INGLES MARKETS INC - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

  



UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON D.C. 20549



FORM 10-K



☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019



☐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 0-14706



INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 



Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)



Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  YES ☐ NO ☒.



Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  YES ☐ NO ☒.



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. YES ☒ NO ☐.  



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). YES ☒ NO ☐ NOT APPLICABLE ☐.



Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒ 



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”  “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check one):



If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  YES ☐ NO ☒.



Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:





As of March 30, 2019, the aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sales price of the Class A Common Stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market on March 30, 2019, was approximately $398 million. As of December 5, 2019, the registrant had 14,180,485 shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding and 6,079,291 shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding.



Certain information required in Part III hereof is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A no later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.



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Ingles Markets, Incorporated



Annual Report on Form 10-K



September 28, 2019



 



 

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This Annual Report of Ingles Markets, Incorporated (“Ingles” or the “Company”) contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).  All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Annual Report, including the statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business” and elsewhere regarding the Company’s strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues, projected costs, projections, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward‑looking statements. The words “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “likely,” “goal,” “believe,” “seek” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. While these forward-looking statements and the related assumptions are made in good faith and reflect the Company’s current judgment regarding the direction of the Company’s business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested herein.  Such statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to significant risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control.  Some of these assumptions inevitably will not materialize, and unanticipated events will occur which will affect the Company’s results.  Some important factors (but not necessarily all factors) that affect the Company’s revenues, growth strategies, future profitability and operating results, or that otherwise could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statement, include:



Consequently, actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company’s operations may vary significantly from those described in this Annual Report. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.  The forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are made only as of the date hereof.  The Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments.



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PART I



Item 1. BUSINESS 



General



Ingles Markets, Incorporated (“Ingles” or the “Company”), a leading supermarket chain in the southeast United States, operates 198 supermarkets in North Carolina (73), Georgia (66), South Carolina (36), Tennessee (21), Virginia (1) and Alabama (1).



The Company’s strategy is to locate its supermarkets primarily in suburban areas, small towns and neighborhood shopping centers.  The Company remodels, expands and relocates stores in these communities and builds stores in new locations to retain and grow its customer base while retaining a high level of customer service and convenience.  Ingles supermarkets offer customers a wide variety of nationally advertised food products, including grocery, meat and dairy products, produce, frozen foods and other perishables, and non-food products.  Non-food products include fuel centers, pharmacies, health and beauty care products and general merchandise.  The Company also offers quality private label items and locally-sourced items throughout its market areas.



The Company believes that customer service and convenience, modern stores and competitive prices on a broad selection of quality merchandise are essential to developing and retaining a loyal customer base.  The Company has an ongoing renovation and expansion plan to add stores in its target market and modernize the appearance and layout of its existing stores.  The Company’s new and remodeled supermarkets provide an enhanced level of customer convenience in order to accommodate the lifestyle of today’s shoppers.  Design features of the Company’s modern stores focus on selling high-growth, high-margin products including perishable departments featuring local organic and home meal replacement items, in-store pharmacies, on-premises fuel centers, and an expanded selection of food and non-food items.



Substantially all of the Company’s stores are located within 280 miles of its warehouse and distribution facilities, near Asheville, North Carolina.  The Company operates 1.65 million square feet of warehouse and distribution facilities.  These facilities supply the company’s supermarkets with approximately 59% of the goods the Company sells.  The remaining 41% is purchased from third parties and is generally delivered directly to the stores.  The close proximity of the Company’s purchasing and distribution operations to its stores facilitates the timely distribution of consistently high quality perishable and non-perishable items.



To further ensure product quality, the Company also owns and operates a milk processing and packaging plant that supplies approximately 81% of the milk products sold by the Company’s supermarkets as well as a variety of organic milk, fruit juices and bottled water products.  In addition, the milk processing and packaging plant sells approximately 73% of its products to other retailers, food service distributors and grocery warehouses in 16 states, which provides the Company with an additional source of revenue. 



The Company owns 162 of its supermarkets, either in free-standing stores or as the anchor tenant in an owned shopping center.  The Company also owns 21 undeveloped sites suitable for a free-standing store or development by the Company or a third party.  The Company’s owned real estate is generally located in the same geographic region as its supermarkets.  During fiscal years 2019 and 2018, the Company purchased a total of four shopping centers which contained Ingles stores that had been leased from third-party landlords.



The Company was founded by Robert P. Ingle, who served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer until his death in March 2011.  His son, Robert P. Ingle II is Chairman of the Board and remains actively involved in the Company’s daily operations.



As of September 28, 2019, Mr. Ingle II owned beneficially (as defined by the Exchange Act) approximately 76% of the combined voting power and 29% of the total number of shares of the Company’s outstanding Class A and Class B Common Stock (in each case including stock held by the Company’s Investment/Profit Sharing Plan and Trust of which Mr. Ingle II serves as one of the trustees).  The Company became a publicly traded company in September 1987.  The Company’s Class A Common Stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “IMKTA.”  The Company’s Class B Common Stock is not publicly traded.



The Company was incorporated in 1965 under the laws of the State of North Carolina.  Its principal mailing address is P.O. Box 6676, Asheville, North Carolina 28816, and its telephone number is 828-669-2941.  The Company’s website is www.ingles-markets.com.  Information on the Company’s website is not a part of and is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  The Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments and supplements to these reports are available on the Company’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.



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Business



The Company operates one primary business segment, retail grocery.  Information about the company’s operations is as follows (for information regarding the Company’s industry segments, see Note 11, “Segment Information” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K):









“Other” consists of fluid dairy operations and shopping center rentals. 





The grocery category includes grocery, dairy and frozen foods.

The non-foods category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The perishables category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.



Supermarket Operations



The Company’s strategy is to locate its supermarkets primarily in suburban areas, small towns and neighborhood shopping centers.  At September 28, 2019, the Company operated 188 supermarkets under the name “Ingles,” and 10 supermarkets under the name “Sav-Mor” with locations in western North Carolina, western South Carolina, northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and northeastern Alabama.  The “Sav-Mor” store concept accommodates smaller shopping areas and carries dry groceries, dairy, fresh meat and produce, all of which are displayed in a modern, readily accessible environment.



The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the Company’s supermarket operations.







The Company believes that today’s supermarket customers are focused on convenience, quality and value in an attractive store environment. As a result, the Company’s shopping experience combines a high level of customer service, convenience-oriented quality product offerings and low overall pricing. The Company’s modern stores provide products and services such as home meal replacement items, delicatessens, bakeries, floral departments, greeting cards and broad selections of local organic, beverage and health-related items. At September 28, 2019, the Company operated 108 pharmacies and 104 fuel stations.  The Company plans to continue to incorporate these departments in substantially all future new and remodeled stores.  The Company trains its employees to provide friendly service and to actively address the needs of customers. These employees reinforce the Company’s distinctive service-oriented image.



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Selected statistics on the Company’s supermarket operations are presented below:









Merchandising



The Company’s merchandising strategy is designed to create a comprehensive and satisfying shopping experience that blends value and customer service with variety, quality and convenience.  Management believes that this strategy fosters a loyal customer base by establishing a reputation for providing high quality products and a variety of specialty departments.



The Company’s stores carry broad selections of quality meats, produce and other perishables.  The Company offers a wide variety of fresh and non-perishable organic products, including organic milk produced by the Company’s fluid dairy plant.  The Company’s market areas contain numerous providers of quality local products, which is in line with current customer preferences for goods produced where they live.  Management believes that supermarkets offering a broad array of products and time-saving services are perceived by customers as part of a solution to today’s lifestyle demands.  Accordingly, a principal component of the Company’s merchandising strategy is to design stores that enhance the shopping experience.  The Company operates fuel stations at 104 of its store locations. 



