 | 13,249 | 59.9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total |
62 | 309,261 | 4,990 | 3.19 | 16,405 | 58.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | In square meters. | |
| (2) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos. | |
| (3) | Average square meters. | |
| (4) | Full-time equivalent employees. |
Historically, we have experienced distinct seasonal sales patterns due to heightened consumer activity throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday season, as well as during the beginning of each school year During these periods, we promote the sale of non-food items, particularly by discounting imported goods, such as toys, throughout the Christmas holiday season, and school supplies during the back-to-school period. Conversely, a decrease in sales usually occurs during the summer vacation months of January and February.
Until 1999, the Ekono-Almac supermarket format accounted for the largest portion of our profits despite being surpassed by the Lider format in 1998 in total contributions to our net revenues. Ekono-Almac’s proportionally large contribution to our profit was a result of the higher gross margins generated by its supermarkets as opposed to our hypermarkets, which typically employ a lower pricing strategy. We expanded our hypermarket format with the conversion of three existing Ekono stores into Lider Vecino hypermarkets in 2000, two in 2001, six in 2002, and the opening of three Lider hypermarkets in 2001 and seven in 2002. As a result, the hypermarket format has overtaken the Ekono-Almac format and now accounts for the highest portion of our profits by contributing 80% of gross profit from stores and 68% of our total consolidated gross profit. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the gross profit allocated to the principal segments of our Chilean business and their respective percentage of our total gross profit of such segments.
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| Dec. 31, 2000 | Dec. 31, 2001 | Dec. 31, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross Profit | % | Gross Profit | % | Gross Profit | % | |||||||||||||||||||
Ekono-Almac |
Ch$ | 76,299 | 41.14 | Ch$ | 57,726 | 27.27 | Ch$ | 41,814 | 17.48 | |||||||||||||||
Lider-Lider Vecino-Lider Mercado |
88,838 | 47.91 | 122,828 | 58.03 | 163,043 | 68.15 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other(1) |
20,302 | 10.95 | 31,124 | 14.70 | 34,392 | 14.37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ch$ | 185,439 | 100.00 | Ch$ | 211,677 | 100.00 | Ch$ | 239,249 | 100.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Other includes credit card operations and real estate operations. |
Over the last several years, our new store openings emphasized our larger formats, particularly Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado. As a result, these larger formats now represent a larger percentage of our overall revenues. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the net revenues from retail operations by store format in $ million and their respective percentage of our total net revenues:
| Year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| % | Net Revenues | % | Net Revenues | % | Net Revenues | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ekono-Almac |
36.26 | % | 308,959 | 26.28 | % | 247,105 | 16.82 | 176,255 | |||||||||||||||||
Lider-Lider Vecino-Lider Mercado |
60.97 | 519,624 | 70.37 | 661,722 | 79.76 | 836,086 | |||||||||||||||||||
Other |
2.77 | 23,559 | 3.35 | 31,482 | 3.42 | 35,896 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total |
100.00 | % | $ | 852,182 | 100.00 | % | 940,310 | 100.00 | % | 1,048,237 | |||||||||||||||
| (1) | Other includes credit card operations and real estate operations. |
Supermarkets
Within our different store divisions, we organize Ekono and Almac jointly as a supermarket segment. The stores included within the supermarket segment are traditional neighborhood supermarkets (average selling area of 1,694 sq. meters) providing a friendly atmosphere and personalized attention. These stores place an emphasis on the food products offered, which include a broad assortment of quality perishables and groceries. Additionally, supermarkets located in higher income areas offer a variety of prepared dishes. At December 31, 2002, the supermarket segment had a total of 27 stores.
Net revenues of our Ekono and Almac supermarkets together totaled $247,105 million in 2001 and $176,255 million in 2002, or 26.3% and 16.8%, respectively, of our total net revenues for such period. The decrease was principally attributable to the conversion of six stores from Ekono to Lider Vecino format, and to the fact that store expansion has been focused on the hypermarket division, which added seven new stores (Concepción, Puerto Montt, Calama, Valdivia, Rancagua, Los Angeles and Matucana) during 2002. Only one Ekono supermarket (Miraflores in Viña del Mar) was added in 2002.
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of net revenues of the particular product categories sold by Ekono and Almac:
| Percentage Contribution to Ekono and Almac's Sales | |||||||||||||
| in Chile by Product Category | |||||||||||||
| Year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |||||||||||
Groceries |
49.7 | 48.2 | 40.7 | ||||||||||
Perishables |
44.5 | 44.7 | 47.4 | ||||||||||
Non-food items(1) |
5.8 | 7.1 | 11.9 | ||||||||||
Total |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||||||
| (1) | Percentages are of our company’s total product sales from our retail operations. This includes home, apparel, electronics and appliances. |
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Ekono
We opened our first Ekono supermarket in 1984 as a low-price alternative during a severe economic recession in Chile with a “low prices everyday” slogan. At December 31, 2002, we operated 23 Ekono stores, with an average selling space of 1,840 square meters, accounting in the aggregate for 13.7% of the total selling space of our Chilean operations.
During 2002, six Ekono stores (San Bernardo, Tomás Moro, Recoleta, Los Morros, Santa Rosa and Independenica) were transformed into the Lider Vecino format, which explains the decrease in selling area and revenues reflected by the Ekono format in 2002 as compared with 2001.
In 2002, one Ekono supermarket was opened in Viña del Mar, Region V, with 1,408 square meters of sales area. At December 31, 2002, there were 23 Ekono stores, 15 in the Santiago metropolitan region and 8 in the other Regions, equaling a total sales area of 42,326 square meters.
Ekono’s stores emphasize convenience and exceptional value with clean, well-stocked, orderly stores, in addition to quality service and a friendly atmosphere. In keeping with their low price orientation, Ekono originally offered a more limited product line, simpler decor and fewer services than the Almac supermarkets, making use of prominent in-store signage promoting the low prices of products. These features have evolved, and current Ekono stores are less austere, with a warmer atmosphere, increased level of service and broadened product assortment. Ekono stores always emphasize groceries and perishables. The stores are well-lit and, in newer stores, include open entrances with natural lighting. Ekono stores have a range of 81 to 203 employees (full-time equivalents), 10 to 31 checkouts and store sizes ranging from 781 square meters to 4,000 square meters. The stores are open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week.
Through our Ekono chain, we seek to provide an attractive and convenient alternative to small, family-owned grocers and informal markets with a price/quality ratio that appeals to the middle and lower-middle classes. Our management believes that the Ekono chain is well-positioned to benefit from continuing growth in the Chilean economy and increasing purchasing power of Chile’s lower socioeconomic classes.
Merchandising. Ekono supermarkets offer an average of 12,800 SKUs. The mix of products has remained roughly stable over the last several years. Like our other divisions, Ekono periodically assesses existing store layouts, shelving, product facings and product mix in an effort to deliver more product and service choices to consumers.
Marketing. Ekono enjoys a high level of public recognition in the Chilean market and is identified as having a distinct strategy and market position in terms of price, product selection and service. Along with point of sale advertising, marketing primarily consists of bi-weekly catalogs distributed as inserts in local papers. Ekono’s catalog program has the highest distribution of any store catalog in Chile. The division uses television and radio advertisements for seasonal campaigns. As a division, Ekono dedicates roughly 1.5% of net sales to its marketing efforts, a substantial portion of which is defrayed by supplier payments. Ekono offers a low price guarantee whereby a customer will receive a refund of the difference for any item found elsewhere for a lower price. Marketing efforts focus particularly on Christmas and back-to-school campaigns. The most recent slogan for the Ekono format is “You are the one that counts.” This slogan stresses service and addresses working women who have little time to do their shopping.
Starting in June 2003, however, all 23 existing Ekono stores will be transformed into the Lider format. We estimate that the transformation process will be completed by 2004.
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Almac
Almac is the oldest of our supermarket chains. Organizationally, Almac was combined with Ekono in a supermarket division (distinguished from Lider and Lider Vecino, the hypermarket division). Almac was deemphasized as a format as five of nine Almac stores were converted into Ekono stores in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Almac stores emphasize convenience.
Almac was historically positioned as a high quality, service-oriented neighborhood market. In order to reduce our number of formats and gain additional economies of scale, we converted certain Almac stores (Estoril, La Dehesa, Irarrázabal and Colon) to the Ekono format. We converted our last Almac store (Pedro de Valdivia) into an Ekono store in 2000. We currently operate four Almac stores, with an average selling space of 853 square meters representing 1.1% of the total selling space of our Chilean operations. The Almac stores are located in upper and upper-middle class neighborhoods in the northeast zone of Santiago. Net revenues attributable to Almac stores are presented together with the Ekono format.
Almac stores have between 56 to 113 full time equivalent staff, 8 to 18 checkouts (an average of 12) and store sizes between 400 square meters to 1,227 square meters. The stores are open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week.
The Almac format is designed to satisfy a need that we perceive for convenience stores or mini-markets in Chile. To fill this void in the market, we decided to rejuvenate the Almac format by using this brand to introduce our version of the convenience store. These mini-markets continue to cover the highest income, non-price sensitive segments of the population. They emphasize convenience, targeting dual-income households. We are planning to expand the Almac chain in the near future.
