Performance Food Group Co - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2022

Commission File Number 001-37578

Performance Food Group Company

(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

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 ☐

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.

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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

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

At December 31, 2021, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates was $6,943,520,082 (based on the closing sale price of common stock on such date on the New York Stock Exchange).

155,274,584 shares of common stock were outstanding as of August 10, 2022.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In addition to historical information, this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”) may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this Form 10-K, including statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business conditions, our results of operations, financial position, our business outlook, business trends and other information, and integration of our acquisition of Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. (“Core-Mark”) are forward-looking statements. Words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “contemplates,” “will,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “may,” “should” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon our current expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections, and various assumptions, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Our expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections will result or be achieved, and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, the risks, uncertainties and factors set forth under Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in this Form 10-K ("Item 1A"), as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and also include the following:

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We caution you that the risks, uncertainties and other factors referenced above may not contain all of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results, benefits or developments that we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our business in the way expected. We cannot assure you (i) we have correctly measured or identified all of the factors affecting our business or the extent of these factors’ likely impact, or (ii) our strategy, which is based in part on this analysis, will be successful. All forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K apply only as of the date of this Form 10-K or as of the date they were made and, except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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PART I

Item 1. Business

Performance Food Group Company (“we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” or “PFG”), through its subsidiaries, markets and distributes more than 250,000 food and food-related products from 142 distribution centers to over 300,000 customer locations across the United States. Our more than 35,000 employees serve a diverse mix of customers, from independent and chain restaurants to schools, business and industry locations, hospitals, vending distributors, office coffee service distributors, retailers, convenience stores, and theaters. We source our products from various suppliers and serve as an important partner to our suppliers by providing them access to our broad customer base. In addition to the products we offer to our customers, we provide value-added services by allowing our customers to benefit from our industry knowledge, scale, and expertise in the areas of product selection and procurement, menu development, and operational strategy.

On September 1, 2021, we completed the acquisition of Core-Mark. As a result, we expanded our convenience business, which now includes operations in Canada. Refer to Note 4. Business Combinations within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements "("Item 8") for additional details regarding the acquisition of Core-Mark.

Our business, our industry and the U.S. economy are influenced by a number of general macroeconomic factors, including, but not limited to, the recent rise in the rate of inflation and fuel prices, interest rates, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. We continue to actively monitor the impacts of the evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape on all aspects of our business. During fiscal 2022, economic and operating conditions for our business improved significantly due to the declining adverse effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Company and our industry may continue to face challenges as the recovery continues, such as availability of product supply, increased product and logistics costs, access to labor supply, lower disposable incomes due to inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions, and the emergence of COVID-19 variants. The extent to which these challenges will affect our future financial position, liquidity, and results of operations remains uncertain. For further information on the risks posed to our business, please see Item 1A.

Our Segments

In the second quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company changed its operating segments to reflect the manner in which the business is managed. Based on the Company’s organization structure and how the Company’s management reviews operating results and makes decisions about resource allocation, the Company now has three reportable segments: Foodservice, Vistar, and Convenience. Corporate & All Other is comprised of corporate overhead and certain operating segments that are not considered separate reportable segments based on their size. This includes the operations of the Company’s internal logistics unit responsible for managing and allocating inbound logistics revenue and expense.

Foodservice. Foodservice offers a “broad line” of products, including custom-cut meat and seafood, as well as products that are specific to our customers’ menu requirements. Foodservice operates a network of 78 distribution centers, each of which is run by a business team who understands the local markets and the needs of its particular customers and who is empowered to make decisions on how best to serve them. This segment serves over 175,000 customer locations.

The Foodservice segment markets and distributes food and food-related products to independent restaurants, chain restaurants, and other institutional “food-away-from-home” locations. Independent customers, predominantly include family dining, bar and grill, pizza and Italian, and fast casual restaurants. We seek to increase the mix of our total sales to independent customers because they typically use more value-added services, particularly in the areas of product selection and procurement, market trends, menu development, and operational strategy and also use more of our proprietary-branded products (“Performance Brands”), which are our highest margin products. As a result, independent customers generate higher gross profit per case that more than offsets the generally higher supply chain costs that we incur in serving these customers. Chain customers are multi-unit restaurants with five or more locations and include fine dining, family and casual dining, fast casual, and quick serve restaurants, as well as hotels, healthcare facilities, and other multi-unit institutional customers. Our Foodservice segment’s chain customers include regional businesses requiring short-haul routes as well as national businesses requiring long-haul routes, including many of the most recognizable family and casual dining restaurant chains. Sales to chain customers are typically lower gross margin but have larger deliveries than those to independent customers.

We offer our customers a broad product assortment that ranges from “center-of-the-plate” items (such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood), frozen foods, refrigerated products, and dry groceries to disposables, cleaning and kitchen supplies, and related products used by our customers. In addition to the products we offer, we provide value-added services by enabling our customers to benefit from our industry knowledge, scale, and expertise in the areas of product selection and procurement, menu development, and operational strategy.

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Our products consist of Performance Brands, as well as nationally branded products and products bearing our customers’ brands. Our Performance Brands typically generate higher gross profit per case than other brands. Nationally branded products are attractive to chain, independent, and other customers seeking recognized national brands in their operations and complement sales of our Performance Brand products. Some of our chain customers, particularly those with national distribution, develop exclusive stock keeping units (“SKU”) specifications directly with suppliers and brand these SKUs. We purchase these SKUs directly from suppliers and receive them into our distribution centers, where they are mixed with other SKUs and delivered to the chain customers’ locations.

Vistar. Vistar is a leading national distributor of candy, snacks, and beverages to vending and office coffee service distributors, retailers, theaters, and hospitality providers. The segment provides national distribution of candy, snacks, beverages, and other items to over 75,000 customer locations from our network of 25 Vistar distribution centers and 4 Merchant’s Marts locations.

Vending operators comprise Vistar’s largest channel, where we distribute a broad selection of vending machine products to the operators’ depots, from which they distribute products and stock machines. Additionally, Vistar is a leading distributor of products to theater chains as well as in the office coffee service channel. Vistar has successfully built upon our national platform to broaden the channels we serve to include hospitality venues, concessionaires, airport gift shops, college bookstores, corrections facilities, and impulse locations in various brick and mortar big box retailers nationwide. Merchant’s Marts are cash-and-carry operators where customers generally pick up orders rather than having them delivered. Vistar’s scale in these channels enhances our ability to procure a broad variety of products for our customers. Vistar distribution centers deliver to vending and office coffee service distributors and directly to most theaters and some other locations. The distribution model also includes a “pick and pack” capability, which utilizes third-party carriers and Vistar’s SKU variety to sell to customers whose order sizes are too small to be served effectively by our delivery network. We believe these capabilities, in conjunction with the breadth of our inventory, are differentiating and allow us to serve many distinct customer types.

Convenience. The Convenience segment is one of the largest foodservice and wholesaler consumer products distributors in the convenience retail industry. Convenience offers a full range of products, marketing programs and technology solutions to approximately 50,000 customer locations in the United States and Canada. The Convenience segment's customers include traditional convenience stores, drug stores, mass merchants, grocery stores, liquor stores and other specialty and small format stores that carry convenience products. Convenience's product offering includes cigarettes, other tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, candy, snacks, food, including fresh products, groceries dairy, bread, beverages, general merchandise and health and beauty care products. Convenience operates a network of 39 distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada (excluding two distribution facilities it operates as a third-party logistics provider). There are 35 distribution centers located in the U.S. and four located in Canada.

The Company had no customers that comprised more than 10% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2022 or fiscal 2021. For fiscal 2020, one of the Company’s customers within the Convenience segment accounted for 10.2% of our total net sales.

Suppliers

We source our products from various suppliers and serve as an important partner to our suppliers by providing them access to our broad customer base. Many of our suppliers provide products to each of our reportable segments, while others sell to only one segment. Our supplier base consists principally of large corporations that sell their national brands, our Performance Brands, and sometimes both. We also buy from smaller suppliers, particularly on a regional basis, and particularly those that specialize in produce and other perishable commodities. Many of our suppliers provide sales material and sales call support for the products that we purchase.

Pricing

Our pricing to customers is either set by contract with the customer or is priced at the time of order. If the price is by contract, then it is either based on a percentage markup over cost or a fixed markup per unit, and the unit may be expressed either in cases or pounds of product. If the pricing is set at time of order, the pricing is agreed to between our sales associate and the customer and is typically based on a product cost that fluctuates weekly or more frequently.

If contracts are based on a fixed markup per unit or pound, then our customers bear the risk of cost fluctuations during the contract life. In the case of a fixed markup percentage, we typically bear the risk of cost deflation or the benefit of cost inflation. If pricing is set at the time of order, we have the current cost of goods in our inventory and typically pass cost increases or decreases to our customers. We generally do not lock in or otherwise hedge commodity costs or other costs of goods sold except within certain customer contracts where the customer bears the risk of cost fluctuation. We believe that our pricing mechanisms provide us with significant insulation from fluctuations in the cost of goods that we sell. Our inventory turns, on average, every three-and-a-half weeks, which further protects us from cost fluctuations.