A selection of prepared foods and home meal replacements are featured throughout Ingles’ deli, bakery, produce and meat departments to provide customers with easy meal alternatives that they can eat at home or in the store.  Many stores offer daily selections of home meal replacement items, such as rotisserie chicken and pork, international foods, fried chicken and other entrees, sandwiches, pre-packaged salads, sushi, cut fruit and prepared fresh vegetables.  The bakery offers an expanded selection of baked goods and self-service selections.  Ingles bakes most of its items on site, including bread baked daily, cakes made to order in various sizes, donuts and other pastries.  The deli offers salad, chicken wing and olive bars, an expanded offering of cheeses, gourmet items and home meal replacement items.  The Company also provides its customers with an expanded selection of frozen food items (including organics) to meet the increasing demands of its customers.



Ingles intends to continue to increase sales of its private label brands, which typically carry higher margins than comparable branded products.  Ingles’ private labels cover a broad range of products throughout the store, such as milk, bread, organic products, soft drinks and canned goods.  In addition to increasing margins, Ingles believes that private label sales help promote customer loyalty and provide a value-priced alternative to national brands.  



The Company seeks to maintain a reputation for providing friendly service, quality merchandise and customer value and for its commitment to locally-sourced product and community involvement.  The Company employs various advertising and promotional strategies to reinforce the quality and value of its products.  The Company promotes these attributes using traditional advertising vehicles including radio, television, direct mail and newspapers, as well as electronic and social media.  The Ingles Advantage Card is designed to foster customer loyalty by providing information to better understand the Company’s customers’ shopping patterns.  The Ingles Advantage Card provides customers with special discounts throughout the Company’s stores and fuel stations.



Purchasing and Distribution



The Company currently supplies approximately 59% of its supermarkets’ inventory requirements from its modern warehouse and distribution facilities.  The Company has 1.65 million square feet of office, warehouse and distribution facilities at its headquarters near Asheville, North Carolina.  The Company believes that its warehouse and distribution facilities contain sufficient capacity for the continued expansion of its store base for the foreseeable future.



The Company’s centrally managed purchasing and distribution operations provide several advantages, including the ability to negotiate and reduce the cost of merchandise, decrease overhead costs and better manage its inventory at both the warehouse and store level.  From time to time, the Company engages in advance purchasing on high-turnover inventory items to take advantage of special prices offered by manufacturers for limited periods, or to ensure adequate product supply during tight distribution market conditions.



The remaining 41% of the Company’s inventory requirements, primarily beverages, gasoline, bread and snack foods, are supplied directly to the Company’s supermarkets by local distributors and manufacturers.

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Goods from the warehouse and distribution facilities and the milk processing and packaging plant are distributed to the Company’s stores by a fleet of 193 tractors and 799 trailers that the Company owns, operates and maintains.  The Company invests on an ongoing basis in the maintenance, upgrade and replacement of its tractor and trailer fleet.  The Company also operates truck servicing and fuel storage facilities at its warehouse and distribution facilities.  The Company reduces its overall distribution costs by capitalizing on back-haul opportunities (contracting to transport merchandise on trucks that would otherwise be empty).



The Company receives product recall information from various subscription, government and vendor sources.  Upon receipt of recall information, the Company immediately contacts each of its stores to have the recalled product removed from the shelves, and disposes of the product as instructed.  The Company may also use social media to communicate product recall information to the public.  The Company has a policy of refunding and/or replacing any goods returned by customers.  The details of this policy are posted inside each of the Company’s stores. 



Store Development, Expansion and Remodeling



The Company believes that the appearance and design of its stores are integral components of its customers’ shopping experience and aims to develop one of the most modern supermarket chains in the industry.  The ongoing modernization of the Company’s store base involves (i) the construction of new stores with continuously updated designs, and (ii) the replacement, remodeling or expansion of existing stores.  The Company’s goal is to maintain clean, well-lit stores with attractive architectural and display features that enhance the image of its stores as catering to the changing lifestyle needs of quality-conscious consumers who demand increasingly diverse product offerings.  The construction of new stores by independent contractors is closely monitored and controlled by the Company.  Recently, the Company has had a greater number of circumstances where an existing store was closed in order to build a new store building on the same site that reflects the Company’s current marketing strategies.



The Company renovates and remodels stores in order to increase customer traffic and sales, respond to existing customer demand, compete effectively against new stores opened by competitors and support its quality image merchandising strategy.  The Company decides to complete a remodel of an existing store based on its evaluation of the competitive landscape of the local marketplace.  A remodel or expansion provides the quality of facilities and product offerings identical to that of a new store, capitalizing upon the existing customer base.  The Company retains the existing customer base by keeping the store in operation during the entire remodeling process.  The Company may elect to relocate, rather than remodel, certain stores where relocation provides a more convenient location for its customers.



The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the Company’s new store development and store remodeling activities and the effect this program has had on the average size of its stores:









The Company’s ability to open new stores is subject to many factors, including the acquisition of satisfactory sites and may be limited by zoning and other governmental regulation.  In addition, the Company’s expansion, remodeling and replacement plans are continually reviewed and are subject to change.  See the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section included in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s capital expenditures.



Competition



The supermarket industry is highly competitive and characterized by narrow profit margins. The degree of competition the Company’s stores encounter varies by location, primarily based on the size of the community in which the store is located and its proximity to other communities.  The Company’s principal competitors are, in alphabetical order, Aldi, Inc., Bi-Lo, LLC., Earth Fare, Inc, Food City (K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.), Food Lion (Koninlijke Ahold Delhaize America N.V..), The Fresh Market, Inc., Harris Teeter (owned by The Kroger Co.), The Kroger Co., Lidl (Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG), Publix Super Markets, Inc., Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., Target Corporation, Whole Foods Market, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.  Increasingly over the last few years, competition for

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consumers’ food dollars has intensified due to the addition of, or increase in, food sections by many types of retailers (physical and online) and by restaurants.



Supermarket chains generally compete on the basis of location, quality of products, service, price, convenience, product variety and store condition.



The Company believes its competitive advantages include convenient locations, the quality of service it provides its customers, competitive pricing, product variety, quality and a pleasant shopping environment, which is enhanced by its ongoing modernization program.



By concentrating its operations within a relatively small geographic region, the Company is also positioned to more carefully monitor its markets, and the needs of its customers within those markets.  The Company’s senior executives live and work in the Company’s operating region, thereby allowing management to quickly identify changes in needs and customer preference.  Because of the Company’s size, store managers have direct access to corporate management and are able to receive quick decisions regarding requested changes in operations.  The Company can then move quickly to make adjustments in its business in response to changes in the market and customer needs. 



The Company’s management monitors competitive activity and regularly reviews and periodically adjusts the Company’s marketing and business strategies as management deems appropriate in light of existing conditions in the Company’s region.  The Company’s ability to remain competitive in its changing markets will depend in part on its ability to pursue its expansion and renovation programs and its response to remodeling and new store openings by its competitors.



Seasonality



Sales in the grocery segment of the Company’s business are subject to a slight seasonal variance due to holiday related sales and due to sales in areas where seasonal homes are located. Sales are traditionally higher in the Company’s first fiscal quarter due to the inclusion of sales related to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The Company’s second fiscal quarter traditionally has the lowest sales of the year, unless Easter falls in that quarter.  In the third and fourth quarters, sales are affected by the return of customers to seasonal homes in the Company’s market area.  The Company’s fluid dairy operations have a slight seasonal variation to the extent of its sales into the grocery industry.  The Company’s real estate operations are not subject to seasonal variations.



Employees and Labor Relations



At September 28, 2019, the Company had approximately 27,000 non-union employees, of which 92% were supermarket personnel.  Approximately 62% of these employees work on a part-time basis.  Management considers employee relations to be good.  The Company values its employees and believes that employee loyalty and enthusiasm are key elements of its operating performance.  Recently, competition for labor has been more intense resulting in higher costs to attract and retain associates.  The Company has responded by increasing resources devoted to employee recruitment and retention, and has expanded the ways in which it markets itself to prospective employees.



Trademarks and Licenses



The Company employs various trademarks and service marks in its business, the most important of which are its own “Laura Lynn” and “Harvest Farms” private label trademarks, “The Ingles Advantage” service mark, and the “Ingles” service mark. These service marks and the trademarks are federally registered in the United States pursuant to applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Ingles.  The Company believes it has all material licenses and permits necessary to conduct its business.