Merchandising. Almac offers on average 11,200 SKUs, which, although lower than the hypermarkets and megamarkets, is the highest in number of food items on a per square meter basis within our chain. Products include high quality perishables, specialty food, as well as ready-to-eat prepared food. Of the total selling space, approximately 95% is devoted to food items and the remaining 5% is devoted to non-food items.
Marketing. Almac’s marketing strategy is to reinforce the store’s image as a high quality, personable and convenient supermarket. In addition to point of sale marketing, advertising for Almac consists principally of inserts in local newspapers but also includes periodic radio and television advertising. Almac uses a sales strategy that is intended to encourage frequent visits to the stores by discounting a different product area every day, Monday through Friday.
Hypermarkets
We manage Lider, Lider Vecino and Lider Mercado jointly within the hypermarket division. The Lider hypermarket, which was modeled after European predecessors, is characterized by selling spaces of between 6,020 (Lider Macul) and 13,243 (Lider Oeste) square meters offering, in addition to traditional food items, non-food items such as home appliances, electronics, hardware, sports, toys, textiles and articles for the home. The Lider Vecino hypermarket, on the other hand, is more of a compact hypermarket format, with sales areas ranging from 3,250 square meters (Los Angeles) to 4,720 square meters (Iquique).
The hypermarket division—comprised of the Lider, Lider Vecino and Lider Mercado formats—includes 35 stores as of December 31, 2002 (20 of them are located in the Santiago metropolitan region and 15 in other Regions).
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Lider and Lider Vecino stores combine one-stop shopping with the lowest prices. All Lider and Lider Vecino stores either opened or were extensively remodeled within the last five years. The stores have an orderly, well-maintained appearance, with approximately 49% of the total selling space devoted to food items (groceries 25% and perishables 24%) and the remaining 51% devoted to non-food items. We have installed family-style cafeterias referred to as Patios de Comida (foodcourts) and coffee shops at certain locations in order to increase the use of Lider stores as destinations.
Net revenues of our Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado hypermarkets together totaled $661,722 million in 2001 and $836,086 million in 2002, or 70.4% and 79.8%, respectively, of our total net revenues for such period.
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of net revenues of the particular product categories sold by Lider, Lider-Vecino and Lider-Mercado:
| Percentage Contribution to Lider-Lider Vecino-Lider | |||||||||||||
| Mercado Sales | |||||||||||||
| in Chile by Product Category | |||||||||||||
| Year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |||||||||||
Groceries |
51.3 | 50.7 | 48.9 | ||||||||||
Perishables |
31.0 | 31.8 | 32.3 | ||||||||||
Non-food items(1) |
17.7 | 17.5 | 18.8 | ||||||||||
Total |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||||||
| (1) | Percentages are of our total product sales from our retail operations. This includes home, apparel, electronics, appliances, beauty care and pharmacy goods. |
Lider
In 1995, we introduced the economy hypermarket concept under the Lider tradename. We developed our Lider stores in response to the growth in size and in purchasing power of the Chilean middle class, the population segment for which the megamarket format has the greatest appeal, offering a “one-stop” shopping destination. We sought to position ourselves strategically in this market niche as a preemptive measure to the entry by international hypermarket operators into Chile or the expansion within Chile of Jumbo S.A. We currently operate 21 Lider hypermarkets with an average selling space of 9,475 square meters. Ten of the Lider hypermarkets are located in the Santiago metropolitan region and eleven in other Regions.
Lider hypermarkets typically occupy strategic sites at the intersection of major thoroughfares connecting communities, thereby servicing various communities with one store. The Lider sites have ample parking spaces and are generally developed in conjunction with an assortment of complimentary stores (e.g., Blockbuster, McDonald’s, hardware superstores, cinemas, food courts, pharmacies). Lider stores have a range of 295 to 706 staff (full-time equivalents), 42 to 76 checkouts, an average store size of 9,475 square meters, and are open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Lider Vecino
We developed our Lider Vecino format in 2000 to target smaller communities with our hypermarkets by converting our larger, existing Ekono supermarket facilities, which range between 3,250 and 4,720 square meters, into Lider Vecino supermarkets. Our Lider Vecino format combines the convenience and pleasant atmosphere that characterizes neighborhood supermarkets with the advantages of Lider hypermarkets. These factors provide us with an advantage over our primary competitors in these communities, which are comprised of traditional supermarkets.
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During 2002, we built two new Lider Vecino stores (Los Angeles and Matucana) and transformed 6 Ekono stores into the Lider Vecino format (San Bernardo, Tomás Moro, Recoleta, Los Morros, Santa Rosa and Independencia). At December 31, 2002, we operated 13 Lider Vecino hypermarkets. Our Lider Vecino stores incorporate the characteristics of a Lider hypermarket in a smaller selling area. Lider Vecino hypermarkets have selling spaces that range between 3,250 and 4,720 square meters and typically offer the same items as traditional Lider hypermarkets. To launch this new format, we transformed certain larger, existing Ekono supermarket facilities into Lider Vecino hypermarkets.
Lider Vecino hypermarkets cater to specific, smaller neighborhoods, as they have been converted from our existing Ekono supermarkets. Lider Vecino hypermarkets strive to combine the proximity and friendly atmosphere of neighborhood supermarkets with the advantages of low prices and wide product assortment. Lider Vecino stores have a range of 234 to 425 employees (full-time equivalents), 26 to 44 checkouts, an average store size of 3,913 square meters, and are open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Lider Mercado
In July 2001, we launched our newest hypermarket format, known as Lider Mercado, with the opening of the Lider Puente Nuevo hypermarket in the municipality of Lo Barnechea (North East side of Santiago), which has the highest income and spending levels of any district in the country. Located along one of the major thoroughfares in Santiago, this Lider Mercado store serves 148,080 households in the districts of Las Condes, Vitacura and Lo Barnechea. Although there are currently three other hypermarkets in this area—Lider Vitacura, Carrefour and Jumbo Kennedy—the new Lider Mercado can be distinguished from the others, as it brings together state-of-the-art technology and multiple innovations in structure, lay-out, product assortment and services. All of these features, together with the low prices which characterize Lider stores, work together to provide a store format designed to satisfy the most demanding customers.
Our Lider Mercado store has 12,164 square meters of sales area, 64 check-outs and 664 full shift employees at December 31, 2002, accounting for 5.2% of the total sales of the hypermarket division and representing 43% of total company retail sales.
Lider Mercado has a four floor structure which includes a three floor parking garage along with a store level including a mezzanine which houses the music and entertainment section. There are two main entrances for the public. The front part of the store includes an exhibit of fruits and vegetables along with a flower shop offering a selected assortment of flowers and plants. Space inside the store is divided into different areas for the different product lines: home, apparel, wines and spirits, among others, and also includes a pharmacy inside the health and beauty area.
Among our store formats, our Lider Mercado Puente Nuevo store offers the broadest assortment of products (42,600 SKUs), including Buffet private label products, which were first introduced in this store.
A number of new features have been developed in our Puente Nuevo store in order to facilitate customers’ shopping experience, including, the introduction of specialized weighing systems, electronic price labeling, and specific signaling. These new features aim to fulfill our primary goal of customer satisfaction by providing a superior standard of service, a broader assortment of products and the lowest prices on the market.
Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado
Merchandising. Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado’s low price strategy requires each store to be a low-cost operator with high sales volumes to obtain economies of scales on fixed costs. A
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significant component of this strategy are private label products under the “Lider” brandname which permit lower prices at moderate gross margins as well as improved bargaining power with suppliers. See “—Complementary Operations—Private Label Products”. Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado offer on average 30,000 SKUs, the highest in our chain.
Marketing. Lider, Lider Vecino, and Lider Mercado pursue marketing strategies designed to reinforce its image of providing low prices every day along with a wider selection. Lider stores have established a reputation in the market as stores that offer low prices and “one-stop” shopping. Along with point of sale advertising, marketing for Lider and Lider Vecino primarily consists of bi-weekly catalogs distributed as inserts in local newspapers and as direct mailings, and includes some more expensive television or radio publicity. In addition, Lider and Lider Vecino use prominent signage, particularly in the vicinity of store locations. Lider and Lider Vecino periodically launch marketing campaigns that frequently have seasonal themes: “Back-to-School”; “Wintertime”; “Camping and Gardening”; and, “Christmas” as well as bi-monthly mini-campaigns with themes like “Take Three, Pay for Two,” games of chance such as “Scratch and Win” and sporadic promotions, particularly of perishable products. Advertising expenses currently represent 1.3% of the hypermarket division net sales.
Private Label Products
Private label sales represent 11.2% of total company sales. In groceries, they account for 9.6% of total sales, while in perishables private labels (Buffet) represent 0.9% of sales. Private labels have become very prominent in non-traditional business areas, comprising 13% of total sales for general merchandise, 25.6% for home supplies and 78% for clothing in the non-traditional sales area.