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We seek to minimize the effect of higher diesel fuel costs both by reducing fuel usage and by taking action to offset higher fuel prices. We reduce usage by designing more efficient truck routes and by increasing miles per gallon through on-board computers that monitor and adjust idling time and maximum speeds and through other technologies. We seek to manage fuel prices through diesel fuel surcharges to our customers and through the use of costless collars. As of July 2, 2022, we had collars in place for approximately 24% of the gallons we expect to use over the 12 months following July 2, 2022.

Competition

The foodservice distribution industry is highly competitive. Certain of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do. Furthermore, there are two large broadline distributors, Sysco, and US Foods, with national footprints. In addition, there are numerous regional, local, and specialty distributors. These smaller distributors often align themselves with other smaller distributors through purchasing cooperatives and marketing groups to enhance their geographic reach, private label offerings, overall purchasing power, cost efficiencies, and to assemble delivery networks for national or multi-regional distribution. We often do not have exclusive service agreements with our customers and our customers may switch to other distributors if those distributors can offer lower prices, differentiated products, or customer service that is perceived to be superior. We believe that most purchasing decisions in the foodservice business are based on the quality and price of the product and a distributor’s ability to fill orders completely and accurately and to provide timely deliveries.

We believe we have a competitive advantage over regional and local broadline distributors through economies of scale in purchasing and procurement, which allow us to offer a broad variety of products (including our proprietary Performance Brands) at competitive prices to our customers. Our customers benefit from our ability to provide them with extensive geographic coverage as they continue to grow. We believe we also benefit from supply chain efficiency, including a growing inbound logistics backhaul network that uses our collective distribution network to deliver inbound products across business segments; best practices in warehousing, transportation, and risk management; the ability to benefit from the scale of our purchases of items not for resale, such as trucks, construction materials, insurance, banking relationships, healthcare, and material handling equipment; and the ability to optimize our networks so that customers are served from the most efficient distribution centers, which minimizes the cost of delivery. We believe these efficiencies and economies of scale provide opportunities for improvements in our operating margins when combined with an incremental fixed-cost advantage.

Seasonality

Historically, the food-away-from-home and foodservice distribution industries are seasonal, with lower profit in the first and third quarters of each calendar year. Consequently, we typically experience lower operating profit during our third fiscal quarter, depending on the timing of acquisitions, if any. The acquisition of Core-Mark expanded the Company's convenience business which is expected to result in first fiscal quarter profit higher than historical trends since this channel generally performs stronger in the spring and summer months. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying impacts have resulted in a disruption to historic seasonal trends in recent years and may continue to impact seasonal trends in future periods.

Trademarks and Trade Names

We have numerous perpetual trademarks and trade names that are of significant importance, including Core-Mark, West Creek, Silver Source, Braveheart 100% Black Angus, Empire’s Treasure, Brilliance, Heritage Ovens, Village Garden, Guest House, Piancone, Luigi’s, Ultimo, Corazo, Assoluti, Peak Fresh Produce, Roma, First Mark, and Nature’s Best Dairy. Although in the aggregate these trademark and trade names are material to our results of operations, we believe the loss of a trademark or trade name individually would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. The Company does not have any material patents or licenses.

Human Capital Resources

One of our primary strategies is to attract, train, develop, and retain talented individuals who feel empowered to fully contribute their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and innovative ideas to the success of the Company. We also recognize the importance of keeping our associates safe and healthy, as well as giving them a voice and listening to their concerns and suggestions. Below, we discuss our efforts to achieve these objectives.

Associates. As of July 2, 2022, our employee population (including employees of our consolidated subsidiaries) totaled approximately 35,000 full-time and part-time employees in the U.S and Canada. Of that total, approximately 99% were employed on a full-time basis, and approximately 66% were non-exempt, or paid on an hourly basis.

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Compensation and Benefits. We believe our base wages and salaries, which we review annually, are fair and competitive with the external labor markets in which our associates work. We offer incentive programs that provide cash bonus opportunities to encourage and reward participants for the Company’s achievement of financial and other key performance metrics and strengthen the connection between pay and performance. We also grant equity compensation awards that vest over time through our long-term incentive plan to eligible associates to align such associates’ incentives with the Company’s long-term strategic objectives and the interests of our stockholders.

We also offer competitive benefits to our associates, including paid vacation and holidays, family leave, disability insurance, life insurance, healthcare, adoption assistance, tuition reimbursement, dependent care flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with a company match, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Additionally, we offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that includes professional support for associates to balance the stress of personal and professional demands at home, in the office, in distribution centers and on the road.

Workforce Diversity. As a company we are committed to building an inclusive and equitable culture that embraces and celebrates our associates’ diverse backgrounds and unique experiences. In fiscal 2022, we implemented a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DI&B) framework that includes, among other things, a focus on clear leadership roles and accountability, new talent acquisition practices, employee communities, and inclusive performance management. Our Vice President of DI&B also provides regular updates to the Company's Board of Directors. With five out of 11 members of the Board representing gender and ethnic diversity, our commitment to ensure workforce diversity is reflected at every level of the organization connects to our social responsibility and business imperatives.

Learning and Development. We have an enterprise-wide learning and development strategy that has allowed us to build a lifelong learning culture by focusing on attracting, retaining and preparing our workforce for success in current roles and developing our future leaders. Using a blended approach of instructor-led and self-paced training, our associates are provided role-specific training that is just-in-time, accessible and personalized. The learning journey for our associates starts with an onboarding experience and continues with individual development opportunities. Our E3 Leadership Development program is designed to provide leadership training opportunities for all levels of leadership, from entry level to executive, advancing leadership skills at every point of their career. Through our Learning Management System (LMS), we deliver a variety of required and optional on-demand learning modules that are linked to an associate’s role with the company, including those modules tied to safety and compliance, such as our Code of Business Conduct. Additionally, our Foodservice segment continues to provide a sales training program that prepares our sales associates for success and sets our sales leaders apart to promote long-term customer relationships and positive customer experiences. We are focused on empowering associates with the right training at the right time, throughout their career journey.

Health, Safety and Wellness. The safety of our associates is paramount. Emphasis on training, safety awareness, behavioral based work observation practices, telematics, and culture is the foundation in our continuous effort to reduce workplace injuries and accidents. We continue to focus on the safety of our team members and the motoring public by identifying and addressing safety risks through education, coaching, and process changes, and by seeking out new systems and technology to help us continue our journey in keeping our associates safe and our company compliant.

Engagement. We work to build, measure, and enhance associate engagement through a variety of communications and activities. We participate in, and celebrate, industry efforts such as the International Foodservice Distributors Association’s Truck Driving Championship and Truck Driver Hall of Fame, highlight locally and internally/externally share significant achievements for our warehouse associates, and honor the diversity of our associates, along with our customers and communities, by celebrating, among other things, heritage months. Community support efforts such as Feeding American’s Hunger Action Month, promoting Truckers Against Trafficking, and supporting American Red Cross disaster relief efforts also provide opportunities to engage our associates. In response to the results of our first enterprise-wide engagement survey in 2020, we identified and delivered a number of initiatives to strengthen the associate experience, including day one benefits, the E3 leadership training program, driver and selector career pathing and enhanced communications channels.

Regulation

Our operations are subject to regulation by state and local health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), which generally impose standards for product quality and sanitation and are responsible for the administration of bioterrorism legislation affecting the foodservice industry. These government authorities regulate, among other things, the processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, and labeling of our products. In 2010, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (the “FSMA”) was enacted. The FSMA requires that the FDA impose comprehensive, prevention-based controls across the food supply chain, further regulates food products imported into the United States, and provides the FDA with mandatory recall authority. The FSMA requires the FDA to undertake numerous rulemakings and to issue numerous guidance documents, as well as reports, plans, standards, notices, and other tasks. As a result, implementation of the legislation is ongoing and likely to take several years. Our seafood operations are also specifically regulated by federal and state laws, including those administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service, established for the preservation of certain species of marine life,

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including fish and shellfish. Our processing and distribution facilities must be registered with the FDA biennially and are subject to periodic government agency inspections. State and/or federal authorities generally inspect our facilities at least annually. The Federal Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, which specifies standards for the sale, shipment, inspection, and rejection of agricultural products, governs our relationships with our fresh food suppliers with respect to the grading and commercial acceptance of product shipments. We are also subject to regulation by state authorities for the accuracy of our weighing and measuring devices. Our suppliers are also subject to similar regulatory requirements and oversight.

The failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in, among other things, administrative, civil, or criminal penalties or fines, mandatory or voluntary product recalls, warning or untitled letters, cease and desist orders against operations that are not in compliance, closure of facilities or operations, the loss, revocation, or modification of any existing licenses, permits, registrations, or approvals, or the failure to obtain additional licenses, permits, registrations, or approvals in new jurisdictions where we intend to do business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. These laws and regulations may change in the future and we may incur material costs in our efforts to comply with current or future laws and regulations or in any required product recalls.