The current expiration dates for significant trade and service marks are as follows: “Ingles” – December 9, 2025; “Laura Lynn” – March 13, 2024; “Harvest Farms” – August 5, 2024; and “The Ingles Advantage” – August 30, 2025.  Each registration may be renewed for an additional ten-year term prior to its expiration.  The Company intends to file all renewals timely.  Each of the Company’s trademark license agreements has a one year term which, with respect to one license, is automatically renewed annually, unless the owner of the trademark provides notice of termination prior to the expiration date and, with respect to the other licenses, are renewed periodically by letter from the licensor.  The Company currently has three pending applications for additional trademarks or service marks.



Environmental Matters



Under applicable environmental laws, the Company may be responsible for remediation of environmental conditions and may be subject to associated liabilities relating to its stores and other buildings and the land on which such stores and other buildings are situated (including responsibility and liability related to its operation of its gas stations and the storage of gasoline in underground storage tanks), regardless of whether the Company leases or owns the stores, other buildings or land in question and regardless of whether such environmental conditions were created by the Company or by a prior owner or tenant.  The presence of contamination from hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure to properly remediate such contaminated property, may adversely affect the Company’s ability to sell or rent such real property or to borrow using such real property as collateral.  The Company typically conducts an environmental review prior to acquiring or leasing new stores, other buildings or raw land.

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Federal, state and local governments could enact laws or regulations concerning environmental matters that affect the Company’s operations or facilities or increase the cost of producing or distributing the Company’s products.  The Company believes that it currently conducts its operations, and in the past has conducted its operations, in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws.  The Company, however, cannot predict the environmental liabilities that may result from legislation or regulations adopted in the future, the effect of which could be retroactive.  Nor can the Company predict how existing or future laws and regulations will be administered or interpreted or what environmental conditions may be found to exist at its facilities or at other properties where the Company or its predecessors have arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances.



The Company strives to employ sound environmental operating policies, including recycling packaging, recycling wooden pallets, and re-circulating some water used in its car washes.  The Company offers reusable shopping bags to its customers and will pack groceries in bags brought in by its customers.  The Company’s store modernization plans include energy efficient lighting and refrigeration equipment.



Government Regulation



The Company is subject to regulation by a variety of governmental agencies, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and other federal, state and local agencies.  The Company’s stores are also subject to local laws regarding zoning, land use and the sale of alcoholic beverages.  The Company believes that its locations are in material compliance with such laws and regulations.



Item 1A. RISK FACTORS



Below is a series of risk factors that may affect the Company's business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Other risk factors are contained in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.   The Company operates in a continually changing business environment, and new risk factors emerge from time to time.  Management cannot predict such new risk factors, nor can it assess the impact, if any, of these risk factors on the Company's business, financial condition and/or results of operations or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may impact any of these areas.



The Company’s expansion and renovation plans may not be successful which may adversely affect the Company’s business and financial condition due to the capital expenditures and management resources required to carry out the Company’s plans.



The Company has spent, and intends to continue to spend, significant capital and management resources on the development and implementation of the Company’s expansion and renovation plans.  These plans, if implemented, may not be successful, may not improve operating results and may have an adverse effect on cash flow and management resources due to the significant amount of capital invested and management time expended.



The level of sales and profit margins in the Company’s existing stores may not be duplicated in the Company’s new stores, depending on factors such as prevailing competition, development cost, and the Company’s market position in the surrounding community. 



The Company’s warehouse and distribution center and milk processing and packaging plant, as well as all of the Company’s stores, are concentrated in the Southeastern United States, which makes it vulnerable to economic downturns, natural disasters and other adverse conditions or other catastrophic events in this region.



The Company operates in the Southeastern United States, and its performance is therefore heavily influenced by economic developments in the Southeast region.  The Company’s headquarters, warehouse and distribution center and milk processing and packaging plant are located in North Carolina and all of the Company’s stores are located in the Southeast region.  As a result, the Company’s business may be more susceptible to regional factors than the operations of more geographically diversified competitors.  These factors include, among others, changes in the economy, weather conditions, demographics and population.



The Company has, and expects to continue to have, a significant amount of indebtedness.



At September 28, 2019, the Company had total consolidated indebtedness for borrowed money of $852.2 million and $166.0 million available under a $175.0 million of committed line of credit.  A portion of the Company’s cash flow is used to service such indebtedness.  The Company owns a significant amount of real estate, which has been and will continue to be a factor in the Company’s overall level of indebtedness.  Real estate can be used as collateral for indebtedness and can be sold to reduce indebtedness.  The Company’s significant indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:

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The Company’s principal stockholder, Robert P. Ingle II, has the ability to elect a majority of the Company’s directors, appoint new members of management and approve many actions requiring stockholder approval.



Mr. Ingle II’s beneficial ownership (as defined by the Exchange Act) represents approximately 76% of the combined voting power of all classes of the Company’s capital stock as of September 28, 2019.  As a result, Mr. Ingle II has the power to elect a majority of the Company’s directors and approve any action requiring the approval of the holders of the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, including adopting certain amendments to the Company’s charter and approving mergers or sales of substantially all of the Company’s assets.

 

The Company is a Controlled Company under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules.  As a result, the Company is exempt from certain of NASDAQ’s corporate governance policies, including the requirements that the majority of Directors be independent (as defined in NASDAQ rules), and that the Company have a nominating committee for Director candidates.



If the Company loses the services of its key personnel, the Company’s business could suffer. 



The Company’s continued success depends upon the availability and performance of the Company’s executive officers, who possess unique and extensive industry knowledge and experience.  The loss of the services of any of the Company’s executive officers or other key employees could adversely affect the Company’s business.

 

Various aspects of the Company’s business are subject to federal, state and local laws and various operating regulations.  The Company’s compliance with these regulations may require additional capital expenditures and could adversely affect the Company’s ability to conduct the Company’s business as planned.



The Company is subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to zoning, land use, work place safety, public health, community right-to-know, beer and wine sales, country of origin labeling of food products, pharmaceutical sales and gasoline station operations.  Furthermore, the Company’s business is regulated by a variety of governmental agencies, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  Employers are also subject to laws governing their relationship with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions, insurance coverage, disabled access and work permit requirements.  Recent and proposed regulation has had or may have a future impact on the cost of insurance benefits for employees and on the cost of processing debit and credit card transactions.  Compliance with, or changes in, these laws could reduce the revenue and profitability of the Company’s supermarkets and could otherwise adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.



The Company is affected by certain operating costs which could increase or fluctuate considerably.



The Company depends on qualified employees to operate the Company’s stores and have been affected by recent tight labor markets.  A shortage of qualified employees could require the Company to enhance the Company’s wage and benefit package in order to better compete for and retain qualified employees, and the Company may not be able to recover these increased labor costs through price increases charged to customers, which could significantly increase the Company’s operating costs.



The Company is self-insured for workers’ compensation, general liability and group medical and dental benefits.  Risks and uncertainties are associated with self-insurance; however, the Company has limited its exposure by maintaining excess liability coverage.  Self-insurance liabilities are established based on claims filed and estimates of claims incurred but not reported.  The estimates are based on data provided by the respective claims administrators and analyses performed by actuaries engaged by the Company.  These estimates can fluctuate if historical trends are not predictive of the future.  The majority of the Company’s properties are self-insured for casualty losses and business interruption; however, liability coverage is maintained.



Energy and utility costs have been volatile in recent years, during which time the Company has expanded its store square footage.  The Company attempts to increase its energy efficiency during store construction and remodeling through the use of energy-saving equipment and construction.



The Company is subject to risks related to information systems and data security.



The Company’s business is dependent on information technology systems.  These complex systems are an important part of ongoing operations.  If the Company were to experience disruption in these systems, did not maintain existing systems properly, or did not implement new systems appropriately, operations could suffer.  The Company is currently undergoing a systematic program to enhance its information technology abilities.



The Company has implemented procedures to protect its information technology systems and data necessary to conduct ongoing operations.  The Company cannot however, be certain that all of these systems and data are entirely free from vulnerability to attack.