In 2000, as part of our plan to continue offering new private label products to our customers, we added the brand “Acuenta” to our already well-known brands “Ekono” and “Lider”. We were able to position the new label Acuenta as the lowest priced in its category, allowing it to gain a large amount of acceptance among customers.
During 2001, the existing private labels were complemented by “Buffet” private label products including a fine selection of perishables such as chocolates, pasta, cheeses, and general delicatessen products. Buffet products are intended to compete with the highest quality perishables on the market. They were first launched at the Lider Mercado Puente Nuevo store. A new area of business, Café Buffet, was born out of the Buffet line, serving shoppers a variety of Buffet products. Both the Buffet private label and the Cafes, which were later expanded into cafeterias, have gradually been implemented in other company stores, both in the Lider and Ekono formats.
During 2002, we introduced two new private labels, “Boulevard” in the clothing area and “Haus” in the home supply area.
Purchasing, Supply, Distribution and Inventory Management
Purchasing and Supply. Our purchasing activities for Almac and Ekono are carried out on a centralized basis through our distribution center and for Lider, though gradually changing to such a centralized basis, mainly through D&S’ purchasing department. In each case, store managers report inventory requirements to the central purchasing department which is responsible for assuring an adequate supply. We attempt to take advantage of our purchasing volume to obtain the most advantageous mix of price and payment terms. Because of our large purchasing volumes, we extended the payment terms to suppliers to an average of 54 days during 1998. This extension was maintained with little variation through 2000 and 2002. For 2002 the average payment term was 52.56 days. Inventory was held for an average of 34.9 days during 2002.
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Our efforts both through our distribution center and the Lider purchasing department are organized along product lines, one for each of perishables, dairy/coldcuts, meats, baked goods, grocery, home appliances, textiles and personal care products, each of which has a category manager. Each category manager is responsible for negotiating quantity, prices, terms, advertising contributions of the manufacturers and logistics of delivery for each item. Price ranges for each SKU are determined by the purchasing managers for each store division, who adjust prices so as to seek the optimal price for the particular competitive environment of the location. For each product category, store managers are expected to maintain certain average margins according to estimates that vary depending on the store format.
We purchase merchandise from numerous manufacturers, distributors, processors and growers in Chile (over 1,600 suppliers). We purchase nearly all food products on a spot or short-term basis, within the context of long-term relationships with the suppliers. In 2002, no single supplier accounted for more than 5.5% of total goods purchased. Our ten largest suppliers collectively accounted for approximately 23.8% of our purchases in 2002, and the 50 largest accounted for 51.9%. Certain products (e.g., fish) are purchased from affiliated companies. We conduct our business with our suppliers on terms which we believe are at least as favorable as those generally available to the industry.
Distribution. We operate two basic methods of distribution: centralized delivery from our distribution center and direct delivery to the store from the supplier. While our supermarket and hypermarket divisions utilize both methods of distribution, Ekono-Almac (supermarket division) relies principally upon centralized distribution whereas Lider (hypermarket division), after relying principally on delivery by suppliers, is increasingly relying on centralized delivery from our distribution center.
Centralized distribution consists of shipping, from a central warehouse to the stores, mixed pallets of products selected to satisfy the daily inventory requirements of the particular store. An integrated information management system allows pallets to be prepared on the basis of real time information on sales and inventory levels in each store. This creates a reduction in the minimum shipment lot of each SKU, which makes it possible to reduce inventories at the locations and the space allotted to warehousing. It also significantly reduces the number of daily deliveries to the stores, thereby allowing a reduction in personnel and increased productivity.
Under the direct delivery system, the product can be ordered either directly by the store or through a central purchasing office, and then the product is delivered directly to the store by the supplier.
With the opening of our distribution center in June 1997, we inaugurated a 45,000 square meter facility that has sufficient capacity to supply our Ekono and Almac stores in the Santiago area with up to 70.0% of the goods sold in such locations, including perishable foods and products such as cold meats, milk products and frozen foods. Our distribution center allowed us to close six warehouses leased in the Santiago metropolitan region. Products are transported from the distribution center with our fleet, replacing independent distributors and carriers chartered for such purposes by the suppliers.
Deliveries from the distribution center occur principally at night during hours of low traffic, thereby allowing a greater number of deliveries per truck and avoiding stock-outs (i.e., running out of stock) resulting from delays caused by traffic. Our policy is to charge suppliers for distribution and transportation services to effectively cover the cost of these activities.
As a result of our expansion during 1998 and consistent with our purpose to reduce costs and increase productivity, we undertook a project to expand our distribution center during the second half of 2000. This expansion added 27,000 square meters to the existing building with the principal purpose of creating continuous inventory flow to permit greater reductions of inventory levels and improved efficiency. This expansion allowed for centralized distribution for all Lider stores in the Santiago area
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and some Lider stores outside of Santiago. This expansion was furnished with state-of-the-art technology, equipment and logistics software. The complete project, completed in December 2000 and fully operating in March 2001, involved a total investment of US$12 million.
Currently, our distribution center supplies approximately 54.9% of the goods sold in Ekono and Almac stores, and 51.2% of goods sold in Lider stores. Our total percentage of centralized distribution is 51.9%. Since we have expanded into the Regions, we may consider building other distribution centers to service those stores. Our target for the future is centralizing the distribution of up to 80% of the products sold in all of our stores. The remaining 20% corresponds to goods that, given their nature and sale volumes, are more efficiently and cost-effectively delivered directly by suppliers.
Inventory Management. A principal objective of our investments in distribution and information management technology is inventory control. We believe that our distribution center and high level of automation has improved our inventory controls and significantly reduced the levels of stock-outs. In addition, we are seeking to reduce our “shrinkage,” which includes losses in inventory, losses and damage during transportation, and theft. Shrinkage in the supermarket format (Ekono-Almac) was reduced from 1.48% of total sales in 2001 to 1.42% in 2002. Given the nature of the goods sold and the higher volume of sales in hypermarkets (i.e. higher percentage of non-food inventory), shrinkage at Lider stores increased to 2.1% of total Lider sales. On a consolidated basis, shrinkage in all of our stores increased from 1.75% to 1.98% of total sales between 2001 and 2002.
Shrinkage reduction is one of the numerous tasks undertaken through our Faro project. This comprehensive program aims at better purchasing and negotiation processes, higher logistic efficiency, higher productivity in the store finally resulting in reduced inventory and shrinkage. In addition, our stores have extensive security systems, including our own security service, to discourage theft and enhance shopper safety.
Service and Standardization
We seek to ensure the highest levels of customer service. We recognize that any service industry depends fundamentally on the training and motivation of its employees. As a result, we attempt to develop a distinctive corporate culture that explicitly affirms the value of the individual employee and encourages the development of the individual’s skills. Every employee, from a cashier to a division manager, receives a description of his or her responsibilities and ongoing training designed to provide each employee with opportunities for improvement and career advancement as well as promote a spirit of leadership and service. Employees are regularly briefed on the performance of their store and our company as a whole. In 2002, 6,140 associates were trained in 695 courses, 431 of which were offered directly by the company and 269 by third parties. A total of 7.5 million man-hours are invested in training. On an annual basis, approximately one-third of our nearly 16,000 employees, are expected to visit the headquarters/school of service for ongoing training. Each store has a suggestion/complaint box offering a means for customers to communicate with management. Through these boxes we receive an average of 3,500 suggestions/complaints per week. Every person making a suggestion or complaint receives a written response. In addition, we have invested in customer service phone lines as part of our effort to facilitate communication between our customers and management. These phone lines receive an average of 800 calls per week. We also operate laboratories located at our distribution center in order to conduct random testing of products and approve new products as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the quality of our products.
For each of our formats, we are engaged in an ongoing effort to standardize both the appearance of our stores and their operating procedures. Our renovation program is designed, in part, to bring the stores within each format into closer conformity in appearance, thereby projecting a consistent brand image. In 1997 this effort included conversion of the two newly acquired Fullmarket stores into a Lider
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and a Hiper Ekono. In 1998 this effort included redefining the Super Ekono and Hiper Ekono into one Ekono concept and the conversion of four Almac stores into the Ekono format. In 1999, we transformed one Almac store into the Ekono format as part of this continuing effort. In 2000, this effort included the conversion of three larger Ekono supermarkets into our new Lider Vecino format and the transformation of one Almac store into the Ekono format. In 2001, we transformed two additional Ekono stores into the Lider Vecino format and invested in remodeling existing Ekono stores. During 2002, we transformed 6 Ekono stores into the Lider Vecino format. In addition, we develop and maintain operating manuals outlining our procedures relating to maintenance, security and accounting, for example.