Our operations are subject to a variety of federal, state, and local laws and other requirements, including, employment practice standards for workers set by the U.S. Department of Labor, and relating to the protection of the environment and the safety and health of personnel and the public. These include requirements regarding the use, storage, and disposal of solid and hazardous materials and petroleum products, including food processing wastes, the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, and worker safety and health practices and procedures. In order to comply with environmental, health, and safety requirements, we may be required to spend money to monitor, maintain, upgrade, or replace our equipment; plan for certain contingencies; acquire or maintain environmental permits; file periodic reports with regulatory authorities; or investigate and clean up contamination. We operate and maintain vehicle fleets, and some of our distribution centers have regulated underground and aboveground storage tanks for diesel fuel and other petroleum products. Some jurisdictions in which we operate have laws that affect the composition and operation of our truck fleet, such as limits on diesel emissions and engine idling. A number of our facilities have ammonia- or freon-based refrigeration systems, which could cause injury or environmental damage if accidentally released, and many of our distribution centers have propane or battery powered forklifts. Proposed or recently enacted legal requirements, such as those requiring the phase-out of certain ozone-depleting substances and proposals for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, may require us to upgrade or replace equipment, or may increase our transportation or other operating costs. To date, our cost of compliance with environmental, health, and safety requirements has not been material. The discovery of contamination for which we are responsible, any accidental release of regulated materials, the enactment of new laws and regulations, or changes in how existing requirements are enforced could require us to incur additional costs or subject us to unexpected liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

The Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Highway Administration regulate our trucking operations. In addition, interstate motor carrier operations are subject to safety requirements prescribed in the U.S. Department of Transportation and other relevant federal and state agencies. Such matters as weight and dimension of equipment are also subject to federal and state regulations. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable regulatory requirements relating to our motor carrier operations. Failure to comply with the applicable motor carrier regulations could result in substantial fines or revocation of our operating permits.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC are available to the public on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Those filings are also available to the public on, or accessible through, our website for free via the “Investors” section at www.pfgc.com. The information we file with the SEC or contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not incorporated by reference herein and is not part of this Form 10-K.

Website and Social Media Disclosure

We use our website (www.pfgc.com) and our corporate Facebook account as channels of distribution of company information. The information we post through these channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these channels, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. In addition, you may automatically receive e-mail alerts and other information about PFG when you enroll your e-mail address by visiting the “Email Alerts” section of our website at investors.pfgc.com. The contents of our website and social media channels are not, however, a part of this Form 10-K.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Periods of difficult economic conditions, a public health crisis, such as the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, other macroeconomic events and heightened uncertainty in the financial markets affect consumer spending and confidence, which can adversely affect our business.

The foodservice industry is sensitive to national and regional economic conditions. Our business could be negatively impacted by reduced demand for our products related to unfavorable macroeconomic conditions triggered by developments beyond our control, including geopolitical events, health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and other events that trigger economic volatility on a national or regional basis. In particular, deteriorating economic conditions and heightened uncertainty in the financial markets, inflationary pressure, and supply chain disruptions, such as those the global economy is currently facing, negatively affect consumer confidence and discretionary spending. In fiscal 2022, product cost inflation contributed to an increase in selling price per case and an increase in net sales. However, sustained inflationary pressure and macroeconomic challenges could negatively affect consumer discretionary spending decisions within our customers’ establishments, which could negatively impact our sales The extent of any such effects on consumer spending depends in part on the magnitude and duration of such conditions, which cannot be predicted at this time.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread, rapidly evolving, and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets, and business practices. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extent of its effect on our business, operations and financial performance will depend on future developments that remain uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the duration of the outbreak, the emergence and spread of variants, the effectiveness and outreach of vaccines, infection rates in areas where we operate, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States, changes to the regulatory regimes under which we operate, the extent and effectiveness of actions taken in United States to contain and treat the disease and whether the United States is required to move to complete lock-down status, and the impact on economic activity including the possibility of recession or financial market instability.

To the extent the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many other risks described in this section, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We rely on third-party suppliers, and our business may be affected by interruption of supplies or increases in product costs.

We obtain substantially all of our foodservice and related products from third-party suppliers. We typically do not have long-term contracts with our suppliers. Although our purchasing volume can sometimes provide an advantage when dealing with suppliers, suppliers may not provide the foodservice products and supplies needed by us in the quantities and at the prices requested. Our suppliers may also be affected by higher costs to source or produce and transport food products, as well as by other related expenses that they pass through to their customers, which could result in higher costs for the products they supply to us. Because we do not control the actual production of most of the products we sell, we are also subject to material supply chain interruptions, delays caused by interruption in production, and increases in product costs, including those resulting from product recalls or a need to find alternate materials or suppliers, based on conditions outside our control. These conditions include labor shortages, work slowdowns, work interruptions, strikes or other job actions by employees of suppliers, weather conditions or more prolonged climate change, crop conditions, water shortages, transportation interruptions, unavailability of fuel or increases in fuel costs, competitive demands, contamination with mold, bacteria or other contaminants, and natural disasters or other catastrophic events, including, the outbreak of e. coli or similar food borne illnesses or bioterrorism in the United States. Additionally, our suppliers could be adversely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If our suppliers’ employees are unable to work, whether because of illness, quarantine, limitations on travel or other government restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, or if or suppliers experience labor shortages, we could face shortages in the products we sell and our operations and sales could be adversely impacted by such future supply interruptions. Our inability to obtain adequate supplies of foodservice and related products as a result of any of the foregoing factors or otherwise could mean that we could not fulfill our obligations to our customers and, as a result, our customers may turn to other distributors. Our inability to anticipate and react to changing food costs through our sourcing and purchasing practices in the future could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We face risks relating to labor relations, labor costs, and the availability of qualified labor.

As of July 2, 2022, we had more than 35,000 employees of whom approximately 1,600 were members of local unions associated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters or other unions. Although our labor contract negotiations have in the past generally taken place with the local union representatives, we may be subject to increased efforts to engage us in multi-unit bargaining that could subject us to the risk of multi-location labor disputes or work stoppages that would place us at greater risk of being materially adversely affected by labor disputes. In addition, labor organizing activities could result in additional employees becoming unionized,

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which could result in higher labor costs. Although we have not experienced any significant labor disputes or work stoppages in recent history, and we believe we have satisfactory relationships with our employees, including those who are union members, increased unionization or a work stoppage because of our failure to renegotiate union contracts could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are subject to a wide range of labor costs. Because our labor costs are, as a percentage of net sales, higher than in many other industries, we may be significantly harmed by labor cost increases. In addition, labor is a significant cost for many of our customers in the U.S. food-away-from-home industry. Any increase in their labor costs, including any increases in costs as a result of increases in minimum wage requirements, could reduce the profitability of our customers and reduce demand for our products.

We rely heavily on our employees, particularly warehouse workers and drivers, and any significant shortage of qualified labor could significantly affect our business. Our recruiting and retention efforts and efforts to increase productivity may not be successful and we could encounter a shortage of qualified labor in future periods. Any such shortage would decrease our ability to serve our customers effectively. Such a shortage would also likely lead to higher wages for employees and a corresponding reduction in our profitability. The current competitive labor market has impacted the Company’s ability to hire and retain qualified labor, particularly warehouse workers and drivers, in certain geographies, resulting in an $81.2 million increase in temporary contract labor costs and associated travel expenses for fiscal 2022. Additionally, if our employees are unable to work, whether because of illness, quarantine, limitations on travel or other government restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, we could face additional shortages of qualified labor and higher labor costs.

Further, we continue to assess our healthcare benefit costs. Despite our efforts to control costs while still providing competitive healthcare benefits to our associates, significant increases in healthcare costs continue to occur, and we can provide no assurance that our cost containment efforts in this area will be effective. Our distributors and suppliers also may be affected by higher minimum wage and benefit standards, which could result in higher costs for goods and services supplied to us. If we are unable to raise our prices or cut other costs to cover this expense, such increases in expenses could materially reduce our operating profit.

Competition in our industry is intense, and we may not be able to compete successfully.

The foodservice distribution industry is highly competitive. Certain of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do. Furthermore, there are two larger broadline distributors, Sysco and US Foods, with national footprints. In addition, there are numerous regional, local, and specialty distributors. These smaller distributors often align themselves with other smaller distributors through purchasing cooperatives and marketing groups to enhance their geographic reach, private label offerings, overall purchasing power, cost efficiencies and to assemble delivery networks for national or multi-regional distribution. We often do not have exclusive service agreements with our customers and our customers may switch to other distributors if those distributors can offer lower prices, differentiated products, or customer service that is perceived to be superior. We believe that most purchasing decisions in the foodservice business are based on the quality and price of the product and a distributor’s ability to fill orders completely and accurately and provide timely deliveries. We cannot assure you that our current or potential, future competitors will not provide products or services that are comparable or superior to those provided by us or adapt more quickly than we do to evolving trends or changing market requirements. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to compete effectively against current and potential, future competitors, and increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced gross margins, and loss of market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We operate in a low margin industry, which could increase the volatility of our results of operations.

Similar to other resale-based industries, the distribution industry is characterized by relatively low profit margins. These low profit margins tend to increase the volatility of our reported net income since any decline in our net sales or increase in our costs that is small relative to our total net sales or costs may have a large impact on our net income.

Volatile food costs may have a direct impact upon our profitability.