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Compliance with tougher privacy and information security laws and standards, including protection of customer debit and credit card information, may result in higher investments in technology and changes to operational processes. 



In recent years, more industry transactions have been online for ordering and fulfillment.  This trend places a higher reliance on effective and efficient information systems.



The Company is affected by the availability and wholesale price of gasoline and retail gasoline prices, all of which can fluctuate quickly and considerably.



The Company operates fuel stations at 104 of its store locations.  While the Company obtains gasoline and diesel fuel from a number of different suppliers, long-term disruption in the availability and wholesale price of gasoline for resale could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and/or results of operations. 



Fluctuating fuel costs could adversely affect the Company’s operating costs which depend on fuel for the Company’s fleet of tractors and trailers which distribute goods from the Company’s distribution facility and for the Company’s fluid dairy operations.



Furthermore, fluctuating fuel costs could have an adverse effect on the Company’s total gasoline sales (both in terms of dollars and gallons sold), the profitability of gasoline sales, and the Company’s plans to develop additional fuel centers.  Also, retail gas price volatility could diminish customer usage of fueling centers and, thus, adversely affect customer traffic at the Company’s stores.



The Company’s industry is highly competitive.  If the Company is unable to compete effectively, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected.



The supermarket industry is highly competitive and continues to be characterized by intense price competition, increasing fragmentation of retail formats, entry of non-traditional competitors (both physical and online) and market consolidation.  Furthermore, some of the Company’s competitors have greater financial resources and could use these financial resources to take measures, such as altering product mix, reducing prices, home/in-store fulfillment, or online ordering which could adversely affect the Company’s competitive position.



Disruptions in the efficient distribution of food products to the Company’s warehouse and stores may adversely affect the Company’s business.



The Company’s business could be adversely affected by disruptions in the efficient distribution of food products to the Company’s warehouse and stores.  Such disruptions could be caused by, among other things, adverse weather conditions, fuel availability, shortage of truck drivers, food contamination recalls and civil unrest in foreign countries in which the Company’s suppliers do business.



The Company’s operations are subject to economic conditions that impact consumer spending.



The Company’s results of operations are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact consumer spending, including discretionary spending.  Future economic conditions such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, energy and fuel costs and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or change consumer purchasing habits.  A general reduction in the level of consumer spending or the Company’s inability to respond to shifting consumer attitudes regarding products, store location and other factors could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and/or results of operations.



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Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS



None.



Item 2. PROPERTIES 



Owned Properties



The Company owns 162 of its supermarkets either as free-standing or in shopping centers where it is the anchor tenant.  The Company also owns 21 undeveloped sites which are suitable for a free-standing store or shopping center development.  The Company owns numerous outparcels and other acreage located adjacent to the shopping centers and supermarkets it owns.  Real estate owned by the Company is generally located in the same geographic regions as its supermarkets.



The shopping centers owned by the Company contain an aggregate of 7.3 million square feet of leasable space, of which 3.8 million square feet is used by the Company’s supermarkets.  The remainder of the leasable space in these shopping centers is leased or held for lease by the Company to third-party tenants.  A breakdown by size of the shopping centers owned and operated by the Company is as follows:







The Company owns a 1,649,000 square foot facility, which is strategically located between Interstate 40 and Highway 70 near Asheville, North Carolina, as well as the 119 acres of land on which it is situated.  The facility includes the Company’s headquarters and its warehouse and distribution facility.  The property also includes truck servicing and fuel storage facilities.  The Company also owns a 139,000 square foot warehouse on 21 acres of land approximately one mile from its main warehouse and distribution facility. 



The Company’s milk processing and packaging subsidiary, Milkco, Inc., owns a 140,000 square foot manufacturing and storage facility in Asheville, North Carolina.  In addition to the plant, the 20-acre property includes truck cleaning and fuel storage facilities.



Certain long-term debt of the Company is secured by the owned properties.  See Note 7, “Long-Term Debt” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.



Leased Properties



The Company operates supermarkets at 36 locations leased from various unaffiliated third parties.    The Company leases two other former supermarket locations, one of which is subleased to a third party.  The majority of these leases require the Company to pay property taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs and certain other expenses incidental to occupation of the premises.  In addition to base rent, most leases contain provisions that require the Company to pay additional percentage rent (ranging from 0.75% to 1.50%) if sales exceed a specified amount.



Rental rates generally range from $2.62 to $7.68  per square foot.  During fiscal 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company paid a total of $11.4 million, $11.8 million and $12.6 million, respectively, in supermarket rent, exclusive of property taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs and other expenses.  The following table summarizes lease expiration dates as of September 28, 2019, with respect to the initial and any renewal option terms of leased supermarkets:









Management believes that the long-term rent stability provided by these leases is a valuable asset of the Company.



Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 



Various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business are pending against the Company.  In the opinion of management, the ultimate liability, if any, from all pending legal proceedings and claims would not materially affect the Company’s business, financial condition and/or the results of operations.



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PART II



Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES



Market Information



The Company has two classes of Common Stock: Class A and Class B. Class A Common Stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol IMKTA.  There is no public market for the Company’s Class B Common Stock.  However, under the terms of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, any holder of Class B Common Stock may convert any portion or all of the holder’s shares of Class B Common Stock into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock at any time.  For additional information regarding the voting powers, preferences and relative rights of the Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, please see Note 8, “Stockholders’ Equity” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



As of December 5, 2019, there were approximately 385 holders of record of the Company’s Class A Common Stock and 116 holders of record of the Company’s Class B Common Stock.  The following table sets forth the reported high and low closing sales price for the Class A Common Stock during the periods indicated as reported by NASDAQ.  The quotations reflect actual inter-dealer prices without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.









On December 5, 2019, the closing sales price of the Company’s Class A Common Stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $43.05 per share.

 

Dividends



The Company has paid cash dividends on its Common Stock in each of the past 35 fiscal years, except for the 1984 fiscal year when the Company paid a 3% stock dividend.  During both fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, the Company paid annual dividends totaling $0.66 per share of Class A Common Stock and $0.60 per share of Class B Common Stock, paid in quarterly installments of $0.165 and $0.15 per share, respectively.  The Company’s last dividend payment was made on October 17, 2019 to common stockholders of record on October 10, 2019.  For additional information regarding the dividend rights of the Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, please see Note 8, “Stockholders’ Equity” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



The Company expects to continue paying regular cash dividends on a quarterly basis.  However, the Board of Directors periodically reconsiders the declaration of dividends. The Company pays these dividends at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  The continuation of these payments, the amount of such dividends, and the form in which the dividends are paid (cash or stock) depends upon the results of operations, the financial condition of the Company and other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant.  The payment of cash dividends is also subject to restrictions contained in certain financing arrangements.  Such restrictions are summarized in Note 7, “Long-Term Debt” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



Equity Compensation Plan Information



The Company does not have any equity compensation plans.



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Stock Performance Graph



Set forth below are a graph and accompanying table comparing the five-year cumulative total stockholder return on the Class A Common Stock with the five-year cumulative total return of (i) the S&P 500 Comprehensive-Last Trading Day Index and (ii) a peer group of companies in the Company's line of business.  The 2019 peer group consists of the following companies: Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., Weis Markets, Inc., The Kroger Co., Supervalu Inc., SpartanNash Co., Sprouts Farmers Markets, Inc., and Village Super Market, Inc.  



The comparisons cover the five-years ended September 28, 2019 and assume that $100 was invested after the close of the market on September 27, 2014, and that dividends were reinvested quarterly.  Returns of the companies included in the peer group reflected below have been weighted according to each company’s stock market capitalization at the beginning of each section for which a return is presented. 



INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED
COMPARATIVE RETURN TO STOCKHOLDERS









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INDEXED RETURNS OF INITIAL $100 INVESTMENT*







*Assumes $100 invested in the Class A Common Stock of Ingles Markets, Incorporated after the close of the market on September 27, 2014.



The foregoing stock performance information, including the graph, shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA 



The selected financial data set forth below has been derived from the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  This financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto.