Credit Card Operations
As we expanded through our Lider stores into the market for higher priced durable goods, including household appliances, electronics and clothing, we recognized the importance of making an in-store credit card available as a means of financing consumer purchases of these higher priced items. Due to the high levels of rejection (approximately three-quarters) of new account applicants by the local bank managing our in-store credit card, Presto, and due to the potential benefits of an integrated credit card operation for our various store formats, we decided to develop our credit card operations as a separate operating unit servicing our Lider division, Lider Vecino stores, and Ekono stores in certain regions. During 2002, all of our 62 stores (including all Ekono and Almac supermarkets) accepted the Presto card. During the course of the year, the number of active accounts increased by 95.7%. At December 31, 2002, Presto had a total of 561,552 accountholders. In 2002, our Presto credit card operations averaged a monthly charge volume of $7.799 million (US$10.9 million), representing approximately 12.2% of the total sales volume of Lider and 10.1% of our total sales. Interest income generated by our Presto card operations is recorded under other revenues and represents 1.1% of our consolidated total revenues.
We target our credit card operations for significant expansion and believe the expansion of our credit card operations will offer the following advantages:
| • | enhanced consumer purchasing power in our stores, permitting greater volume of sales of more expensive items; | ||
| • | prospects of a profitable credit business; | ||
| • | enhanced customer loyalty due to the convenience offered by the Presto card; and | ||
| • | the development of an extensive database permitting us to enhance merchandise selection and to direct our marketing efforts more effectively. |
Information Technology
We believe we are the leader in the Chilean food retail industry’s application of modern information technology to manage its business with technology that is comparable to the highest standards worldwide. Over the last three years, we have invested an average of US$6.0 million per year (approximately 0.5% of our net sales and over 5% of our capital expenditures) in computers and information technology. This investment enabled us to fully automate our back office, distribution and check-out operations, resulting in reduced labor costs and increased efficiencies in customer check-outs, purchasing, distribution, inventory management and the provision of information in a timely manner.
Store Systems. All of our stores are equipped with POS scanners. Transactions recorded by laser scanners located at the check-out aisle permit the reporting of real time information on product sales. Each laser scanner reads bar codes imprinted on the labels of all of our products, enabling us to accurately record all transactions. The computers in our Santiago stores are connected to the central mainframe at
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the headquarters/service school, permitting both senior managers and store managers to receive real time information by store, SKU or product category, including both sales volume and margins, thus enhancing inventory management, cost controls and sales tracking. We also introduced the use of radio frequency devices for our stores, which allowed inventories to be taken in a faster and more accurate manner. Furthermore, our stores are interconnected with the Transbank credit approval system. The store systems are supplemented by POS technology at our distribution center and at the receiving points for supplies at store locations, thereby permitting strict control over incoming as well as outgoing merchandise.
Management Information Systems. We invested in modern computer hardware in order to improve the efficiency of our accounting, control systems and financial management operations and employ 40 computer professionals and retain specialized consulting services from 5 information technology professionals. Most of the software used by our company was developed in-house. Additionally, other software was acquired during the last four years such as E3 (a buying software), SLIM (a store replenishment software), Worldwide Chain Store System (a warehouse management system) and S.A.P. (financial accounting module, fully operational since the second half of 2001). Through the use of the electronic data interchange (EDI) system, we are integrating our suppliers within our systems, thereby reducing the paperwork and delays in communications with our suppliers.
Argentine Operations
In December of 1999, we entered into a contract to sell 100% of the shares of Ekono-Argentina to Disco S.A. for US$150 million. Of the total purchase price, US$60 million was paid in cash in May 2000 and the balance payable in May 2003. At the time of sale, Ekono-Argentina consisted of ten stores in Argentina which operated in the Ekono format and had net revenues of $97,771 million, representing 10.8% of our company’s consolidated net revenues.
We acquired Ekono-Argentina on September 30, 1996 and assumed managerial control October 1, 1996. In 1999, Ekono-Argentina recorded net income equivalent to a loss of $11,263 million (US$19 million), and its sale to Disco S.A. generated a loss of $13,757 (US$23 million). We were prevented from achieving the necessary economies of scale to be competitive and profitable in Argentina as a result of:
| • | economic conditions in Argentina combined with the strong local presence of Disco S.A. and Coto; | ||
| • | international penetration by the likes of Wal-Mart and the Dutch firm, Ahold; and | ||
| • | our small presence of ten stores, representing slightly more than a 1% market share. |
In addition to reducing our long-term debt with income from the sale, the sale of Ekono-Argentina allowed us to focus on opportunities for growth within Chile. In view of subsequent events in Argentina, we believe this divestiture was well timed.
According to the sales contract for Ekono-Argentina, the remaining US$90 million payment is guaranteed by the Netherlands Antilles company, Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V.
We were informed in December 2002 that Disco S.A. would not pay us the entire US$150 million amount in dollars, but would instead convert the US$90 million balance owed to us into Argentine pesos under Argentine dollar convertibility regulations. On May 2, 2003, Ahold made payment of 126 million Argentine pesos, the equivalent of US$45 million, based on an effective exchange rate of 2.8 Argentine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar. This amount remitted by Ahold remains in Argentina. We are seeking approval
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from the Central Bank of Argentina to remit this amount to Chile. We do not accept Ahold’s attempt to reduce our balance due under the Argentine convertibility regime.
See “Information on the Company—Legal Proceedings”.
Complementary Operations
In connection with the Chilean operations, we are currently engaged in several businesses which we view as complementary to our core retail operations, principally in the real estate, private label goods and credit card areas. We believe these businesses may increase in importance in the future.
Real Estate Development
We have long been distinguished by the purchase of strategic properties as future store locations and thus have accumulated valuable undeveloped properties and real estate expertise. In order to manage these properties and maximize their value to our retail operations, our real estate development division, if appropriate and complementary to the strategic requirements of the core food retail business, develops the properties as shopping malls where our store serves as the anchor tenant. Our real estate division also manages all rental spaces associated with our supermarkets and hypermarkets which are not located in shopping malls.
At December 31, 2002, we operated six shopping malls: La Dehesa, Maipú, Puente Alto, Gran Avenida, Viña del Mar and Antofagasta, with 305 stores inside the malls. The shopping malls have a total of 126,728 square meters of sales area of which 47%, or approximately 59,728 square meters, is rented to third party merchants, with the remainder rented to our stores (67,000 square meters). Additionally, the real estate division manages leases corresponding to approximately 689 retail locations (31,923 square meters in total) in our supermarkets and hypermarkets (small shops usually located in the front part of the store, past the check-out counters and sales area). Altogether the real estate operations generate rental income from 91,651 square meters of rental space, corresponding to 994 retail locations in total, including stores in shopping malls and supermarkets. In 2002, our real estate operations generated net revenues in the amount of $10,638million (US$14.8 million) in annual rental income from our properties, after deducting $2,745 million (US$3.8 million) in rental income received from our supermarkets.
Private Label Products
Private label sales represent 11.2% of total company sales. In groceries, they account for 9.6% of total sales, while in perishables private labels (Buffet) represent 0.9% of sales. Private labels have become very prominent in non-traditional business areas, comprising 13% of total sales for general merchandise, 25.6% for home supplies and 78% for clothing in the non-traditional sales area.
Our strategy is to target the leading brand in a product category and to price our product approximately 10% lower with comparable quality. We believe our private label products, sold under the brandnames “Lider”, “Ekono” and “Acuenta” (introduced in 2000), offer our customers comparable quality at lower prices compared to branded products. In 2001, we launched the new private label, “Buffet,” under which we offer broad assortment of top quality food products with an emphasis on personalized attention. Private label products offer us approximately 26% higher margins than branded products. In 2002, our private label products had total sales of $103,915 million (US$144.6 million).
We target the expansion of sales of our private label products through improved merchandising, greater product offerings and strict quality control. At 11.2% of total sales, our private label sales are still three to four times lower as a percentage of total sales than international benchmark levels. However, we
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are making progress on a yearly basis, as represented by the fact that in 2001 private label sales rose to 10.4% of our total sales.
New Opportunities
We operate in a market that extends beyond the traditional area of groceries, including such items as apparel, housewares, and electronics. In addition, we added pharmacies and cafés to a number of our stores in 2001, and subsequently developed in the course of 2002. Our financial services also realized an important growth in 2002. In light of this business expansion, we now compete not only against such traditional competitors as neighborhood groceries and open fruit and vegetable markets, but also against department stores and other types of retailers.
Apparel, Housewares, and Electronics
These non-traditional areas have greatly expanded the number of products we offer. We display these new assortments of goods in novel layouts in our stores. Since many of our purchases in these areas are made abroad, we have established a worldwide network of suppliers. We will continue to focus on developing and searching out innovative, high-quality, low-priced products to catch the attention of our increasingly demanding customers.
Pharmacy
We have used our retail infrastructure to begin selling pharmaceuticals in our own pharmacies. Our first pharmacy opened in July 2001 in the Lider Mercado Puente Nuevo store. Drugstores in Ekono Grecia, Lider Departamental, and Ekono Pajaritos soon followed. This new activity has opened a market to us with approximately US$800 million in sales per year. In the course of 2002, we added several new pharmacies to our supermarkets, and at December 31, 2002 we had 19 pharmacies in operation, which represented 0.5% of total company sales and 0.5% of the pharmacy market. At May 2003, we had 24 pharmacies compromising 1.3% of total company sales.