We make a significant portion of our sales at prices that are based on the cost of products we sell plus a percentage markup. As a result, volatile food costs may have a direct impact upon our profitability. Our profit levels may be negatively affected during periods of product cost deflation, even though our gross profit percentage may remain relatively constant or even increase. Prolonged periods of product cost inflation also may have a negative impact on our profit margins and earnings to the extent such product cost increases are not passed on to customers because of their resistance to higher prices. For example, the impact of current economic conditions has resulted in inflation of 11.9% for fiscal 2022, which has had, and could continue to have, an impact our product costs and profit margins. Furthermore, our business model requires us to maintain an inventory of products, and changes in price levels between the time that we acquire inventory from our suppliers and the time we sell the inventory to our customers could lead to unexpected shifts in demand for our products or could require us to sell inventory at lesser profit or a loss. In addition, product cost inflation may negatively affect consumer discretionary spending decisions within our customers’ establishments, which could negatively impact our sales. Our inability to quickly respond to inflationary and deflationary cost pressures could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

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Many of our customers are not obligated to continue purchasing products from us.

Many of our customers buy from us pursuant to individual purchase orders, and we often do not enter into long-term agreements with these customers. Because such customers are not obligated to continue purchasing products from us, we cannot assure you that the volume and/or number of our customers’ purchase orders will remain constant or increase or that we will be able to maintain our existing customer base. Significant decreases in the volume and/or number of our customers’ purchase orders or our inability to retain or grow our current customer base may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Group purchasing organizations may become more active in our industry and increase their efforts to add our customers as members of these organizations.

Some of our customers, particularly our larger customers, purchase their products from us through group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”) in an effort to lower the prices paid by these customers on their foodservice orders, and we have experienced some pricing pressure from these purchasers. These GPOs have also made efforts to include smaller, independent restaurants. If these GPOs are able to add a significant number of our customers as members, we may be forced to lower the prices we charge these customers in order to retain their business, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Additionally, if we are unable or unwilling to lower the prices we charge for our products to a level that is satisfactory to the GPOs, we may lose the business of those customers that are members of these organizations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations

Changes in consumer eating habits could reduce the demand for our products.

Changes in consumer eating habits (such as a decline in consuming food away from home, a decline in portion sizes, or a shift in preferences toward restaurants that are not our customers) could reduce demand for our products, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Consumer eating habits could be affected by a number of factors, including changes in attitudes regarding diet and health or new information regarding the health effects of consuming certain foods. There is a growing consumer preference for sustainable, organic and locally grown products, and a shift towards plant-based proteins and/or animal proteins derived from animals that were humanely treated and antibiotic free. If consumer eating habits change significantly, we may be required to modify or discontinue sales of certain items in our product portfolio, and we may experience higher costs associated with the implementation of those changes. Changing consumer eating habits may reduce the frequency with which consumers purchase meals outside of the home.

Additionally, changes in consumer eating habits may result in the enactment of laws and regulations that affect the ingredients and nutritional content of our food products, or laws and regulations requiring us to disclose the nutritional content of our food products. Compliance with these laws and regulations, as well as others regarding the ingredients and nutritional content of our food products, may be costly and time-consuming. Our inability to effectively respond to changes in food away from home consumer trends, consumer health perceptions or resulting new laws or regulations or to adapt our menu offerings to trends in eating habits could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Extreme weather conditions and natural disasters may interrupt our business or our customers’ businesses.

Many of our facilities and our customers’ facilities are located in areas that may be subject to extreme and occasionally prolonged weather conditions, including hurricanes, blizzards, earthquakes, and extreme heat or cold. Such extreme weather conditions, whether caused by global climate change or otherwise, may interrupt our operations and reduce the number of consumers who visit our customers’ facilities in such areas. Furthermore, such extreme weather conditions may interrupt or impede access to our customers’ facilities, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Fluctuations in fuel prices and other transportation costs could harm our business.

The high cost of fuel can negatively affect consumer confidence and discretionary spending and, as a result, reduce the frequency and amount spent by consumers within our customers’ establishments for food away from home. The high price of fuel and other transportation related costs, such as tolls, fuel taxes, and license and registration fees, can also increase the price we pay for products as well as the costs incurred by us to deliver products to our customers. Furthermore, both the price and supply of fuel are unpredictable and fluctuate based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns, and environmental concerns. These factors, if occurring over an extended period of time, could have a material adverse effect on our sales, margins, operating expenses, or results of operations. For example, in fiscal 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had a significant impact on fuel supply and fuel prices. The United States experienced significant increases in fuel prices and, as a result, the Company's fuel expense increased $90.9 million in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021.

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From time to time, we may enter into arrangements to manage our exposure to fuel costs. Such arrangements, however, may not be effective and may result in us paying higher than market costs for a portion of our fuel. In addition, while we have been successful in the past in implementing fuel surcharges to offset fuel cost increases, we may not be able to do so in the future.

In addition, compliance with current and future environmental laws and regulations relating to carbon emissions and the effects of global warming can be expected to have a significant impact on our transportation costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

If one or more of our competitors implements a lower cost structure, they may be able to offer lower prices to customers and we may be unable to adjust our cost structure in order to compete profitably.

Over the last several decades, the retail food industry has undergone significant change as companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco have developed a lower cost structure to provide their customer base with an everyday low-cost product offering. As a large-scale foodservice distributor, we have similar strategies to remain competitive in the marketplace by reducing our cost structure. However, if one or more of our competitors in the foodservice distribution industry adopted an everyday low-price strategy, we would potentially be pressured to lower prices to our customers and would need to achieve additional cost savings to offset these reductions. We may be unable to change our cost structure and pricing practices rapidly enough to successfully compete in such an environment.

If we fail to increase our sales in the highest margin portions of our business, our profitability may suffer.

Distribution is a relatively low margin industry. The most profitable customers within the distribution industry are generally independent customers. In addition, our most profitable products are our Performance Brands. We typically provide a higher level of services to our independent customers and are able to earn a higher operating margin on sales to independent customers. Independent customers are also more likely to purchase our Performance Brands. Our ability to continue to penetrate this key customer type is critical to achieving increased operating profits. Changes in the buying practices of independent customers or decreases in our sales to independent customers or a decrease in the sales of our Performance Brands could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Changes in pricing practices of our suppliers could negatively affect our profitability.

Distributors have traditionally generated a significant percentage of their gross margins from promotional allowances paid by their suppliers. Promotional allowances are payments from suppliers based upon the efficiencies that the distributor provides to its suppliers through purchasing scale and through marketing and merchandising expertise. Promotional allowances are a standard practice among suppliers to distributors and represent a significant source of profitability for us and our competitors. Any change in such practices that results in the reduction or elimination of promotional allowances could be disruptive to us and the industry as a whole and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Our growth strategy may not achieve the anticipated results.

Our future success will depend on our ability to grow our business, including through increasing our independent sales, expanding our Performance Brands, making strategic acquisitions, and achieving improved operating efficiencies as we continue to expand and diversify our customer base. Our growth and innovation strategies require significant commitments of management resources and capital investments and may not grow our net sales at the rate we expect or at all. As a result, we may not be able to recover the costs incurred in developing our new projects and initiatives or to realize their intended or projected benefits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operation.

We may not be able to realize benefits of acquisitions or successfully integrate the businesses we acquire.

From time to time, we acquire businesses that are intended to broaden our customer base, and/or increase our capabilities and geographic reach. If we are unable to integrate acquired businesses successfully or to realize anticipated economic, operational, and other benefits and synergies in a timely manner, our profitability could be adversely affected. Integration of an acquired business may be more difficult when we acquire a business in a market in which we have limited expertise or with a company culture different from ours. A significant expansion of our business and operations, in terms of geography or magnitude, could strain our administrative and operational resources. Additionally, we may be unable to retain qualified management and other key personnel employed by acquired companies and may fail to build a network of acquired companies in new markets. We could face significantly greater competition from broadline foodservice distributors in these markets than we face in our existing markets.

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We also regularly evaluate opportunities to acquire other companies. To the extent our future growth includes acquisitions, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain any necessary financing for such acquisitions, consummate such potential acquisitions effectively, effectively and efficiently integrate any acquired entities, or successfully expand into new markets.

Our earnings may be reduced by amortization charges associated with any future acquisitions.

After we complete an acquisition, we must amortize any identifiable intangible assets associated with the acquired company over future periods. We also must amortize any identifiable intangible assets that we acquire directly. Our amortization of these amounts reduces our future earnings in the affected periods.

Our business is subject to significant governmental regulation, and costs or claims related to these requirements could adversely affect our business.

Our operations are subject to regulation by state and local health departments, the USDA, and the FDA, which generally impose standards for product quality and sanitation and are responsible for the administration of bioterrorism legislation affecting the foodservice industry. These government authorities regulate, among other things, the processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, and labeling of our products. The FSMA requires that the FDA impose comprehensive, prevention-based controls across the food supply, further regulates food products imported into the United States, and provides the FDA with mandatory recall authority. Our seafood operations are also specifically regulated by federal and state laws, including those administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service, established for the preservation of certain species of marine life, including fish and shellfish. Our processing and distribution facilities must be registered with the FDA biennially and are subject to periodic government agency inspections. State and/or federal authorities generally inspect our facilities at least annually. The Federal Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, which specifies standards for the sale, shipment, inspection, and rejection of agricultural products, governs our relationships with our fresh food suppliers with respect to the grading and commercial acceptance of product shipments. We are also subject to regulation by state authorities for the accuracy of our weighing and measuring devices. Additionally, the Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Highway Administration regulate our trucking operations, and interstate motor carrier operations are subject to safety requirements prescribed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other relevant federal and state agencies. Our suppliers are also subject to similar regulatory requirements and oversight. We have expanded the product lines of our Vistar segment to include hemp-based CBD products authorized under the 2018 Farm Bill. Sales of certain hemp-based CBD products are prohibited in some jurisdictions and the FDA and certain states and local governments may enact regulations that limit the marketing and use of such products. In the event that the FDA or state and local governments impose regulations on CBD products, we do not know what the impact would be on our products, and what costs, requirements, and possible prohibitions may be associated with such regulations. The failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in, among other things, administrative, civil, or criminal penalties or fines; mandatory or voluntary product recalls; warning or untitled letters; cease and desist orders against operations that are not in compliance; closure of facilities or operations; the loss, revocation, or modification of any existing licenses, permits, registrations, or approvals; or the failure to obtain additional licenses, permits, registrations, or approvals in new jurisdictions where we intend to do business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. These laws and regulations may change in the future and we may incur material costs in our efforts to comply with current or future laws and regulations or in any required product recalls.