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Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 



Overview



Ingles, a leading supermarket chain in the Southeast United States, operates 198 supermarkets in North Carolina (73), Georgia (66), South Carolina (36), Tennessee (21), Virginia (1) and Alabama (1).  The Company locates its supermarkets primarily in suburban areas, small towns and neighborhood shopping centers.  Ingles supermarkets offer customers a wide variety of nationally advertised food products, including grocery, meat and dairy products, produce, frozen foods and other perishables and non-food products.  Non-food products include fuel centers, pharmacies, health and beauty care products and general merchandise.  The Company offers quality private label items in most of its departments.  In addition, the Company focuses on selling high-growth, high-margin products to its customers through the development of certified organic products, bakery departments and prepared foods including delicatessen sections.  As of September 28, 2019, the Company operated 108 in-store pharmacies and 104 fuel centers.  Ingles also operates a fluid dairy and earns shopping center rentals.  



Critical Accounting Policies



Critical accounting policies are those accounting policies that management believes are important to the portrayal of Ingles’ financial condition and results of operations, and require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.  Estimates are based on historical experience and other factors believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.  Management estimates, by their nature, involve judgments regarding future uncertainties, and actual results may therefore differ materially from these estimates.



Self-Insurance



The Company is self-insured for workers’ compensation, general liability, and group medical and dental benefits.  Risks and uncertainties are associated with self-insurance; however, the Company has limited its exposure by maintaining excess liability coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence for workers’ compensation, $500,000 for general liability, and $450,000 per covered person for medical care benefits for a policy year.    Effective October 1, 2019 the excess liability limit was increased to $1,000,000 for general liability.  Self-insurance liabilities are established based on claims filed and estimates of claims incurred but not reported.  The estimates are based on data provided by the respective claims administrators which is then applied to appropriate actuarial methods. These estimates can fluctuate if historical trends are not predictive of the future.  The majority of the Company’s properties are self-insured for casualty losses and business interruption; however, liability coverage is maintained.  The Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $31.0 million and $34.7 million for employee group insurance, workers’ compensation insurance and general liability insurance at September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, respectively.  These amounts are inclusive of expected recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that are recorded as receivables of $3.6 million at September 28, 2019 and $4.6 million at September 29, 2018.



Asset Impairments



The Company accounts for the impairment of long-lived assets in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“FASB ASC”) Topic 360.  Asset groups are primarily comprised of our individual store and shopping center properties.  For assets to be held and used, the Company tests for impairment using undiscounted cash flows and calculates the amount of impairment using discounted cash flows.  For assets held for sale, impairment is recognized based on the excess of remaining book value over expected recovery value.  The recovery value is the fair value as determined by independent quotes or expected sales prices developed by internal associates, net of costs to sell.  Estimates of future cash flows and expected sales prices are judgments based upon the Company’s experience and knowledge of local operations and cash flows that are projected for several years into the future.  These estimates can fluctuate significantly due to changes in real estate market conditions, the economic environment, capital spending decisions and inflation.  The Company monitors the carrying value of long-lived assets for potential impairment each quarter based on whether any indicators of impairment have occurred.



Vendor Allowances



The Company receives funds for a variety of merchandising activities from the many vendors whose products the Company buys for resale in its stores. These incentives and allowances are primarily comprised of volume or purchase based incentives, advertising allowances, slotting fees, and promotional discounts. The purpose of these incentives and allowances is generally to help defray the costs incurred by the Company for stocking, advertising, promoting and selling the vendor’s products. These allowances generally relate to short term arrangements with vendors, often relating to a period of a month or less, and are negotiated on a purchase-by-purchase or transaction-by-transaction basis.  Whenever possible, vendor discounts and allowances that relate to buying and merchandising activities are recorded as a reduction of item cost in inventory and recognized in merchandise costs when the item is sold.  Due to system constraints and the nature of certain allowances, it is sometimes not practicable to apply allowances to the item cost of inventory.  In those instances, the allowances are applied as a reduction of merchandise costs using a rational and systematic methodology, which results in the recognition of these incentives when the inventory related to the vendor consideration received is

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sold.  Vendor allowances applied as a reduction of merchandise costs totaled $111.7 million, $116.5 million and $116.6 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.  Vendor advertising allowances that represent a reimbursement of specific identifiable incremental costs of advertising the vendor’s specific products are recorded as a reduction to the related expense in the period that the related expense is incurred.  Vendor advertising allowances recorded as a reduction of advertising expense totaled $13.8 million, $14.1 million, and $13.8 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.



If vendor advertising allowances were substantially reduced or eliminated, the Company would likely consider other methods of advertising as well as the volume and frequency of the Company’s product advertising, which could increase or decrease the Company’s expenditures.



Similarly, the Company is not able to assess the impact of vendor advertising allowances on creating additional revenue; as such allowances do not directly generate revenue for the Company’s stores.



Results of Operations



Ingles operates on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in September.  The consolidated statements of income for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, consisted of 52, 52 and 53 weeks of operations, respectively.  



Comparable store sales are defined as sales by grocery stores in operation for five full fiscal quarters.  The Company has an ongoing renovation and expansion plan to modernize the appearance and layout of its existing stores.  Sales from replacement stores, major remodels and the addition of fuel stations to existing stores are included in the comparable store sales calculation from the date of completion of the replacement, remodel or addition.  A replacement store is a new store that is opened to replace an existing nearby store that is closed.  A major remodel entails substantial remodeling of an existing store and may include additional retail square footage.  For the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018 comparable store sales each included 196 stores.  Weighted average retail square footage added to comparable stores due to replacement and remodeled stores was approximately 300 for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 and 86,000 for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.



The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, selected financial information as a percentage of net sales.









Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2019 Compared to the Fiscal Year Ended September 29, 2018



The Company’s fiscal year 2019 performance was strong, with increases in sales and gross margin driving increased pre-tax income.  Last year, in fiscal year 2018, income tax credits totaling $37.3 million resulted in higher net income when compared with the current fiscal year ended September 28, 2019.



Net income for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 was $81.6 million, compared with net income of $97.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018, primarily due to the positive impact of the fiscal year 2018 deferred tax benefits.  Pretax income was $106.6 million for fiscal year 2019, an increase of 32.7% compared with pretax income of $80.3 million for fiscal year 2018.



Sales and gross margin increased in the retail segment, including increases in gasoline gross profit.  Expenses increased primarily as a result of continued tight labor conditions in the Company’s market area.  Fluid dairy income was level over the comparative fiscal years, and real estate income increased as the Company added tenants in existing shopping centers and in acquired shopping centers where the Company had previously leased a store.



Net Sales. Net sales for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 totaled $4.20 billion, compared with $4.09 billion for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018. 



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Retail comparable sales excluding gasoline increased 3.9% during fiscal 2019 compared with 2018.  The number of transactions (excluding gasoline) increased 0.9% while the average transaction size (excluding gasoline) increased by 2.8%.  Comparing fiscal 2019 with 2018, gasoline gallons sold decreased 0.5% and per gallon gasoline prices decreased 3.5%.



Sales by product category for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, respectively, were as follows:







The grocery category includes grocery, dairy and frozen foods.

The non-foods category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The perishables category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.



Changes in retail grocery sales for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 are summarized as follows (in thousands):







Increased fiscal 2019 sales resulted from new and replacement store buildings, the introduction of new products and product presentation, especially in higher margin products, effective promotions and cost competitiveness.  General economic conditions were favorable in the Company’s market area. The Company increased its use of The Ingles Advantage Savings and Rewards Card (the “Ingles Advantage Card”) to increase net sales and comparable store sales through enhanced loyalty programs and special offers.  Information obtained from holders of the Ingles Advantage Card also assists the Company in optimizing product offerings and promotions specific to customer shopping patterns.



The Company expects non-gasoline sales will be higher in the 2020 fiscal year compared with fiscal 2019.  The Company anticipates adding new stores in fiscal 2020, expects to continue remodeling a significant number of existing stores, and plans to add more fuel stations and pharmacies.  Fiscal 2020 sales growth will also likely be influenced by market fluctuations in the per gallon price of gasoline and milk, changes in commodity food prices, general labor- and distribution-influenced economic conditions and changing customer preferences for purchasing items sold by the Company.