Cafés
During 2001, we expanded our Buffet line of food products into a new area with the establishment of our Café Buffet line of cafés. These cafés are designed to serve customers with a variety of Buffet products. Both the Buffet private label and the cafés, which we later expanded into our Café Buffet line of cafés and cafeterias, have gradually been implemented in other D&S stores.
All of these ventures fall within the scope of our strategy of increasing our share of family spending, which is currently approximately 6.6%, D&S estimates at October 2001, (as opposed to our 30% share of the supermarket industry). We see a great opportunity for growth in this area.
Competition
Our competitors include hypermarkets, supermarkets, self-service stores and traditional, family-owned neighborhood grocers in Chile. Although competition is already intense in many locations, it is expected to increase as existing competitors expand the number of their stores and improve the quality of their operations and as new competitors enter the market. In order to preempt current competitors and deter potential competitors, we seek to be the low-price leader in Chile through our Lider and Ekono formats. As a managerial objective, anticipating tighter gross margins compels our division managers to focus upon increasing sales volume and reducing operating costs.
We operate the largest chain of supermarkets in Chile in terms of net sales. Our principal competitors include Santa Isabel, Jumbo and Unimarc. Santa Isabel, affiliated with the Dutch chain
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Ahold, is the second largest supermarket chain in Chile. It is especially strong in the Regions outside the capital city, and its market share for the period January to April 2003 was estimated at 8.6%. Jumbo, a hypermarket operator, focuses on the middle and high-income sectors of the population. Jumbo’s business strategy emphasizes offering a broad range of high quality goods and services. It is currently undergoing an expansion process, and its market share from January to April 2003 was estimated at 9.7%. Despite Jumbo’s acquisition of the Santa Isabel supermarket chain, our calculations have not accounted for this because the acquisition process had not yet been completed at June 2003. Unimarc is a traditional supermarket chain focusing on the middle and high-income sectors. Its market share from January to April 2003 was estimated at 3.5%. The following table sets forth our estimates of the percentage of annual supermarket net sales attributable to each of the eight largest supermarket chains in Chile in terms of net sales and the number of stores of each of these for the period from January to April 2003. Market share figures consider the four month period ending January to April 2003:
| Percentage | Number | ||||||||
| of Sale | of Stores | ||||||||
D&S(1) |
30.4 | % | 62 | ||||||
Santa Isabel |
8.6 | % | 75 | ||||||
Jumbo |
9.7 | % | 7 | ||||||
Unimarc |
3.5 | % | 39 | ||||||
Montserrat |
2.9 | % | 20 | ||||||
San Francisco |
3.2 | % | 8 | ||||||
Montecarlo |
2.5 | % | 12 | ||||||
Carrefour |
2.6 | % | 5 | ||||||
Others |
36.6 | % | 443 | ||||||
Total |
100.0 | % | 671 | ||||||
| (1) | Includes Lider, Lider Vecino, Lider Mercado, Ekono and Almac. |
Foreign retailers are beginning to enter the Chilean market. In 1998, Ahold International (Netherlands) entered the Chilean market through a joint venture with Velox (a financial investor), Disco S.A. and Santa Isabel, referred to as the Ahold-Disco Venture. During 1999, Ahold-Disco Venture focused upon resolving certain existing operational, commercial and financial problems of Santa Isabel. In addition, Carrefour (France) opened its first store in Chile in the Lonquén area of Santiago, a low income level neighborhood, in November 1998 and a second store in Las Condes, a high income neighborhood, in 1999. In 2000, a third Carrefour store was opened in the South East area of Santiago, in a middle-low income neighborhood (Quilín store). In 2002, Carrefour opened the fourth hypermarket in the neighborhood of La Florida, a highly populated area in Santiago, and a fifth hypermarket also in Santiago in the first half of 2003. During the period of January to April 2003, its country market share was 2.6%
We believe that we are well-positioned within the Chilean market to compete effectively. Our multiple formats have permitted us to diversify into different segments of the population. Due to this diversification, we are less vulnerable to any particular type of competitor. Furthermore, we benefit from certain economies of scale within the Chilean market since we stand as the largest supermarket chain in Chile. Finally, our strategy of purchasing strategic store location properties allows us to project our expansion and capital expenditure program with greater accuracy, and be less susceptible to the lack of availability of prime real estate.
As a result of our efforts to increase our share of Chilean family spending by emphasizing the areas of our business which are considered non-traditional for the supermarket industry (home, electronics, apparel, pharmacy and café), we compete in a market far larger than the supermarket industry that includes department stores, specialty stores and other retail entities. This market provides numerous opportunities to expand the scope of our business.
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Trademarks, Tradenames and Service Marks
We own certain trademarks, tradenames and service marks used in our business, including Almac, Ekono and Lider and their respective logos, covering the Chilean market. We believe that our trademarks, tradenames and service marks are valuable assets, which differentiate us from our competitors.
Our brands are duly registered.
Insurance
We maintain insurance policies covering, among other things, fires, earthquakes, floods and general business and third party liability. Our management believes that our insurance coverage is adequate for our business.
Regulation
We are subject to the full range of governmental regulation and supervision, including labor laws, social security laws, public health laws, consumer protection laws, environmental laws, securities laws and anti-trust laws in Chile. These include regulations to ensure sanitary and safe conditions in sale and distribution facilities of foodstuffs and requirements to obtain construction permits for our new facilities. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable statutory and administrative regulations.
Except for government licenses required for the sale of alcoholic beverages, baked goods, pharmaceuticals, seafood and vegetables and customary business licenses required by local governmental authorities, there are no special governmental licenses or permits required for the sale and distribution of foodstuffs or other products in Chile. Our supermarkets are subject to inspection by the Servicio Nacional de Salud (“National Health Service” or “SNS”), which inspects supermarkets on a regular basis and takes samples for analysis. We regularly hire a private inspection company to undertake private inspections of our facilities to ensure that they meet or surpass all Chilean health standards. Our supermarkets are also subject to inspection by the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (“Agricultural and Livestock Service” or “SAG”). Concessionaires that operate pharmacies within some of our supermarkets are also subject to licensing and inspection by the SNS.
In addition, the Chilean Anti-trust Commission has broad regulatory powers and is empowered to intervene to prevent acquisitions tending to decrease the levels of competition in the marketplace or anticompetitive behavior in general. Although we consider that the highly competitive nature of the Chilean food retail market makes it an unlikely sector for anti-trust concerns, the Chilean government is currently engaged in a fact finding investigation of the procurement practices in the food retailing sector.
Capital Expenditures
The supermarket business is capital intensive. Over the past five years, we spent approximately US$614 million, primarily to develop and expand our store formats. In the years 2003 through 2004, we expect to invest a total of US$140 million in order to open 8 new stores in Chile, the majority of which will be located in existing structures, with only a few requiring new construction. We expect to open three stores before the end of 2003. Our projected capital expenditures may vary substantially from the numbers set forth below as a result of market competition and the cost and availability of the necessary funds.
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We project capital expenditures of $35,931 million (US$50 million) for the year 2003, which are required for the opening of four new stores, the remodeling of existing stores, the transformation of two stores, logistical investments in the cold products supply chain and the purchase of land for new projects. We plan to open eight stores before the end of 2004, all of the Lider format. We also plan to transform all Ekono stores into the Lider format. This will require an additional US$100 million of capital expenditures for 2004. The projected capital expenditures will be concentrated in the Lider format in order to take advantage of the increasing purchasing power of the middle and lower middle classes in Chile to which these formats are targeted. In 2004, we also plan to open a new warehouse to store all our frozen goods. The following table sets forth our actual capital expenditures for 2000, 2001 and 2002 and projected capital expenditures for 2003 and 2004:
| Actual for year ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, | Projected | Total Projected | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2003-2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of stores at beginning of year | 51 | 52 | 54 | 54 | 62 | 66 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New stores opened or acquired | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stores sold or closed | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Existing stores remodeled or expanded | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Existing stores transformed into another format (Almac into Ekono and Ekono into Lider Vecino) | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of supermarkets at end of year | 52 | 54 | 62 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Format of stores at end of year: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Almac(1) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ekono | 30 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lider-Lider Mercado | 14 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lider Vecino | — | 5 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 46 | 46 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital expenditures(2) | Ch$50,039 | Ch$71,199 | Ch$68,268 | Ch$35,931 | Ch$71,862 | Ch$107,793 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (US$69.6 million) | (US$99.1 million) | (US$95 million) | (US$50 million) | (US$100 million) | (US$150 million) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Includes Almac | |
| (2) | In millions of constant Chilean pesos. |
Description of Property
In the last five years we invested approximately US$614 million in real estate and opened 17 stores (excluding investments in Ekono-Argentina stores). For the period of 2003 through 2004, we envision capital expenditures of US$140 million to open 8 additional stores (26,000 sq. m) resulting in a total of 70 operating stores by the end of 2004 in Chile. In addition, one Ekono store will be transformed into the Lider Vecino format during 2003.