In addition, our operations are subject to various federal, state, and local laws and regulations in many areas of our business, such as, minimum wage, overtime, wage payment, wage and hour and employment discrimination, immigration, human health and safety and relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air, soil, and water; the management and disposal of solid and hazardous materials and wastes; employee exposure to hazards in the workplace; and the investigation and remediation of contamination resulting from releases of petroleum products and other regulated materials. In the course of our operations, we operate, maintain, and fuel fleet vehicles; store fuel in on-site above and underground storage tanks; operate refrigeration systems; and use and dispose of hazardous substances and food wastes. We could incur substantial costs, including fines or penalties and third-party claims for property damage or personal injury, as a result of any violations of environmental or workplace safety laws and regulations or releases of regulated materials into the environment. In addition, we could incur investigation, remediation, or other costs related to environmental conditions at our currently or formerly owned or operated properties. Additionally, concern over climate change, including the impact of global warming, has led to significant U.S. and international legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Increased regulation regarding greenhouse gas emissions, especially diesel engine emissions, could impose substantial costs upon us. These costs include an increase in the cost of the fuel and other energy we purchase, and capital costs associated with updating or replacing our vehicles prematurely.

Finally, we are subject to legislation, regulation and other matters regarding the marketing, distribution, sale, taxation and use of cigarette, tobacco and alternative nicotine products. For example, various jurisdictions have adopted or are considering legislation and regulations restricting displays and marketing of tobacco and alternative nicotine products, requiring the disclosure of ingredients used in the manufacture of tobacco and alternative nicotine products, and imposing restrictions on public smoking and vaping. In addition,

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the FDA has been empowered to regulate changes to nicotine yields and the chemicals and flavors used in tobacco and alternative nicotine products (including cigars, pipe and e-cigarette products), require ingredient listings be displayed on tobacco and alternative nicotine products, prohibit the use of certain terms which may attract youth or mislead users as to the risks involved with using tobacco and alternative nicotine products, as well as limit or otherwise impact the marketing of tobacco and alternative nicotine products by requiring additional labels or warnings that must be pre-approved by the FDA. Such legislation and related regulation are likely to continue to adversely impact the market for tobacco and alternative nicotine products and, accordingly, our sales of such products. Likewise, cigarettes and tobacco products are subject to substantial excise taxes. Significant increases in cigarette-related taxes and/or fees have been proposed or enacted and are likely to continue to be proposed or enacted by various taxing jurisdictions within the U.S. These tax increases negatively impact consumption and may cause a shift in sales from premium brands to discount brands, illicit channels, or tobacco alternatives, such as electronic cigarettes, as smokers seek lower priced options. Furthermore, taxing jurisdictions have the ability to change or rescind credit terms currently extended for the remittance of taxes that we collect on their behalf. If these excise taxes are substantially increased, or credit terms are substantially reduced, it could have a negative impact on our liquidity.

A significant portion of our sales volume is dependent upon the distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products, sales of which are generally declining.

Following the acquisitions of Eby-Brown Company LLC (“Eby-Brown”) and Core-Mark, a significant portion of our sales volume depends upon the distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Due to increases in the prices of cigarettes, restrictions on cigarette manufacturers’ marketing and promotions, increases in cigarette regulation and excise taxes, health concerns, increased pressure from anti-tobacco groups, the rise in popularity of tobacco alternatives, including electronic cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products, and other factors, cigarette consumption in the United States has been declining gradually over the past few decades. In many instances, tobacco alternatives, such as electronic cigarettes, are not subject to federal, state, and local excise taxes like the sale of conventional cigarettes or other tobacco products. We expect consumption trends of legal cigarette products will continue to be negatively impacted by the factors described above. If we are unable to sell other products to make up for these declines in cigarette sales, our operating results may suffer.

If the products we distribute are alleged to cause injury or illness or fail to comply with governmental regulations, we may need to recall our products and may experience product liability claims.

The products we distribute may be subject to product recalls, including voluntary recalls or withdrawals, if they are alleged to cause injury or illness or if they are alleged to have been mislabeled, misbranded, or adulterated or to otherwise be in violation of governmental regulations. We may also voluntarily recall or withdraw products that we consider not to meet our quality standards, whether for taste, appearance, or otherwise, in order to protect our brand and reputation. If there is any future product withdrawal that results in substantial and unexpected expenditures, destruction of product inventory, damage to our reputation, and lost sales because of the unavailability of the product for a period of time, our business, financial condition, or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We also may be subject to product liability claims if the consumption or use of our products is alleged to cause injury or illness. While we carry product liability insurance, our insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities we may incur in connection with product liability claims. For example, punitive damages may not be covered by insurance. In addition, we may not be able to continue to maintain our existing insurance, to obtain comparable insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all, or to secure additional coverage, which may result in future product liability claims being uninsured. If there is a product liability judgment against us or a settlement agreement related to a product liability claim, our business, financial condition, or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may be subject to or affected by product liability claims relating to products we distribute.

We, like any other seller of food, may be exposed to product liability claims in the event that the use of products we sell causes injury or illness. While we believe we have sufficient primary and excess umbrella liability insurance with respect to product liability claims we cannot assure you that our limits are sufficient to cover all our liabilities or that we will be able to obtain replacement insurance on comparable terms, and any replacement insurance or our current insurance may not continue to be available at a reasonable cost, or, if available, may not be adequate to cover all of our liabilities. We generally seek contractual indemnification and insurance coverage from parties supplying products to us, but this indemnification or insurance coverage is limited, as a practical matter, to the creditworthiness of the indemnifying party and the insured limits of any insurance provided by suppliers. If we do not have adequate insurance or contractual indemnification available, product liability relating to defective products could adversely affect our profitability.

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We rely heavily on technology in our business and any technology disruption or delay in implementing new technology could adversely affect our business.

The foodservice distribution industry is transaction intensive. Our ability to control costs and to maximize profits, as well as to serve customers effectively, depends on the reliability of our information technology systems and related data entry processes. We rely on software and other technology systems, some of which are managed by third-party service providers, to manage significant aspects of our business, including making purchases, processing orders, managing our warehouses, loading trucks in the most efficient manner, and optimizing the use of storage space. The failure of our information technology systems to perform as we anticipate could disrupt our business and could result in transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, and the loss of sales and customers, causing our business and results of operations to suffer. In addition, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including fire, natural disasters, power outages, systems failures, security breaches, cyber-attacks, and viruses. While we have invested and continue to invest in technology security initiatives and disaster recovery plans, these measures cannot fully insulate us from technology disruption that could result in adverse effects on our operations and profits.

Information technology systems evolve rapidly and in order to compete effectively we are required to integrate new technologies in a timely and cost-effective manner. If competitors implement new technologies before we do, allowing such competitors to provide lower priced or enhanced services of superior quality compared to those we provide, this could have an adverse effect on our operations and profits.

A cyber security incident or other technology disruptions could negatively affect our business and our relationships with customers.

We rely upon information technology networks and systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information, and to manage or support virtually all of our business processes and activities. We also use mobile devices, social networking, and other online activities to connect with our employees, suppliers, business partners, and customers. These uses give rise to cybersecurity risks, including security breach, espionage, system disruption, theft, and inadvertent release of information. Our business involves the storage and transmission of numerous classes of sensitive and/or confidential information and intellectual property, including customers’ and suppliers’ personal information, private information about employees, and financial and strategic information about us and our business partners. We have implemented measures to prevent security breaches and other cyber incidents, and, to date, interruption of our information technology networks and systems have been infrequent and have not had a material impact on our operations. However, because cyber-attacks are increasingly sophisticated and more frequent, our preventative measures and incident response efforts may not be entirely effective. Additionally, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial portion of our corporate employees continue to work remotely using smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices, which may further heighten these and other operational risks. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, release of sensitive and/or confidential information or intellectual property, or interference with our information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential liability, and competitive disadvantage.

Adverse judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings in which we may be involved in the normal course of our business could reduce our profits or limit our ability to operate our business.

In the normal course of our business, we are involved in various legal proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings cannot be predicted. If any of these proceedings were to be determined adversely to us or a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money were to occur, it could materially and adversely affect our profits or ability to operate our business. Additionally, we could become the subject of future claims by third parties, including our employees; suppliers, customers, and other counterparties; our investors; or regulators. Any significant adverse judgments or settlements would reduce our profits and could limit our ability to operate our business. Further, we may incur costs related to claims for which we have appropriate third-party indemnity, but such third parties may fail to fulfill their contractual obligations.