Gross Profit. Gross profit for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 increased $41.8 million, or 4.3%, to $1.02 billion compared with $980.2 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  As a percentage of sales, gross profit totaled 24.3% for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 and 24.0% for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  Gasoline gross profit increased $13.1 million for fiscal year 2019 compared with 2018.



Grocery segment gross profit as a percentage of total sales (excluding gasoline) decreased 19 basis points in fiscal 2019 compared with fiscal 2018.  The gross margin decrease was primarily due to market factors that adversely affected certain product lines. 



In addition to the direct product cost, the cost of goods sold line item for the grocery segment includes inbound freight charges and the costs related to the Company’s distribution network. 



Operating and Administrative Expenses. Operating and administrative expenses increased $17.8 million, or 2.1%, to $873.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019, from $856.1 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  As a percentage of sales, operating and administrative expenses were 20.8% and 20.9% for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively.  Excluding gasoline, which does not have significant direct operating expenses, the ratio of operating expenses to sales was 23.9% for fiscal 2019 compared with 24.3% for fiscal 2018. Fiscal year 2019 sales growth resulted in operating expense leverage.



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A breakdown of the major increases in operating and administrative expenses is as follows. 





Salaries and wages increased due to the addition of labor hours required for the increased sales volume and changes to the sales mix.  In general, the labor market in the Company’s market area has become more competitive.



Repairs and maintenance increased due to a higher level of maintenance required on more sophisticated equipment and updated lighting in our stores, and also due to a higher level of building maintenance.



Bank charges have increased as more sales transactions are being settled with debit and credit cards, and the per transaction card costs have increased.



Advertising and promotion expenses decreased as a result of more efficient usage of digital, broadcast, and print advertising programs.



Insurance expenses decreased due to lower claims experienced under its self-insurance programs.



Gain from Sale or Disposal of Assets. During the current fiscal year, the Company recognized a $3.2 million gain on the sale of a former store property.  There were no other significant sale/disposal transactions in either fiscal year 2019 or 2018. 



Other Income, Net. Other income, net totaled $1.8 million and $3.1 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, respectively.  Other income consists primarily of sales of waste paper and packaging.



Interest Expense. Interest expense was relatively unchanged at $47.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 and $47.6 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  Total debt was $852.2 million at the end of fiscal 2019 compared with $865.6 million at the end of fiscal 2018.  The Company had lower line of credit usage during the current fiscal year, and interest rates have been relatively stable.    



Income Taxes. Income tax expense totaled $25.0 million for fiscal year 2019, an effective tax rate of 23.5%.  This compares with an income tax benefit totaling $17.0 million for fiscal year 2018.



In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) became law.  Among other things, the Tax Act reduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and allowed for full depreciation expensing of qualified property when placed in service.



For the fiscal years ended September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018 the Company has a blended federal corporate tax rate of 21.0% and 24.5%, respectively, based on the effective date of the tax rate reduction.  As a result of the decrease in the federal rate, the Company recorded in fiscal year 2018 a decrease in its net deferred tax liabilities of $26.7 million, with a corresponding reduction to deferred income tax expense.



Also during fiscal year 2018 the Company adopted a tax calculation method change that resulted in the accelerated deduction of certain property-related expenditures.  As a result of this change and the change in the federal statutory tax rate, the Company recorded a decrease in its net deferred tax liabilities of $10.6 million, with a corresponding reduction to deferred income tax expense.



Without the $37.3 million tax expense reductions, the Company’s effective tax rate would have been 25.2% for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.



Net Income. Net income totaled $81.6 million for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 compared with net income of $97.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $4.14 and $4.03, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 compared with $4.94 and $4.81, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.  Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $3.76 for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 compared with $4.49 of basic and diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018.   



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Fiscal Year Ended September 29, 2018 Compared to the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017



There are two significant occurrences that will affect many of the comparisons between the fiscal years ended September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017.  First, fiscal year 2017 was a 53 week year, resulting generally in higher sales, operating expenses and operating income compared with the 52 weeks in fiscal year 2018.  In addition, changes to Federal tax laws and the Company’s adoption of a different tax calculation method resulted in significant deferred tax benefits totaling $37.3 million in fiscal year 2018.  The Company will cite these factors wherever they are relevant to the comparison of its results of operations for fiscal years 2018 with those of fiscal year 2017.



Net income for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 was $97.4 million, compared with net income of $53.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, primarily due to the positive impact of the fiscal year 2018 deferred tax benefits.  Pretax income was $80.3 million for fiscal year 2018, compared with pretax income of $84.3 million for fiscal year 2017, a decrease primarily attributable to fiscal year 2017’s extra week.



Sales and gross margin increased in the retail segment, including increases in gasoline margins.  Expenses increased primarily as a result of continued tight labor conditions in the Company’s market area.  Fluid dairy income decreased due to decreased overall milk demand, and real estate income increased as the Company added tenants in existing shopping centers and in acquired shopping centers where the Company had previously leased a store.



Net Sales. Net sales for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 totaled $4.09 billion, compared with $4.00 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. 



Management analyzes comparable store sales for the 52 weeks of fiscal year 2018 with the corresponding 52 calendar weeks of fiscal year 2017.  On this basis, retail comparable sales excluding gasoline increased 2.0% during fiscal 2018 compared with 2017.  The number of transactions (excluding gasoline) increased 0.3% while the average transaction size (excluding gasoline) increased by 2.2%.  Comparing fiscal 2018 with 2017 on a 52-week basis, gasoline gallons increased 2.3% and per gallon gasoline prices increased 19.1%.



Sales by product category for the fiscal years ended September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively, were as follows:







The grocery category includes grocery, dairy and frozen foods.

The non-foods category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The perishables category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.



Changes in retail grocery sales for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 are summarized as follows (in thousands):







Increased fiscal 2018 sales resulted from new and replacement store buildings, the introduction of new products and product presentation, especially in higher margin products, effective promotions and cost competitiveness.  The Company increased its use of The Ingles Advantage Savings and Rewards Card (the “Ingles Advantage Card”) to increase net sales and comparable store sales through enhanced loyalty programs and special offers.  Information obtained from holders of the Ingles Advantage Card also assists the Company in optimizing product offerings and promotions specific to customer shopping patterns.



Gross Profit. Gross profit for the 52 week fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 increased $16.6 million, or 1.7%, to $980.2 million compared with $963.6 million for the 53 week fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  As a percentage of sales, gross profit totaled 24.0% for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 and 24.1% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.



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Grocery segment gross profit as a percentage of total sales (excluding gasoline) increased 31 basis points in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017.  The gross margin increase was primarily due to a favorable change in the mix of products sold, offset by a slightly lower dollar gross margin on gasoline sales. 



In addition to the direct product cost, the cost of goods sold line item for the grocery segment includes inbound freight charges and the costs related to the Company’s distribution network. 



Operating and Administrative Expenses. Operating and administrative expenses increased $19.0 million, or 2.3%, to $856.1 million for the 52 week fiscal year ended September 29, 2018, from $837.1 million for the 53 week fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  As a percentage of sales, operating and administrative expenses were 20.9% for both fiscal years 2018 and 2017.  Excluding gasoline, which does not have significant direct operating expenses, the ratio of operating expenses to sales was 24.3% for fiscal 2018 compared with 23.8% for fiscal 2017.



A breakdown of the major increases in operating and administrative expenses is as follows.  Dollar increases are for the 52 weeks of fiscal year 2018 compared with the 53 weeks of fiscal year 2017.  On an equivalent week basis, the dollar increases would have been higher.





Salaries and wages increased due to the addition of labor hours required for the increased sales volume and changes to the sales mix.  In general the labor market in the Company’s market area has become more competitive.



Insurance expenses increased due to higher claims experienced under its self-insurance programs and increased market costs, including cost of the Affordable Care Act.



Depreciation and amortization increased as a result of the Company’s capital expenditures programs, including smaller remodeling projects that contain capital assets with shorter useful lives-compared with real restate.