An important component of our development is the early acquisition of strategically located properties, by which we accumulate a stock of valuable undeveloped properties that gives us control of our expansion process in Chile. We increasingly develop our projects as “commercial centers” in which one of our stores is combined with other non-competing stores (e.g., McDonald’s, Blockbuster) to create a complete shopping destination for consumers. We developed seven stores in “Power Centers,” in which the property was developed in conjunction with Homecenter Sodimac, a hardware superstore. This strategy has also allowed us to defray our real estate costs by fully developing the commercial potential of the properties.
Although our real estate activities were historically carried out through subsidiaries, principally Sociedad Anónima Inmobiliaria Terrenos y Establecimientos Comerciales S.A. and Constructora e Inmobiliaria El Rodeo S.A., in December 1995, such subsidiaries were merged into our company and a separate division was established to administer our real estate interests and develop our properties as required by our supermarket expansion program.
At December 31, 2002, we owned 52 (of which five were subject to financial leases) of our 62 store locations in Chile with 1,032,139 square meters built up and 1,009,777 square meters of land for
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new projects. In addition, we own the La Dehesa, Maipú, Puente Alto and Gran Avenida shopping centers in Santiago, and the Viña del Mar and Antofagasta shopping centers in the cities of the same name. We currently lease properties adjacent to our stores to a hardware superstore, McDonald’s and Blockbuster, among others. Leasing properties to third parties accounted for revenues of $10,638 million (US$14.8 million) in 2002. In addition, at December 31, 2002, we owned our headquarters/service school and the adjacent distribution center at Quilicura, in the outskirts of Santiago, and 15 additional sites for new projects. A significant portion of these sites are strategically located at major intersections or other desirable store locations.
The following chart presents a breakdown of our Chilean facilities at December 31, 2002, including their respective location, opening date, remodeling date, size and type of property each facility represents:
| Type of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year | Property | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Region | Date Opened | Remodeled | Facility Size | Selling Area | Interest | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Sq. Meters) | (Sq. Meters) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Almac |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plaza Lyon |
SMR | 1982 | — | 2,270 | 1,227 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vitacura |
SMR | 1962 | 1987 | 2,076 | 1,184 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parque Arauco |
SMR | 1982 | 1997-1998 | 700 | 600 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Manuel Montt |
SMR | 1997 | — | 500 | 400 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ekono |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colón |
SMR | 1971 | 1991 | 3,183 | 1,675 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tobalaba |
SMR | 1984 | 1997 | 3,014 | 1,411 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Grecia |
SMR | 1984 | — | 3,433 | 1,590 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gran Avenida |
SMR | 1988 | — | 3,075 | 1,498 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Plaza Egaña |
SMR | 1990 | 1997 | 3,984 | 1,780 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Estoril |
SMR | 1982 | 1992 | 3,673 | 2,298 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
La Dehesa |
SMR | 1992 | 1996 | 5,711 | 3,702 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Maipú |
SMR | 1992 | 1997 | 2,295 | 1,300 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
La Frontera |
IX | 1992 | — | 3,645 | 2,188 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Apoquindo |
SMR | 1992 | 1997 | 2,931 | 1,515 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Seminario |
SMR | 1992 | — | 2,088 | 1,013 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
La Calera |
V | 1992 | — | 1,864 | 974 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Quilpué |
V | 1993 | — | 1,544 | 866 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calama |
II | 1993 | — | 2,429 | 1,390 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chuquicamata |
II | 1993 | — | 2,136 | 1,080 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pedro de Valdivia |
SMR | 1975 | 2000 | 3,378 | 1,782 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Irarrázabal |
SMR | 1961 | 1999 | 3,731 | 2,064 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Arica |
I | 1998 | — | 24,499 | 3,500 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Latadia |
SMR | 1998 | 1998 | 5,318 | 1,545 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pajaritos(4) |
SMR | 1997 | 2000 | 14,451 | 2,891 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Los Domínicos |
SMR | 1998 | — | 25,164 | (2) | 4,000 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Marina Arauco |
V | 1999 | — | 1,244 | 781 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Miraflores |
V | 2002 | — | 2,562 | 1,408 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lider |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Puente Alto |
SMR | 1995 | 1997 | 9,078 | 10,244 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pajaritos |
SMR | 1996 | — | 32,634 | (2) | 9,133 | Owned (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
Alameda |
SMR | 1995 | 1997 | 37,028 | (2) | 9,396 | Owned (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
Viña del Mar |
V | 1995 | 1997 | 108,648 | 13,030 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Departamental |
SMR | 1996 | — | 37,627 | (2) | 9,133 | Owned (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
El Belloto |
V | 1998 | — | 31,963 | (2) | 8,960 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
La Serena |
IV | 1998 | — | 31,043 | 9,340 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vitacura |
SMR | 1998 | — | 35,430 | (2) | 8,550 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Oeste |
SMR | 1998 | — | 22,409 | 13,243 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bío-Bío |
VIII | 1998 | — | 35,336 | 12,716 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Antofagasta |
IX | 1998 | — | 61,617 | (2) | 11,500 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Santa Amalia |
SMR | 1998 | — | 44,625 | (2) | 12,710 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Gran Avenida |
SMR | 1996 | 1997 | 16,822 | (2) | 9,550 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
La Reina |
SMR | 2000 | — | 18,649 | 11,500 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Outlet Pajaritos(4) |
SMR | 2000 | — | 1,611 | 1,611 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Temuco |
IX | 2001 | — | 23,789 | 6,650 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Macul (5) |
SMR | 2001 | — | 30,875 | 6,020 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Concepcion II |
VIII | 2002 | — | 43,839 | 8,560 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Puerto Montt |
X | 2002 | — | 29,092 | 8,400 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calama |
II | 2002 | — | 13,369 | 6,854 | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||||
Valdivia |
X | 2002 | — | 24,233 | 6,152 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rancagua |
VI | 2002 | — | 12,338 | 7,336 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lider Vecino |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomás Moro (6) |
SMR | 1995 | — | 5,339 | 3,340 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year | Property | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Region | Date Opened | Remodeled | Facility Size | Selling Area | Interest | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Sq. Meters) | (Sq. Meters) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Independencia (6) |
SMR | 1997 | — | 18,941 | (2) | 4,608 | Owned (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
Los Morros (6) |
SMR | 1998 | — | 12,939 | 4,096 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Recoleta(6) |
SMR | 1998 | — | 14,563 | (2) | 4,200 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Santa Rosa(6) |
SMR | 1998 | — | 12,646 | (2) | 4,036 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
San Bernando(6) |
SMR | 1998 | — | 9,236 | (2) | 3,700 | Owned (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
Vicuña Mackenna |
SMR | 1985 | 1996-2000 | 7,738 | 4,215 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vespucio Sur |
SMR | 1993 | 1997-2000 | 6,853 | 3,900 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Iquique |
I | 1997 | 2000 | 17,684 | (2) | 4,720 | Owned | |||||||||||||||||||
Talca |
VI | 1997 | 2001 | 16,630 | 4,130 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Osorno |
X | 1998 | 2001 | 8,289 | 3,300 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles |
VIII | 2002 | — | 12,029 | 3,250 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Matucana |
SMR | 2002 | — | 11,898 | 3,563 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lider Mercado |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Puente Nuevo |
SMR | 2001 | — | 44,421 | 11,850 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shopping Centers(3) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
La Dehesa |
SMR | 1992 | — | 15,000 | 13,081 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Las Palmas (Maipú) |
SMR | 1992 | — | 10,800 | 4,534 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Puente Alto |
SMR | 1998 | — | 49,127 | 28,267 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gran Avenida |
SMR | 1998 | — | 49,895 | 17,324 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Viña del Mar |
V | 1998 | — | 108,648 | 41,522 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
Antofagasta |
II | 1999 | — | 80,000 | 22,000 | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Indicates real estate subject to financial lease arrangements (similar to sale-leasebacks). We retained ownership of the buildings in the Independencia, Puente Alto and Departamental locations, entering into sale-leaseback arrangements only for underlying real estate. In all cases the properties revert to us at the expiration of the lease. | |
| (2) | Includes underground parking. | |
| (3) | In selling area, all stores are included, in addition to the super/hypermarkets. | |
| (4) | During the second quarter of 2000, Ekono Pajaritos was remodeled so as to reduce its selling area to 2,991 square meters. Its remaining 1,611 square meters were redesigned into the Pajaritos Outlet which, although not a hypermarket, finds its selling area included in the total square meters for our hypermarket format. | |
| (5) | Lider Macul was built on the site where Ekono Macul, demolished in January 2001, was previously located. Adjacent land was added to develop Lider Macul (opened in August 2001). | |
| (6) | These stores were transformed from Ekono supermarkets into Lider Vecino hypermarkets. |
The following chart presents a breakdown of our undeveloped real estate holdings in Chile, including the property’s size and location:
| Sites | Square Meters | ||||||||
Region |
|||||||||
V, SMR |
13 | 936,728 | |||||||
VI, VIII, IX, X, XII |
2 | 73,249 | |||||||
Total |
15 | 1,009,777 | |||||||
Although our general policy is to purchase our properties in order to secure strategic locations against competitors, this is not feasible in certain cases, particularly those store sites within shopping centers. In such instances, we lease the desired locations, if strategically justified. Our leased stores have initial terms ranging from one to five years. We generally pay a variable rent based upon the store’s revenues.