Adverse publicity about us, lack of confidence in our products or services, and other risks could negatively affect our reputation and affect our business.

Maintaining a good reputation and public confidence in the safety of the products we distribute or services we provide is critical to our business, particularly to selling our Performance Brands products. Anything that damages our reputation, or the public’s confidence in our products, services, facilities, delivery fleet, operations, or employees, whether or not justified, including adverse publicity about the quality, safety, or integrity of our products, could quickly affect our net sales and profits. Reports, whether true or not, of food-borne illnesses or harmful bacteria (such as e. coli, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, hepatitis A, trichinosis, listeria, or salmonella) and injuries caused by food tampering could also severely injure our reputation or negatively affect the public’s confidence in our products. We may need to recall our products if they become adulterated. If patrons of our restaurant customers

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become ill from food-borne illnesses, our customers could be forced to temporarily close restaurant locations and our sales would be correspondingly decreased. In addition, instances of food-borne illnesses, food tampering, or other health concerns, such as flu epidemics or other pandemics (including COVID-19), even those unrelated to the use of our products, or public concern regarding the safety of our products, can result in negative publicity about the foodservice distribution industry and cause our sales to decrease dramatically. In addition, a widespread health epidemic (such as COVID-19) or food-borne illness, whether or not related to the use of our products, as well as terrorist events may cause consumers to avoid public gathering places, like restaurants, or otherwise change their eating behaviors. Health concerns and negative publicity may harm our results of operations and damage the reputation of, or result in a lack of acceptance of, our products or the brands that we carry or the services that we provide.

We have experienced losses because of the inability to collect accounts receivable in the past and could experience increases in such losses in the future if our customers are unable to pay their debts to us when due.

Certain of our customers have from time to time experienced bankruptcy, insolvency, and/or an inability to pay their debts to us as they come due. If our customers suffer significant financial difficulty, they may be unable to pay their debts to us timely or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. It is possible that customers may contest their contractual obligations to us under bankruptcy laws or otherwise. Significant customer bankruptcies could further adversely affect our net sales and increase our operating expenses by requiring larger provisions for bad debt expense. In addition, even when our contracts with these customers are not contested, if customers are unable to meet their obligations on a timely basis, it could adversely affect our ability to collect receivables. Further, we may have to negotiate significant discounts and/or extended financing terms with these customers in such a situation. If we are unable to collect upon our accounts receivable as they come due in an efficient and timely manner, our business, financial condition, or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Insurance and claims expenses could significantly reduce our profitability.

Our future insurance and claims expenses might exceed historic levels, which could reduce our profitability. We maintain high-deductible insurance programs covering portions of general and vehicle liability and workers’ compensation. The amount in excess of the deductibles is insured by third-party insurance carriers, subject to certain limitations and exclusions. We also maintain self-funded group medical insurance.

We reserve for anticipated losses and expenses and periodically evaluate and adjust our claims reserves to reflect our experience. However, ultimate results may differ from our estimates, which could result in losses over our reserved amounts.

Although we believe our aggregate insurance limits should be sufficient to cover reasonably expected claims costs, it is possible that the amount of one or more claims could exceed our aggregate coverage limits. Insurance carriers have raised premiums for many businesses in our industry, including ours, and our insurance and claims expense could continue to increase in the future. Our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if (1) total claims costs significantly exceed our coverage limits, (2) we experience a claim in excess of our coverage limits, (3) our insurance carriers fail to pay on our insurance claims, (4) we experience a claim for which coverage is not provided or (5) a large number of claims may cause our cost under our deductibles to differ from historic averages.

Risks Related to the Integration of Core-Mark

We may be unable to successfully integrate the businesses and realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Core-Mark.

The success of the Core-Mark acquisition will depend, to a large extent, on our ability to successfully combine Core-Mark with our business and realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, from the combination. If we are unable to achieve these objectives within the anticipated time frame, or at all, the anticipated benefits may not be realized fully, or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected and the value of our common stock may be harmed.

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The integration of Core-Mark with our existing business is a complex, costly and time-consuming process. We have not previously completed a transaction comparable in size or scope to the Core-Mark acquisition. The integration of Core-Mark into our business may result in material challenges, including, without limitation:

Many of these factors will be outside of our control and any one of them could result in delays, increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We expect to incur substantial expenses related to the integration of Core-Mark.

We expect to incur substantial expenses in connection with the integration of Core-Mark’s business. There are a large number of processes, policies, procedures, operations, technologies and systems that must be integrated, including purchasing, accounting and finance, sales, payroll, pricing, revenue management, marketing and benefits. In addition, our and Core-Mark’s businesses will continue to maintain a presence in Richmond, Virginia and Westlake, Texas, respectively. The substantial majority of these costs will be facilities and systems consolidation costs. We may incur additional costs to maintain employee morale and to attract, motivate or retain management personnel and other key employees. We will also incur costs related to formulating integration plans for the combined business, and the execution of these plans may lead to additional unanticipated costs. These incremental merger-related costs may exceed the savings the Company expects to achieve from the elimination of duplicative costs and the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, particularly in the near term and in the event there are material unanticipated costs.

Our future results may be adversely impacted if we do not effectively manage our expanded operations.

Following the completion of the acquisition of Core-Mark, the size of our business is significantly larger than it was prior to the acquisition. Our ability to successfully manage this expanded business will depend, in part, upon management’s ability to design and implement strategic initiatives that address not only the integration of two independent stand-alone companies, but also the increased scale and scope of the combined business with its associated increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will be successful or that we will realize the expected operating efficiencies, cost savings and other benefits currently anticipated from the acquisition of Core-Mark.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

Our substantial leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or in our industry, expose us to interest rate risk to the extent of our variable rate debt, and prevent us from meeting our obligations under our indebtedness.

As of July 2, 2022, we had $4,355.4 million of indebtedness, including finance lease obligations. In addition, we had $2,201.1 million of availability under the ABL Facility (as defined below under "- Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -- Financing Activities in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K ("Item 7")") after giving effect to $190.5 million of outstanding letters of credit and $104.4 million of lenders’ reserves under the ABL Facility.

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Our high degree of leverage could have important consequences for us, including:

A substantial portion of our indebtedness is floating rate debt. As interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on such indebtedness increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease. In addition, interest on the ABL Facility is calculated based on LIBOR. On July 27, 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) announced that it will no longer require banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. On March 5, 2021, the Intercontinental Exchange Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), the administrator of LIBOR, announced that it will cease publication of U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors as of June 30, 2023, for the most common tenors (overnight and one, three, six and twelve months). Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, IBA ceased publication of U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors for less common tenors (one week and two months) as well as all tenors of non-U.S. dollar LIBOR as of December 31, 2021. The ABL Facility provides for the use of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as a replacement rate upon a LIBOR cessation event. SOFR is a relatively new reference rate and has a very limited history. The future performance of SOFR cannot be predicted based on its limited historical performance. Since the initial publication of SOFR in April 2018, changes in SOFR have, on occasion, been more volatile than changes in other benchmark or market rates, such as U.S. dollar LIBOR. Additionally, any successor rate to SOFR under the ABL Facility may not have the same characteristics as SOFR or LIBOR. As a result, the consequences of the phase-out of LIBOR cannot be entirely predicted at this time.

We may elect to enter into interest rate swaps to reduce our exposure to floating interest rates as described below under “—We may utilize derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to market risks from changes in interest rates on our variable rate indebtedness and we will be exposed to risks related to counterparty creditworthiness or non-performance of these instruments.” However, we may not maintain interest rate swaps with respect to all of our variable rate indebtedness, and any swaps we enter into may not fully mitigate our interest rate risk.

Servicing our indebtedness will require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to generate sufficient cash depends on many factors, some of which are not within our control.

Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. To a certain extent, this ability is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, and other factors that are beyond our control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt and to meet our other commitments, we may need to restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, sell material assets or operations, or raise additional debt or equity capital. We may not be able to affect any of these actions on a timely basis, on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and these actions may not be sufficient to meet our capital requirements. In addition, any refinancing of our indebtedness could be at a higher interest rate, and the terms of our existing or future debt arrangements may restrict us from effecting any of these alternatives. Our failure to make the required interest and principal payments on our indebtedness would result in an event of default under the agreement governing such indebtedness, which may result in the acceleration of some or all of our outstanding indebtedness.

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Despite our high indebtedness level, we and our subsidiaries will still be able to incur significant additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Although the agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions and, under certain circumstances, the amount of indebtedness that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial.

The agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

The agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit the ability of our subsidiaries to, among other things:

As a result of these restrictions, we are limited as to how we conduct our business and we may be unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants in the future and, if we fail to do so, that we will be able to obtain waivers from the lenders and/or amend the covenants.

A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under one or more of these agreements, including as a result of cross default provisions, and, in the case of our ABL Facility, amounts due may be accelerated and the rights and remedies of the lenders may be exercised, including rights with respect to the collateral securing the obligations.

We may utilize derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to market risks from changes in interest rates on our variable rate indebtedness and we will be exposed to risks related to counterparty credit worthiness or non-performance of these instruments.