Utilities and fuel increased due to increases in market energy costs and due to increases in store and shopping center square feet.



Bank charges have increased as more sales transactions are being settled with debit and credit cards, and the per transaction card costs have increased.



Gain from Sale or Disposal of Assets. Gains from sale or disposal of assets totaled $0.7 million for fiscal 2018 compared with gains of $1.5 million for fiscal 2017.  There were no individually significant transactions during either fiscal year.

 

Other Income, Net. Other income, net totaled $3.1 million and $3.8 million for the fiscal years ended September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.  Other income consists primarily of sales of waste paper and packaging.



Interest Expense. Interest expense was relatively unchanged at $47.6 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 and $47.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  Total debt was $865.6 million at the end of fiscal 2018 compared with $877.9 million at the end of fiscal 2017.  Market interest rates increased during fiscal years 2017 and 2018, which affected interest expense on the Company’s floating rate debt.  During late fiscal year 2017 and early fiscal year 2018, the Company renegotiated or refinanced some of its debt at lower base rates and entered into an interest rate swap to fix the interest on certain debt.  These actions as well as a reduction in total debt reduced the impact of rising market interest rates.



Income Taxes. In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) became law.  Among other things, the Tax Act reduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and allowed for full depreciation expensing of qualified property when placed in service.



As a result of the decrease in the effective tax rate, the Company recorded a decrease in its net deferred tax liabilities of $26.7 million, with a corresponding reduction to deferred income tax expense.  During fiscal year 2018, the Company adopted a tax depreciation calculation method change that resulted in the accelerated deduction of certain property-related expenditures.  As a result of this change and the aforementioned change in the federal corporate tax rate, the Company recorded an additional decrease in its net deferred tax liabilities of $10.6 million, with a corresponding reduction to deferred income tax expense.



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Without the $37.3 million tax expense reductions, the Company’s effective tax rate would have been 25.2% for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 compared with 36.1% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  This decrease is attributable to the aforementioned reduction in the federal corporate tax rate.



Net Income. Net income totaled $97.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 compared with net income of $53.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $4.94 and $4.81, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 compared with $2.74 and $2.66, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.  Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $4.49 for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 compared with $2.49 of basic and diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.



Liquidity and Capital Resources



Capital Expenditures



The Company believes that a key to its ability to continue to increase sales and develop a loyal customer base is providing conveniently located, clean and modern stores which provide customers with good service and an increasingly diverse selection of competitively priced products.  As such, the Company has invested and will continue to invest significant amounts of capital toward the modernization of its store base.  The Company’s modernization program includes the opening of new stores, the completion of major remodels and expansion of selected existing stores, and the relocation of selected existing stores to larger, more convenient locations. 



Capital expenditures totaled $161.8 million and $150.5 million for fiscal 2019 and 2018, respectively.  Major capital expenditures include the following:







(including those added at new or replacement stores)





During fiscal years 2019 and 2018, the Company purchased a total of four shopping centers which contained Ingles stores that had been leased from third-party landlords.



Capital expenditures also included upgrading and replacing store equipment, technology investments, capital expenditures related to the Company’s distribution operation and its milk processing plant, and expenditures for stores to open in subsequent fiscal years.



Ingles’ capital expenditure plans for fiscal 2020 include investments of approximately $120 to $160 million.  The majority of the Company’s fiscal 2020 capital expenditures will be dedicated to continued improvement of its store base and will include construction of one or more new/remodeled stores.  Fiscal 2020 capital expenditures will also include investments in stores expected to open in fiscal 2021, as well as technology improvements, upgrading and replacing existing store equipment and warehouse and transportation equipment and improvements to the Company’s milk processing plant.  The Company will also consider land acquisitions for future store development.



The Company expects that its net annual capital expenditures will be in the range of approximately $100 to $160 million going forward in order to maintain a modern store base.  Planned expenditures for any given future fiscal year will be affected by the availability of financing, which can affect both the number of projects pursued at any given time and the cost of those projects.  The number of projects may also fluctuate due to the varying costs of the types of projects pursued including new stores,  major store remodels/expansions, and build-out of tenant space under the long-term leases.  The Company makes decisions on the allocation of capital expenditure dollars based on many factors including the competitive environment, other Company capital initiatives and its financial condition.



In general, the Company finances its capital expenditures to the extent possible from cash on hand and cash flow from operations.  Additional financing sources for capital expenditures include borrowings under the $175 million of committed line of credit, other borrowings that could be collateralized by unencumbered real property and equipment with a net book value of approximately $1.15 billion, and the public debt or equity markets.  The Company has used each of these to finance past capital expenditures and expects to have them available in the future.



The Company does not generally enter into commitments for capital expenditures other than on a store-by-store basis at the time it begins construction on a new store or begins a major or minor remodeling project.  Construction commitments at September 28, 2019 totaled $6.6 million.



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Liquidity



The Company generated $211.5 million of cash from operations in fiscal 2019 compared with $161.2 million for fiscal 2018.  The increase is primarily due to higher pre-tax income and cash provided by income tax refunds collected in fiscal year 2019.



Cash used by investing activities for fiscal 2019 totaled $152.8 million compared with $148.1 million for fiscal 2018.  The Company’s most significant investing activity is capital expenditures. 



The Company’s net financing activities totaled $27.1 million and $26.5 million for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively.  Financing activities primarily consisted of dividends and debt repayment.  



In June 2013, the Company issued $700.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due in 2023 (the “Notes”).  The Notes bear an interest rate of 5.75% per annum and were issued at par. 



The Company has a $175.0 million line of credit (the “Line”) that matures in September 2022.  The Line provides the Company with various interest rate options based on the prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate, or the London Interbank Offering Rate.  The Line allows the Company to issue up to $20.0 million in unused letters of credit, of which $9.0 million of unused letters of credit were issued at September 28, 2019.  The Company is not required to maintain compensating balances in connection with the Line.  At September 28, 2019, the Company had no borrowing outstanding under the Line.



In December 2010, the Company completed the funding of $99.7 million of Recovery Zone Facility Bonds (the “Bonds”) for construction and equipping of an approximately 830,000 square foot new warehouse and distribution center located in Buncombe County, North Carolina (the “Project”).  The final maturity date of the Bonds is January 1, 2036.



Under a Continuing Covenant and Collateral Agency Agreement (the “Covenant Agreement”) between certain financial institutions and the Company, the financial institutions would hold the Bonds until September 2026, subject to certain events.  Mandatory redemption of the Bonds by the Company in the annual amount of $4,530,000 began on January 1, 2014.  The Company may redeem the Bonds without penalty or premium at any time prior to September 2026. 



The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $48.5 million at a fixed rate of 3.92%.  Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 3.92% and receives the one-month LIBOR plus 1.65%.  The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest rate swap.  Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.5 million and mature October 1, 2027.  The fair market value of the interest rate swap is measured quarterly with adjustments recorded in other comprehensive income.



The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally have cross-default provisions which could result in the acceleration of payments due under the Company’s Line, Bond and Notes indenture in the event of default under any one instrument.



The Notes, the Bonds and the Line contain provisions that under certain circumstances would permit lending institutions to terminate or withdraw their respective extensions of credit to the Company.  Included among the triggering factors permitting the termination or withdrawal of the Line to the Company are certain events of default, including both monetary and non-monetary defaults, the initiation of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, and the failure of the Company to meet certain financial covenants designated in its respective loan documents.  As of September 28, 2019, the Company was in compliance with these covenants by a significant margin.  Under the most restrictive of these covenants, the Company would be able to incur approximately $595 million of additional borrowings (including borrowings under the Line) as of September 28, 2019.



The Company’s principal sources of liquidity are expected to be cash flow from operations, borrowings under the Line and long-term financing.  The Company believes, based on its current results of operations and financial condition, that its financial resources, including cash balances, the existing Line, short- and long-term financing expected to be available to it and internally generated funds, will be sufficient to meet planned capital expenditures and working capital requirements for the foreseeable future, including any debt service requirements of additional borrowings.  However, there can be no assurance that any such sources of financing will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all.