As reflected in the above table, we regularly remodel our stores and invest on an ongoing basis in new decorations and fixtures, updated signage and technology. To the extent that we centralize distribution of inventory, it is anticipated to result in a reduction of the required stocking area and permit an expansion of selling space in certain of our existing stores. Currently, some of our properties are held in wholly-owned subsidiaries while others are held directly by us.
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Legal Proceedings
We are party to certain legal proceedings in Chile arising from the normal course of our business which we believe are routine in nature and incidental to our operations. We do not believe that the outcome of the proceedings to which we currently are a party, other than as noted below, are likely to have a material adverse effect upon our operations, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.
Disco-Ahold Litigiation
We are also currently litigating a dispute stemming from the sale of Ekono-Argentina to Disco S.A. in December of 1999. Under the terms of sale, Disco S.A. paid us US$60 million of the US$150 million purchase price in May 2000, with the balance of US$90 million coming due in May 2003. The deferred payment amount was guaranteed by Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V. a Netherlands Antilles Company. We were informed in December 2002 that Disco S.A. would not pay us the entire US$150 million amount in dollars, but would instead convert the US$90 million balance owed to us into Argentine pesos under Argentine dollar convertibility regulations. On May 2, 2003, Disco S.A. made payment of 126 million Argentine pesos, the equivalent of US$45 million, based on an effective exchange rate of 2.8 Argentine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar. This amount remitted by Ahold remains in Argentina. We are seeking approval from the Central Bank of Argentina to remit this amount to Chile.
Our company has steadfastly rejected the applicability of the Argentine currency convertibility regime to Disco S.A.and to Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V., the guarantor, a non-Argentine entity, as to this obligation (which was explicitly undertaken to be a U.S. dollar obligation). We have retained counsel in Chile, Argentina and the Netherlands and have commenced legal actions against the guarantor, in the Netherlands Antilles, and against its parent, Royal Ahold, in the Netherlands, in order to collect the defaulted amount in full.
Item 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
Basis of Presentation
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements including the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We prepare our financial statements in accordance with Chilean GAAP, which differ in certain important respects from U.S. GAAP. Note 24 to our consolidated financial statements provides a description of the principal differences between Chilean GAAP and U.S. GAAP as they relate to us and a reconciliation with U.S. GAAP of net income and total shareholders’ equity.
Chilean GAAP requires that financial statements recognize the effects of inflation. Accordingly, all financial information regarding our company, unless otherwise indicated, was restated to eliminate the distorting effects of changes in the purchasing power of the Chilean peso on non-monetary assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity, such that all such information is presented in comparable monetary terms. These changes are based on the CPI measured from December 1 to November 30 of each year. The general price-level gain or loss reflected in the income statement indicates the effect of inflation on our net holdings of monetary assets and liabilities during a period of inflation. Assets and liabilities are considered “monetary” for purposes of general price-level accounting if their amounts are fixed by contract or otherwise in terms of number of currency units, regardless of changes in specific prices or in the general price level. Examples of “monetary” assets and liabilities include accounts receivable, accounts payable and cash. The effect of inflation accounting under Chilean GAAP has not been reversed in the reconciliation with GAAP. Unless otherwise specified, our financial data is presented herein in constant Chilean pesos of December 31, 2002 purchasing power.
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Certain of our liabilities are denominated in Unidades de Fomento (UFs). A UF is a daily, inflation-indexed, Chilean peso-denominated monetary unit which is set in advance based on changes in the Chilean CPI of the immediately preceding month. The adjustments to the closing value of UF-denominated assets and liabilities are included in the price-level restatement account in our consolidated statements of income.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In the preparation of our financial statements, in accordance with Chilean GAAP, we are required to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We continually evaluate these estimates, including those related to allowances for bad debts, inventories, useful lives of property, plants and equipment, intangible assets, contingent liabilities, income tax valuation allowances, severance indemnities and the fair value of financial instruments. We base our estimates on historical experience and other assumptions, which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for our judgments about the carrying value of our assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions. Below, we have identified the accounting policies that are critical to our financial statements.
Notes and accounts receivable and other assets
We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based upon payment history and the customer’s current creditworthiness, as determined by our review of their current credit information. We continuously monitor collections and payments from our customers and maintain a provision for estimated credit losses based on the period of nonpayment of balances, which is presented as a deduction from Notes Accounts Receivable and Other Assets. While such credit losses have historically been within our expectations and the provisions established, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to experience the same credit loss rates that we have had in the past.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at price-level restated purchase cost, which does not exceed their net sale value. Products that are obsolete or out of season are sold during the year. Eventually, allowances for obsolescence could exist for those products that are not sold in that year. However, our goal is to make such sales within the year in order to optimize inventories.
Property, Plant and Equipment and Depreciation
Property, plant and equipment are stated at price-level restated purchase cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with Chilean GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions, relating to the useful lives of such assets, that affect the reported amounts of assets and the disclosure at the date of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Long-lived Assets
Our company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair
44
value less costs to sell. The impairment recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets, derived from the present value of expected cash flows.
Income Taxes
We record valuation allowances, if it is necessary, to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that we are likely to realize. We consider future taxable income and tax planning strategies to assess the need for and the size of the valuation allowances. If we determine that we can realize a deferred tax asset in excess of our net recorded amount, we adjust the deferred tax asset, thereby increasing income. Conversely, if we determine that we are unable to realize all or part of our net deferred tax asset, we adjust the deferred tax asset, thereby decreasing income.
Contingent Liabilities
We are party to a number of claims and lawsuits, which are related to the normal course of business activity. Although we cannot precisely predict the amount of any liability that may ultimately arise with respect to any of these matters, we record provisions when we consider the liability probable and reasonably estimable. The provisions are based on historical experience and legal advice, are reviewed quarterly and are adjusted according to developments. Changes in the amount of the provisions affect our consolidated statements of income.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized at the point of sale to retail customers. Income for in-store promotions, or other incentives from suppliers that are non-refundable credits or payments are recognized when the related activities that are required by the supplier are completed, the amount can be fixed or is variable and determinable, and the collectability is reasonably assured. Funds that are directly linked to advertising commitments are recognized as income once the related advertising commitments are satisfied. Revenues from our real estate division and distribution centers are recognized as income when the services are provided. The principal and interest related to revenues from our credit card operations are recognized at the close of each year. We also maintain allowances for possible estimated losses due to bad debts that result from the inability of our customers to make required payments.
Generally accepted accounting principles specify the conditions we observe in recording our revenue generating activities. Accounting for sales incentives and other similar consideration between a vendor and a retailer or a customer under U.S. GAAP is currently under review by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, a Chilean governmental organization in charge of developing and approving new accounting standards. Although we continue to assess the effect of any changes in the standards, we currently do not believe they will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncement
In January 2003, the Chilean Association of Accountants issued Technical Bulletin No. 72, “Combinaciòn de Negocios Inversiones Premantes y Consolidación de Estados Financieros.” This standard complements or replaces existing accounting literature for business combinations under Chilean GAAP, and requires all acquisitions initiated after January 1, 2003 to be accounted for using the purchase method based on fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. In addition, in exceptional cases, the pooling-of-interest method may be used in reorganizations between related parties or for those transactions, where there is no clear acquirer. Technical Bulletin No. 72 continues to require the amortization of goodwill, and specifies the requirement for an impairment test. Notwithstanding any future transactions, the adoption of Technical Bulletin No. 72 is not expected to have a significant effect on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows of our company. SFAS 143,
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Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations (“SFAS 143”), was issued in June 2001 — SFAS 143 address financial accounting and reporting for obligations and costs associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets. SFAS 143 requires that the fair value of liability of an asset retirement obligation be recognized in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. The associated asset retirement costs will be capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the long-lived assets. The Group will be required to adopt SFAS 143 on July 1, 2002. We believe that the effect of implementing this pronouncement will not be a material impact on our financial statements.
In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 145, “Recession of FASB Statements No. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13 and Technical Corrections.” SFAS 145 rescinds SFAS 4, “Reporting Gains and Losses from Extinguishment of Debt,” which required that all gains and losses from extinguishments of debt be aggregated and classified as an extraordinary item if material. SFAS 145 requires that gains and losses from extinguishments of debt be classified as extraordinary only if they meet criteria in Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 30, thus distinguishing transactions that are part of recurring operations from those that are unusual or infrequent, or that meet the criteria for classification as an extraordinary item. SFAS 145 amends SFAS 13, “Accounting for Leases,” to require that lease modifications that have economic effects similar to sale-leaseback transactions be accounted for in the same manner as in sale-leaseback transactions. In addition, SFAS 145 rescinds SFAS 44, “Accounting for Intangible Assets of Motor Carriers,” and SFAS 64, “Extinguishments of Debt Made to Satisfy Sinking-Fund Requirements,” which are not currently applicable to us. The provisions of SFAS 145 as they relate to the rescission of SFAS 4 shall be applied in fiscal year 2003. Certain provisions related to SFAS 13 are effective for transactions occurring after May 15, 2002. We do not expect SFAS 145 to have a material impact on our results of operations or financial condition.
