WEIS MARKETS INC
For the period ended Dec 30, 2023. Filed Feb 28, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 28, 2024
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Item 1. Business
Weis Markets, Inc. (Weis Markets or the Company) is a Pennsylvania business founded by Harry and Sigmund Weis in 1912 and incorporated in 1924. The Company is engaged principally in the retail sale of food in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. There was no material change in the nature of the Company’s business during fiscal 2023. The Company’s stock has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1965 under the symbol “WMK.” The Weis family currently owns approximately 65% of the outstanding shares. Jonathan H. Weis serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer.
The Company’s retail food stores sell groceries, dairy products, frozen foods, meats, seafood, fresh produce, floral, pharmacy services, deli products, prepared foods, bakery products, beer and wine, fuel and general merchandise items, such as health and beauty care and household products. The store product selection includes national, local and private brands including natural, gluten-free and organic varieties. The Company advertises its products and promotes its brand through digital and printed circulars; television ads; radio ads; e-mail blasts; and on-line via its web site, social media and mobile applications. The Company promotes competitive pricing by using Everyday Lower Price; Low Price Guarantee; Low, Low Price; 3 Day Sale; senior and military discounts; and Loyalty programs. The Loyalty program includes reward points that may be redeemed for discounts on items in store, at the Company’s fuel stations or at one of its third-party fuel station partners. The Company currently owns and operates 197 retail food stores many of which have on-line order customer service. The Company’s operations are reported as a single reportable segment. The majority of the Company’s revenues are generally not seasonal in nature. However, revenues tend to be higher during the major holidays throughout the year. Additionally, significant inclement weather systems, particularly winter storms, tend to affect sales trends.
The following table provides additional detail on the percentage of consolidated net sales contributed by product category for fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively:
| · · · · · · · | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Center Store (1) | 54.4% | 54.7% | 54.9% |
| Fresh (2) | 29.1 | 30.0 | 31.1 |
| Pharmacy Services | 11.2 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Fuel | 5.1 | 5.6 | 4.4 |
| Other | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Consolidated net sales | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| (1) | Consists primarily of groceries, dairy products, frozen foods, beer and wine, and general merchandise items, such as health and beauty care and household products. |
| (2) | Consists primarily of meats, seafood, fresh produce, floral, deli products, prepared foods and bakery products. |
At the end of 2023, Weis Markets, Inc. operated 3 stores in Delaware, 49 stores in Maryland, 6 stores in New Jersey, 9 stores in New York, 118 stores in Pennsylvania, 9 stores in Virginia and 3 stores in West Virginia, for a total of 197 retail food stores operating under the Weis Markets trade name.
All retail food store locations operate as conventional supermarkets. The retail food stores range in size from 8,000 to 71,000 square feet, with an average size of approximately 49,000 square feet. The Company’s store fleet includes a variety of sizes with a few locations in operation since the 1950s; all stores are branded Weis Markets and provide the same basic offerings scaled to the size of each store. The following summarizes the number of stores by size categories as of year-end:
| · · · · · · · · | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| · 2023 · 2023 · 2022 · 2022 | |||||
| Square feet · · Number of stores · · % of Total · · Number of stores · · % of Total | |||||
| Over 55,000 | 64 | 32% | | 64 | 32% |
| 45,000 to 54,999 | 70 | 36% | | 70 | 36% |
| 35,000 to 44,999 | 46 | 23% | | 46 | 23% |
| 25,000 to 34,999 | 12 | 6% | | 12 | 6% |
| Under 25,000 | 5 | 3% | | 5 | 3% |
| Total | 197 | 100% | | 197 | 100% |
The Company believes that opening new stores and remodeling current stores are vital for future Company growth. The location and appearance of its stores are important components of attracting new and retaining current customers. On an average basis, the Company has two to three new/relocated stores in the process of being developed and dedicates one third of its capital expenditure budget to new stores annually, excluding acquisitions. Significant labor and supply chain disruptions in 2022 and 2023 resulted in multiple store development and construction projects (new, relocated, addition, major remodel) to be carried over for completion in 2024 and 2025 as supply chain conditions stabilize. Generally, another fifteen to twenty percent of the capital expenditure budget is dedicated to store remodels while the remainder is attributable to supply chain, technology, smaller in-store sales-driven projects, store maintenance and store support function expenditures.