We may enter into pay-fixed interest rate swaps to limit our exposure to changes in variable interest rates. Such instruments may result in economic losses should interest rates decline to a point lower than our fixed rate commitments. We will be exposed to credit-related losses, which could affect the results of operations in the event of fluctuations in the fair value of the interest rate swaps due to a change in the credit worthiness or non-performance by the counterparties to the interest rate swaps.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

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Item 2. Properties

As of July 2, 2022, we operated 142 distribution centers across our three reportable segments. Of our 142 facilities, we owned 66 facilities and leased the remaining 76 facilities. Our Foodservice segment operated 78 distribution centers and had an average square footage of approximately 200,000 square feet per facility. Our Vistar segment operated 25 distribution centers and had an average square footage of approximately 200,000 square feet per facility. Our Convenience segment operated 39 distribution centers and had an average square footage of approximately 200,000 square feet per facility.

Our Foodservice “broad-line” customers are generally located no more than 200 miles from one of our distribution facilities, and national chain customers are generally located no more than 450 miles from one of our distribution facilities. Of the 78 Foodservice distribution centers, 10 have meat cutting operations that provide custom-cut meat products and two have seafood processing operations that provide custom-cut and packed seafood to our customers and our other distribution centers. In addition to the 25 distribution centers operated by Vistar, Vistar has four cash-and-carry Merchant’s Mart facilities. The Convenience segment operates two additional facilities as a third-party logistics provider dedicated solely to supporting the logistics and management requirements of one of our customers. These distribution facilities are located in Arizona and Texas.

Customer orders are typically assembled in our distribution facilities and then sorted, placed on pallets, and loaded onto trucks and trailers in delivery sequence. Deliveries are generally made in large tractor-trailers that we usually lease. We use integrated computer systems to design and track efficient route sequences for the delivery of our products.

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Our properties also include a combined headquarters facility for our corporate offices and the Foodservice segment that is located in Richmond, Virginia; a combined support service center and headquarters facility for Vistar that is located in Englewood, Colorado; headquarters for Convenience located in Westlake, Texas; locations to support Other segment operations; and other support service centers and corporate offices located in the United States.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

We are a party to various claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business.

While it is impossible to determine with certainty the ultimate outcome of any of these proceedings, lawsuits, and claims, management believes that adequate provisions have been made or insurance secured for all currently pending proceedings so that the ultimate outcomes will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position. Refer to Note 15. Commitments and Contingencies within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 for disclosure of ongoing litigation.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not Applicable

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market and Price Range of Common Stock

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PFGC.”

Approximate Number of Common Shareholders

At the close of business on August 10, 2022, there were approximately 1,483 holders of record of our shares of common stock. This stockholder figure does not include a substantially greater number of holders whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.

Dividends

We have no current plans to pay dividends on our common stock. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is limited by covenants in the agreements governing our existing indebtedness and may be further limited by the agreements governing other indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur in the future. See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Activities. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant. Because we are a holding company, and have no direct operations, we will only be able to pay dividends from funds we receive from our subsidiaries.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

The following table provides information relating to our purchases of shares of the Company's common stock during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.

(1) During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company purchased 14,199 shares of the Company's common stock via share withholding for payroll tax obligations due from employees in connection with the delivery of shares of the Company's common stock under our incentive plans.

(2) On November 13, 2018, the Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for up to $250 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock. The share repurchase program does not have an expiration date and may be amended, suspended, or discontinued at any time. Repurchases under this program depend upon market place conditions and other factors, including compliance with the covenants under the ABL Facility and the indentures governing the Notes due 2025, Notes due 2027, and Notes due 2029 (each as defined under Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Activities in Item 7). The share repurchase program remains subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors. Although no shares have been repurchased subsequent to March 23, 2020, approximately $235.7 million remained available for additional share repurchases as of July 2, 2022.

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Stock Performance Graph

The performance graph below compares the cumulative total shareholder return of the Company’s common stock over the previous five fiscal years, with the cumulative total return for the same period of the S&P 500 index and the S&P 400 Midcap Index. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in our common stock and each of the indices as of the market close on June 30, 2017 and the reinvestment of dividends. Performance data for the Company, the S&P 500 index and the S&P 400 Midcap Index is provided as of the last trading day of each of our last five fiscal years. The stock price performance graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

Item 6. [Reserved]

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Item 7. Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Form 10-K. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, this discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in Item 1A. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should carefully read “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Form 10-K.

Our Company

We market and distribute over 250,000 food and food-related products to customers across the United States from approximately 142 distribution facilities to over 300,000 customer locations in the “food-away-from-home” industry. We offer our customers a broad assortment of products including our proprietary-branded products, nationally branded products, and products bearing our customers’ brands. Our product assortment ranges from “center-of-the-plate” items (such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood), frozen foods, and groceries to candy, snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and other tobacco products. We also sell disposables, cleaning and kitchen supplies, and related products used by our customers. In addition to the products we offer to our customers, we provide value-added services by allowing our customers to benefit from our industry knowledge, scale, and expertise in the areas of product selection and procurement, menu development, and operational strategy.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company changed its operating segments to reflect the manner in which the business is managed. Based on the Company’s organization structure and how the Company’s management reviews operating results and makes decisions about resource allocation, the Company now has three reportable segments: Foodservice, Vistar, and Convenience. Our Foodservice segment distributes a broad line of national brands, customer brands, and our proprietary-branded food and food-related products, or “Performance Brands.” Foodservice sells to independent and multi-unit “Chain” restaurants and other institutions such as schools, healthcare facilities, business and industry locations, and retail establishments. Our Chain customers are multi-unit restaurants with five or more locations and include some of the most recognizable family and casual dining restaurant chains. Our Vistar segment specializes in distributing candy, snacks, beverages, and other items nationally to vending, office coffee service, theater, retail, hospitality, and other channels. Our Convenience channel distributes candy, snacks, beverages, cigarettes, other tobacco products, food and foodservice products and other items to convenience stores across the United States and Canada. We believe that there are substantial synergies across our segments. Cross-segment synergies include procurement, operational best practices such as the use of new productivity technologies, and supply chain and network optimization, as well as shared corporate functions such as accounting, treasury, tax, legal, information systems, and human resources.

The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest to June 30th. This resulted in a 52-week year for fiscal 2022, a 53-week year for fiscal 2021 and a 52-week year for fiscal 2020. References to “fiscal 2022” are to the 52-week period ended July 2, 2022, references to “fiscal 2021” are to the 53-week period ended July 3, 2021, and references to “fiscal 2020” are to the 52-week period ended June 27, 2020.

Key Factors Affecting Our Business

Our business, our industry and the U.S. economy are influenced by a number of general macroeconomic factors, including, but not limited to, the recent rise in the rate of inflation and fuel prices, interest rates, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. We continue to actively monitor the impacts of the evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape on all aspects of our business. During fiscal 2022, economic and operating conditions for our business improved significantly due to the declining adverse effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Company and our industry may continue to face challenges as the recovery continues, such as availability of product supply, increased product and logistics costs, access to labor supply, lower disposable incomes due to inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions, and the emergence of COVID-19 variants. The extent to which these challenges will affect our future financial position, liquidity, and results of operations remains uncertain.

We believe that our long-term performance is principally affected by the following key factors:

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How We Assess the Performance of Our Business

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures. The key measures used by our management are discussed below. The percentages on the results presented below are calculated based on rounded numbers.

Net Sales

Net sales is equal to gross sales, plus excise taxes, minus sales returns; minus sales incentives that we offer to our customers, such as rebates and discounts that are offsets to gross sales; and certain other adjustments. Our net sales are driven by changes in case volumes, product inflation that is reflected in the pricing of our products, and mix of products sold.

Gross Profit

Gross profit is equal to our net sales minus our cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold primarily includes inventory costs (net of supplier consideration) and inbound freight. Cost of goods sold generally changes as we incur higher or lower costs from our suppliers and as our customer and product mix changes.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

Management measures operating performance based on our EBITDA, defined as net income before interest expense, interest income, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is not defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and is not a measure of operating income, operating performance, or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP and is subject to important limitations. Our definition of EBITDA may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies.

We believe that the presentation of EBITDA enhances an investor’s understanding of our performance. We use this measure to evaluate the performance of our segments and for business planning purposes. We present EBITDA in order to provide supplemental information that we consider relevant for the readers of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K, and such information is not meant to replace or supersede GAAP measures.

In addition, our management uses Adjusted EBITDA, defined as net income before interest expense, interest income, income and franchise taxes, and depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude certain items that we do not consider part of our core operating results. Such adjustments include certain unusual, non-cash, non-recurring, cost reduction, and other adjustment items permitted in calculating covenant compliance under our ABL Facility and indentures (other than certain pro forma adjustments permitted under our ABL Facility and indentures governing the Notes due 2025, Notes due 2027, and Notes due 2029 relating to the Adjusted EBITDA contribution of acquired entities or businesses prior to the acquisition date). Under our ABL Facility and indentures, our ability to engage in certain activities such as incurring certain additional indebtedness, making certain investments, and making restricted payments is tied to ratios based on Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in our ABL Facility and indentures). Our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA is not defined under GAAP and is subject to important limitations. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties,

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including our lenders under the ABL Facility and holders of our Notes due 2025, Notes due 2027, and Notes due 2029, in their evaluation of the operating performance of companies in industries similar to ours. In addition, targets based on Adjusted EBITDA are among the measures we use to evaluate our management’s performance for purposes of determining their compensation under our incentive plans.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have important limitations as analytical tools and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. For example, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:

In calculating Adjusted EBITDA, we add back certain non-cash, non-recurring, and other items as permitted or required by our ABL Facility and indentures. Adjusted EBITDA among other things:

We have included below reconciliations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable measure calculated in accordance with GAAP for the periods presented.