In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (FIN 46), an interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements (ARB 51). FIN 46 addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities, which are entitles subject to consolidation according to the provisions of FIN 46. For interests acquired on or after February 1, 2003, FIN 46 applies immediately. For existing interests as of January 31, 2003, FIN 46 is effective on July 1, 2003. We do not believe that the adoption of FIN 46 will have an impact on our financial statements.
In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transaction and Disclosure (“SFAS 148”), which provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. SFAS 148 also amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS 123 to require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on the results of operations. The provisions of SFAS 148 are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002. We do not believe that the adoption of SFAS 144 will have impact on our financial statements.
In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities (“SFAS 146”). This statement requires that a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized when the liability is incurred. In addition, this statement supersedes Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 94-3, “Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in Restructuring),” under which liability is recognized at the date an entity commits to an exit plan. SFAS 146 also establishes that the liability should initially be measured and recorded at fair value. The provisions are applicable on a prospective basis and are effective for any exit and disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002. We have not entered into any exit or disposal activities subsequent to the effective date.
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In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others (FIN 45). FIN 45 requires additional disclosures by guarantors about obligations under guarantees that it has issued. This statement also clarifies that a guarantor is required to recognize, at the inception of a guarantee, a liability for the fair value of obligations undertaken in issuing guarantees. The disclosure requirements for FIN 45 are effective for financial statements of interim and annual periods ending after December 15, 2002. The initial recognition and initial measurements requirements are applicable on a prospective basis for guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002.
In January 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force issued, “Accounting by a Reseller for Certain Considerations from a Vendor” as EITF 02-16. This EITF clarifies the accounting by the reseller for certain considerations such as rebates, discounts, etc. received from a vendor. This EITF also addresses the classification if such consideration in the income statement. This literature is effective for all such arrangements entered into after December 31, 2002. We believe that certain classifications of our vendor allowances may be required as the result of this EITF, but we believe the net impact on our statements of operations will be zero.
In April 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 149 (SFAS 149), Amendment of statement 133 on derivative instruments and hedging activities. SFAS 149 amends and clarifies accounting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities under SFAS 133. SFAS 149 is applied prospectively and is effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, except for SFAS 133 implementation issues that have been effective for fiscal quarters that began prior to June 15, 2003, and certain provisions relating to forward purchases or sales when-issued securities or other securities that do not yet exist. We are evaluating the effect this pronouncement will have on our financial statements.
Overview
General
Our historical financial results have been, and our financial results are expected to continue to be, materially affected by the general level of economic activity and growth of per capita disposable income in Chile (in particular, in the Santiago metropolitan region and other regions of Chile where we operate). To a lesser degree, in the past our financial results were also affected by the same factors in Argentina. However, with the sale of Ekono-Argentina in 1999, we are no longer exposed to Argentine risks. The Chilean economy experienced significant growth from 1989 to 1998, which contributed to increased levels of demand for our products and services during that period. In part due to the 1997 currency crisis in Asia, Chilean GDP growth decreased between 1998 and 2001, which contributed to declining same store sales during that period.
After the pronounced slowdown of economic growth experienced during the period 1998-2001, Chile has faced difficulties in resuming its former high growth rates. A series of factors explain this slowdown as well as the difficulties for an economic rebound. Factors causing the economic slowdown include the following:
| 1. The slowdown in the world economy, which grew only by 2.7%, and the regional crises due to the slowdown’s negative impact on the prices of Chilean exports, capital flows into Chile, the profits of companies (especially those which have made investment in or aimed their exports to Argentina and Brazil), and the volatility of the currency exchange and equity markets. |
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| 2. The deterioration in the framework of domestic policies resulting from labor reform, the heightened uncertainty regarding tax policies, and the slow speed in solving regulatory constraints affecting investment in some key economic sectors, such as fishing, power supply, and communications. |
With regard to economic growth during 2002, growth reached an annualized rate of only 0.5% in the first quarter, rising to 3.0% in the second quarter, and resulting in a 1.5% growth rate in the first half of the year. After low growth rates shown in June and July, economic growth rebounded in August and September. Notwithstanding the apparent onset of a recovery in domestic consumption, negative growth rates still lingered. Positive growth in the fourth quarter of 2002 caused GDP to reach 2.1% for 2002. The inflation rate for 2002 was 3.0%.
Our growth in net sales over the last three years has resulted principally from new store openings. During the year 2000, we launched a new format with the opening of the first Lider Vecino store in the Nuñoa neighborhood of Santiago. We subsequently opened two additional Lider Vecino hypermarkets. One resulted from the transformation of an Ekono store in Iquique into a Lider Vecino hypermarket. The second opening arose from the transformation of another Ekono store in Vicuña Mackenna. During 2001, we closed and demolished Ekono Macul, added an adjacent plot of land to the site of the former Ekono Macul, and built and opened Lider Macul on that site in August. In April of the same year we opened Lider Temuco. Additionally, in 2001 we transformed the Ekono Talca and Osorno supermarkets into the Lider Vecino hypermarket format (3,300 square meters). Thus, at December 31, 2001, we had opened two new Lider hypermarkets (Lider Temuco in the Region IX and Lider Macul in Santiago), launched a new concept with the opening of Lider Mercado Puente Nuevo in Santiago, and transformed two Ekono supermarkets into the Lider Vecino format. In total, 21,628 sq. meters of sales area were added during 2001.
During 2002, we opened five new Lider hypermarkets (Concepción II, Puerto Montt, Calama, Valdivia, and Rancagua), one Ekono supermarket (Miraflores in Vin?a del Mar), two Lider Vecino hypermarkets (Los Angeles and Matucana), and six Ekono supermarkets were transformed into the Lider Vecino format (first half, Metropolitan Region). This way, a total of 45,726 square meters were incorporated in 2002, bringing our total sales area to 309,361 square meters at December 31, 2002.
Our growth in sales and store expansion has resulted in part from targeting Chile’s emerging middle classes with our Lider and Ekono formats. As a result of the sustained growth of the Chilean economy, the standard of living improved, lifting many families from below the poverty line to the lower-middle and middle class tier. This segment of the population contributed to a significant portion of the increase in supermarket sales over the last twelve years.
We believe that our current gross margins are likely to be affected by increased competition in the Chilean market, although we hope to offset this, to an extent, through our planned expansion program. In order to preempt current competitors and deter potential competitors, we seek to be the low-price leader in Chile through our Lider and Ekono formats. As a managerial objective, anticipating tighter gross margins compels our division managers to focus upon increasing sales volume and reducing operating costs, thereby maintaining and improving operating margins.
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, changes in net
revenues and same store net revenues together with certain macroeconomic
indicators. “Same store net revenues” means net revenues or revenues throughout
such period for all stores which were open and operated by us during the
corresponding period in the previous year, excluding stores which underwent
renovation during the prior twelve months:
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| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | ||||||||||
Increase (decrease) in net revenues during period (1) |
(5.6 | )% | 10.3 | % | 11.5 | % | ||||||
Increase (decrease) in total sales during the period (1) |
(6.5 | )% | 9.5 | % | 10.01 | % | ||||||
Increase (decrease) in same store sales |
2.4 | 3.0 | (1.4 | ) | ||||||||
Increase (decrease) in Chilean GDP |
5.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | |||||||||
Increase (decrease) in Chilean consumption |
3.5 | 1.4 | 1.4 | |||||||||
| (1) | Sales refers only to sales from stores while revenues takes into consideration sales plus other income such as suppliers’ contributions, rental income, etc. |
Sale of Supermercados Ekono S.A. (Argentina)
In December 1999, we sold our operations in Argentina to Disco S.A. for US$150 million. Of the total purchase price, US$60 million was paid in cash, and the balance of US$90 million was payable on a deferred basis in May 2003. We were informed in December 2002 that Disco S.A. would not pay us the entire US$90 million amount in U.S. dollars, but would instead convert the balance owed to us into Argentine pesos under Argentine dollar convertibility regulations. On May 2, 2003, Ahold made payment of 126 million Argentine pesos, the equivalent of US$45 million, based on an effective exchange rate of 2.8 Argentine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar.
Our company has steadfastly rejected the applicability of the Argentine currency convertibility regime to Disco S.A.and to Disco-Ahold International Holdings N.V., the guarantor, a non-Argentine entity, as to this obligation (which was explicitly undertaken to be a U.S. dollar obligation). We have retained counsel in Chile, Argentina and the Netherlands and have commenced legal actions against the guarantor, in the Netherlands Antilles, and against its parent, Royal Ahold, in the Netherlands, in order to collect the defaulted amount in full.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain items in our income statement expressed as percentages of net revenues:
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | ||||||||||
Net revenues |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||
Cost of sales |
(78.2 | ) | (77.5 | |||||||||