It is possible that, in the future, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition will be different from that described in this report based on a number of intangible factors.  These factors may include, among others, increased competition, changing regional and national economic conditions, adverse climatic conditions affecting food production and delivery and changing demographics as well as the additional factors discussed above and elsewhere under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”  It is also possible, for such reasons, that the results of operations from the new, expanded, remodeled and/or replacement stores will not meet or exceed the results of operations from existing stores that are described in this report.



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Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments



The Company has assumed various financial obligations and commitments in the normal course of its operations and financing activities.  Financial obligations are considered to represent known future cash payments that the Company is required to make under existing contractual arrangements, such as debt and lease arrangements.  The following table represents the scheduled maturities of the Company’s long-term contractual obligations as of September 28, 2019:



Payment Due by Period









The Company has entered supply contracts to provide approximately 82% of the fuel sold in its fuel centers.  Pricing is based on certain market indices at the time of purchase.  The suppliers can modify or terminate the contracts if the Company does not meet certain minimum monthly purchase requirements.



The Company is self-insured for workers’ compensation, general liability, and group medical and dental benefits.  The Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $31.0 million at September 28, 2019 and  $34.7 million at September 29, 2018.  Self-insurance liabilities are based on estimates and actuarial assumptions and can fluctuate in both amount and in timing of cash settlement if historical trends are not predictive of the future.  For this reason they are not included in the above table.



The Company has a nonqualified investment plan to provide retirement benefits to certain of the Company’s management employees who are otherwise subject to limited participation in the 401(k) feature of the Company’s Investment/Profit Sharing Plan.  The liability to plan participants totaled $16.4 million at September 28, 2019 and $15.0 million at September 29, 2018.  The settlement of this obligation is dependent upon participant elections to withdraw funds, which cannot be predicted.  For this reason they are not included in the above table.



Amounts available to the Company under commercial commitments as of September 28, 2019, were as follows:



Amount of Commitment Expiration per Period







Off Balance Sheet Arrangements



The Company is not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on the Company’s financial condition, revenues, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.



Quarterly Cash Dividends



Since December 27, 1993, the Company has paid regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.165 per share on its Class A Common Stock and $0.15 per share on its Class B Common Stock for an annual rate of $0.66 and $0.60 per share, respectively.



The Company expects to continue paying regular cash dividends on a quarterly basis.  However, the Board of Directors periodically reconsiders the declaration of dividends.  The Company pays these dividends at the discretion of the Board of Directors and the continuation of these payments, the amount of such dividends, and the form in which the dividends are paid (cash or stock) depends upon the results of operations, the financial condition of the Company and other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant.



Long-term debt and line of credit agreements contain various restrictive covenants requiring, among other things, minimum levels of net worth and maintenance of certain financial ratios.  These covenants have the effect of restricting certain types of transactions,

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including the payment of cash dividends generally and in excess of current quarterly per share amounts.  Further, the Company is prevented from declaring dividends at any time that it is in default under the indenture governing the Notes.



Impact of Inflation



The following table from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics lists annualized changes in the Consumer Price Index that could have an effect on the Company’s operations.  One of the Company’s significant costs is labor, which increases with general inflation.  Inflation or deflation in energy costs affects the Company’s gasoline sales, distribution expenses and plastic supply costs.









New Accounting Pronouncements



For new accounting pronouncements, see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



Outlook and Trends in the Company’s Markets



The Company has improved the interior layout and product offerings in a significant number of stores over the past few fiscal years.  Economic conditions have remained favorable and the Company continues to increase and improve its total retail square footage. 



The Company continually assesses and modifies its business model to meet the changing needs and expectations of its customers.  In connection with this review, the Company assesses the trends present in the markets in which it competes.  Generally, it is difficult to predict whether a trend will continue for a period of time and it is possible that new trends will develop which will affect an existing trend.  The Company believes that the following trends are likely to continue for at least the next fiscal year:



The Company plans to continue to focus on balancing sales growth and gross margin maintenance (excluding the effect of gasoline sales) and will carefully monitor its product mix and customer trends.

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Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKS 



The Company is exposed to changes in interest rates primarily as a result of its borrowing activities, which include borrowings under the line of credit, real estate and equipment financing, the Company’s 5.75% Senior Notes due 2023 and the Recovery Zone bonds.  The line of credit, along with cash flow from operations, is used to maintain liquidity and fund business operations.  The Company typically replaces borrowings under its variable rate line of credit, as necessary, with both long-term secured and unsecured financing.



The nature and amount of the Company’s debt may vary as a result of future business requirements, market conditions and other factors.  The definitive extent of the Company’s interest rate risk is not quantifiable or predictable because of the variability of future interest rates and business financing requirements, but the Company does not believe such risk is material.  The Company may consider use derivative instruments (such as interest swaps) to adjust the Company’s interest rate risk profile.



The table below presents principal amounts and related weighted average rates by year of maturity for the Company’s debt obligations at September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, respectively (in thousands):



 





The Company will occasionally utilize financial or derivative instruments for interest rate risk management, but has typically not utilized highly leveraged financial instruments.  On the basis of the fair value of the Company’s market sensitive instruments at September 28, 2019, the Company does not consider the potential near-term losses in future earnings, fair values and cash flows from reasonably possible near-term changes in interest rates and exchange rates to be material.



Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 



The Company’s financial statements required by this item are set forth as a separate section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  See Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 



Conclusion Regarding Disclosure Controls and Procedures



The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance to achieve the objective that information in its Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified and pursuant to the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, include controls and procedures designed to ensure the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.  It should be noted that the Company’s system of controls and procedures, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met.



As required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act, the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with participation of its management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures as of September 28, 2019, the end of the period covered by this report.



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Based on this evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable level as of September 28, 2019.



Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting



Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f).  Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.  The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:





Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.



The Company has assessed the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting as of September 28, 2019 using the criteria described in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). 



Based on its assessment of the design and related testing of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting management has concluded that, as of September 28, 2019, the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth in the COSO framework.



The Company’s independent auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLP, a registered public accounting firm, are appointed by the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors.  Deloitte & Touche LLP has audited and reported on the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.  The reports of the independent auditors are contained in this Annual Report.



Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting



There has been no change during the Company’s fiscal year ended September 28, 2019 in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that was identified in connection with the evaluation required by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(d) which has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.



As noted above, management has concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 28, 2019.



Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 



None.





PART III



Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 



The information required by this Item, including the information concerning the Company’s directors and officers, audit committee, and compliance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act, is incorporated herein by reference to the information to be contained in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company's 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.  The definitive Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Regulation 14A no later than 120 days after September 28, 2019.



The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to its senior financial officers, including without limitation, its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller.  The full text of the Code of Ethics is published on the Company’s website at www.ingles-markets.com under the caption “Corporate Information.”  In the event that the Company makes any amendments to, or grants any waivers of, a provision of the Code of Ethics applicable to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer or

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principal accounting officer, the Company intends to disclose such amendment or waiver on its website.  Information on the Company’s website, however, does not form a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 



The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information to be contained in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement referred to above in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”



Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 



The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information to be contained in the definitive Proxy Statement referred to above in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”



Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE 



The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information to be contained in the definitive Proxy Statement referred to above in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”



Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 



The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information to be contained in the definitive Proxy Statement referred to above in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”



PART IV



Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 



(a)Documents filed as part of this report:



1. The following financial statements of the Registrant are included in response to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:



Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018;

Consolidated Statements of Income and Other Comprehensive Income for the years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018, and September 30, 2017;

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018, and September 30, 2017;

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended September 28, 2019, September 29, 2018, and September 30, 2017;

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.



2. Exhibits



(b)Exhibits:













___________________________________

*  Filed herewith.

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM



To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Ingles Markets, Incorporated

Black Mountain, North Carolina



Opinion on the Financial Statements



We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Ingles Markets, Incorporated and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, the related consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended September 28, 2019 and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 28, 2019 and September 29, 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended September 28, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of September 28, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated December 10, 2019, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion



These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.



/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Charlotte,  North Carolina

December 10, 2019



We have served as the Company's auditor since 2012.