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Results of Operations, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA

The following table sets forth a summary of our results of operations, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated (dollars in millions, except per share data):

We believe that the most directly comparable GAAP measure to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is net income. The following table reconciles EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income for the periods presented:

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Consolidated Results of Operations

Fiscal year ended July 2, 2022 compared to fiscal year ended July 3, 2021

Net Sales

Net sales growth is primarily a function of acquisitions, case growth, pricing (which is primarily based on product inflation/deflation), and a changing mix of customers, channels, and product categories sold. Net sales increased $20.5 billion, or 67.4%, in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021.

The increase in net sales was primarily attributable to the acquisition of Core-Mark on September 1, 2021, which contributed $14.5 billion of net sales in fiscal 2022. The increase in net sales was also driven by growth in cases sold, an increase in selling price per case as a result of inflation, partially offset by the 53rd week in fiscal year 2021. Overall product cost inflation was approximately 11.9% for fiscal 2022. Net sales for the extra week in fiscal 2021 were approximately $664.6 million. Case volume increased 28.8% in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021. Organic case volume increased 7.9% in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021. Excluding the impact of the 53rd week in fiscal 2021, organic case volume increased 10.3% in fiscal 2022 compared to the prior year.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $1.7 billion, or 49.1%, in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021. The increase in gross profit was primarily driven by the acquisition of Core-Mark, partially offset by a $122.9 million increase in the LIFO reserve and the 53rd week in fiscal 2021. The acquisition of Core-Mark contributed gross profit of $846.5 million since the acquisition date. Also, gross profit increased due to case growth in Foodservice and an increase in the gross profit per case driven by growth in the independent channel. Independent customers typically receive more services from us, cost more to serve, and pay a higher gross profit per case than other customers. The gross profit for the extra week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $76.1 million.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses increased $1.6 billion, or 48.3%, for fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021. The increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by the acquisition of Core-Mark, partially offset by the 53rd week in fiscal 2021. Core-Mark contributed an additional $761.8 million operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, since the acquisition date.

Operating expenses also increased as a result of an increase in case volume and the resulting impact on variable operational and selling expenses, as well as an increase in personnel expenses. In fiscal 2022, the Company experienced a $81.2 million increase in temporary contract labor costs, including travel expenses associated with contract workers, compared to the prior year period, as a result of the labor market's impact on the Company's ability to hire and retain qualified labor. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company's use of temporary contract labor normalized to a level consistent with historical usage. Operating expenses also experienced an increase in fuel expense of $90.9 million due to higher fuel prices in fiscal 2022 compared to prior year. Additionally, the Company had increases in workers' compensation and automobile insurance expense of $20.6 million, an increase in professional fees of $23.2 million due to recent acquisitions, and an increase in stock-based compensation expense of $18.6 million. The Company estimates operating expenses for the 53rd week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $70.4 million.

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets increased from $338.9 million in fiscal 2021 to $462.8 million in fiscal 2022, an increase of 36.6%. Depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of intangible assets increased as a result of the Core-Mark acquisition and another recent acquisition, partially offset by the 53rd week in fiscal 2021. Total depreciation and amortization related to the acquisition of Core-Mark was $109.7 million. Total depreciation and amortization related to the 53rd week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $6.6 million.

Net Income

Net income was $112.5 million for fiscal 2022 compared to $40.7 million for fiscal 2021. This increase in net income was attributable to the $126.7 million increase in operating profit and an increase in other income, partially offset by increases in interest expense and income tax expense. The increase in other income primarily relates to realized and unrealized gains on fuel hedging instruments. The increase in interest expense was primarily the result of an increase in average borrowings outstanding, partially offset by a decrease in the average interest rate during fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021.

The Company reported income tax expense of $54.6 million for fiscal 2022 compared to $14.0 million for fiscal 2021. Our effective tax rate in fiscal 2022 was 32.7% compared to 25.6% in fiscal 2021. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2022 differed from the prior year due to the increase of non-deductible expenses as a percentage of book income. including $4.2 million of tax related to non-deductible transaction costs incurred for acquisitions, and the decrease in deductible stock-based compensation as a percentage of book income. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2021 was impacted by a benefit from a federal net operating loss carryback to tax years with a statutory rate higher than the current statutory tax rate.

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Fiscal year ended July 3, 2021 compared to fiscal year ended June 27, 2020

Net Sales

Net sales growth is primarily a function of case growth, pricing (which is primarily based on product inflation/deflation), and a changing mix of customers, channels, and product categories sold. Net sales increased $5,312.6 million, or 21.2%, in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020. The increase in net sales was primarily attributable to the acquisition of Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C. (“Reinhart”) on December 31, 2019, along with the 53rd week in fiscal year 2021. Net sales for the extra week in fiscal 2021 were approximately $664.6 million. The acquisition of Reinhart contributed $6,049.3 million of net sales in fiscal 2021, compared to $2,525.0 million in fiscal 2020.

Case volume increased 15.4% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020. Excluding the impact of the 53rd week in fiscal 2021, case volume increased 13.0% compared to the prior year. Excluding the impact of the Reinhart acquisition for the first half of fiscal 2021, organic case volume increased 2.7% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $656.0 million, or 22.9%, for fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020. The increase in gross profit was primarily driven by the acquisition of Reinhart and the 53rd week in fiscal 2021. The acquisition of Reinhart contributed an increase in gross profit of $501.4 million for fiscal 2021, compared to the prior year. Also, gross profit increased due to an increase in the gross profit per case driven by case growth in Foodservice, particularly in the independent channel. Independent customers typically receive more services from us, cost more to serve, and pay a higher gross profit per case than other customers. The Company estimates the increase in gross profit for the extra week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $76.1 million.

Additionally, for fiscal 2021, the Company recorded a total of $36.9 million of inventory write-offs primarily as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on our operations, compared to $54.5 million for fiscal 2020. This decrease was primarily a result of the recent improvements in economic conditions. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 11.6% for fiscal 2021 compared to 11.4% for fiscal 2020.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses increased $356.3 million, or 12.0%, for fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020. The increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by the acquisition of Reinhart and the 53rd week in fiscal 2021. Reinhart contributed an additional $315.6 million of operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, for fiscal 2021 as compared to fiscal 2020. The Company estimates operating expenses for the 53rd week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $70.4 million.

Excluding the impact of Reinhart and the 53rd week in fiscal 2021, operating expenses decreased as a result of a decrease in contingent consideration accretion expense of $109.7 million, professional fees of $28.4 million, and insurance expense of $6.2 million. Additionally, in fiscal 2021, the Company recorded a benefit of $24.9 million related to reserves related to expected credit losses for customer receivables, as compared to bad debt expense of $78.0 million in the prior year. These decreases were partially offset by a $78.6 million increase in bonus expense for fiscal 2021, along with increases in other personnel expenses and the increase in case volume and the resulting impact on variable operational and selling expenses in fiscal 2021 compared to the prior year period.

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets increased from $276.3 million in fiscal 2020 to $338.9 million in fiscal 2021, an increase of 22.7%. This increase is primarily attributable to the acquisition of Reinhart. Total depreciation and amortization related to the 53rd week in fiscal 2021 was approximately $6.6 million.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income was $40.7 million for fiscal 2021, as compared to a net loss of $114.1 million for fiscal 2020. This increase in net income was attributable to the $299.7 million increase in operating profit, partially offset by increases in interest expense and income tax expense. The increase in interest expense was primarily the result of an increase in average borrowings outstanding along with a higher average interest rate during fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020.

The Company reported income tax expense of $14.0 million for fiscal 2021 compared to an income tax benefit of $108.1 million for fiscal 2020. Our effective tax rate in fiscal 2021 was 25.6% compared to 48.6% in fiscal 2020. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2021 decreased from the prior year period primarily due to state taxes, stock compensation, and discrete items as a percentage of book income, which is significantly higher than the book income for fiscal 2020. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2020 was impacted by the $46.3 million benefit from a federal net operating loss carryback to tax years with a statutory tax rate higher than the current statutory tax rate.

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Segment Results

As previously disclosed, in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company changed its operating segments to reflect the manner in which the business is managed. Based on the Company’s organization structure and how the Company’s management reviews operating results and makes decisions about resource allocation, the Company's three reportable segments are: Foodservice, Vistar, and Convenience. Management evaluates the performance of these segments based on various operating and financial metrics, including their respective sales growth and EBITDA.

Corporate & All Other is comprised of unallocated corporate overhead and certain operating segments that are not considered separate reportable segments based on their size, including the operations of our internal logistics unit responsible for managing and allocating inbound logistics revenue and expense.

The presentation and amounts for the fiscal years ended July 3, 2021 and June 27, 2020 have been restated to reflect the segment changes described above.

The following tables set forth net sales and EBITDA by segment for the periods indicated (dollars in millions):

Net Sales

EBITDA