The following schedule shows the changes in the number of retail food stores, total square footage and store additions/remodels as of year-end:
| · · · · · · · · · · | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 | ||||||||
| Beginning store count | 197 | 196 | 196 | 198 | 202 | |||
| New/relocated stores | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Closed/relocated stores | — | (1) | (4) | (4) | (5) | |||
| Ending store count | 197 | 197 | 196 | 196 | 198 | |||
| Total square feet (000’s), at year-end | 9,710 | 9,710 | 9,617 | 9,568 | 9,642 | |||
| Additions/major remodels | 4 | 9 | | 13 | | 13 | | 12 |
Utilizing its own strategically located distribution center and transportation fleet, Weis Markets self distributes approximately 56% of product supplied to stores with the remaining being supplied by direct store vendors and regional wholesalers. In addition, the Company has three manufacturing facilities which process milk, ice cream and fresh meat products. The corporate offices are located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania where the Company was founded in 1912.
The Company strives to be good stewards of the environment and makes this an important part of its overall mission. Its sustainability strategy operates under four key pillars: green design, natural resource conservation, food and agricultural impact and community impact. The goal of the sustainability strategy is to reduce the Company’s overall carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the impact on the environment. The Company continues to be a member of the EPA GreenChill program for advancing environmentally beneficial refrigerant management systems. The Company currently has thirteen stores certified under this program and plans to expand this program to more stores. Since 2017, the Company has replaced 96% of its stores fluorescent lighting with more energy efficient and environmentally friendly LED lighting. The Company continues to emphasize recycling in all areas, most recently noting a decrease in store waste where the Company has diverted approximately 43 thousand tons of waste from landfills. These statistics and more can be found in the Company’s most recently published sustainability report, linked below in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The Company operates in a highly competitive marketplace. The number and the variety of competitors vary by market. The Company’s principal competition consists of international, national, regional and local food chains, as well as independent food stores. The Company also faces substantial competition from convenience stores, membership warehouse clubs, specialty retailers, supercenters and large-scale drug and pharmaceutical chains. This competition is augmented by the food retail industry’s expansion into the online market in recent years. The Company continues to effectively compete by offering a strong combination of value, quality and service. The Company has provided additional product offerings and customer conveniences such as “Weis 2 Go Online,” currently offered at 188 store locations. “Weis 2 Go Online” allows the customer to order on-line and have their order delivered or picked up at an expedient store drive-thru. The Company also currently offers home delivery to customers in all 197 of its locations via multiple grocery delivery partners.
**Human Capital.**The Company believes that talent is a business differentiator and is committed to creating a sustainable competitive advantage through the selection, development and promotion of talented, highly motivated people. The Company believes that establishing a learning culture supports its commitment to be an employer of choice and helps drive customer engagement with its associates. Improvements in the Company’s talent management and development will help drive business impact while providing internal career opportunities. The Company continues to grow leaders at every level throughout the organization by creating a culture of mentoring, coaching and leveraging on-the-job assignments for continued development. The Company believes that a strong employment brand is necessary to attract and retain top talent and affects its ability to compete and execute strategic plans. The Company will continue to assess and upgrade underlying technologies to support human capital development as a strategic imperative for future growth.
The Company currently employs approximately 23,000 full-time and part-time associates. Approximately 95% of Weis Markets associates are paid an hourly wage.
**Trade Names and Trademarks.**The Company has invested significantly in the development and protection of “Weis Markets” both as a trade name and a trademark and considers it to be an important asset. The Company is the exclusive licensee of nearly 125 trademarks registered and/or pending in the United States Patent and Trademark Office from WMK Holdings, Inc., including trademarks for its product lines and promotions such as Weis, Weis 2 Go, Weis Great Meals Start Here, Weis Gas-n-Go and Weis Nutri-Facts. Each trademark registration is for an initial period of 10 years and may be renewed so long as it is in continued use in commerce.
The Company considers its trademarks to be of material importance to its business and actively defends and enforces its rights.
The Company maintains a corporate web site at www.weismarkets.com/investor-relations. The Company makes available, free of charge, on the “Investor Relations” page of its web site, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such
material or furnishes it to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by clicking on the “SEC Information” link.
The Company’s Corporate Governance materials can be found on the “Governance” pageof its web site. These materials include the Corporate Governance Guidelines; the Charters of the Audit, Compensation and Disclosure Committees; and both the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the Code of Ethics for the CEO and CFO. A copy of the foregoing corporate governance materials is available upon written request to the Company’s principal executive offices.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.