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Rite Aid Corp (RAD) SEC Annual Report (10-K) for 2010

RAD 2011 10-K
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item 9B. Other Information

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K


ý


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

For The Fiscal Year Ended February 27, 2010

OR

o


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

For The Transition Period From            To          

Commission File Number 1-5742

RITE AID CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
23-1614034
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
(Address of principal executive offices)


17011
(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (717) 761-2633

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

Title of each class Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $1.00 par value New York Stock Exchange

         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  ý     No  o

         Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes  o     No  ý

         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  ý     No  o

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files). Yes  o     No  o

         Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. Yes  ý     No  o

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of "Accelerated Filer" and "Large Accelerated Filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated  ý Accelerated Filer  o Non-Accelerated Filer  o
(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company  o

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

         The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant based on the closing price at which such stock was sold on the New York Stock Exchange on August 29, 2009 was approximately $996,928,866. For purposes of this calculation, executive officers, directors and 5% shareholders are deemed to be affiliates of the registrant.

         As of April 20, 2010 the registrant had outstanding 887,670,198 shares of common stock, par value $1.00 per share.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

         Portions of the proxy statement for the registrant's annual meeting of stockholders to be held on June 23, 2010 are incorporated by reference into Part III.

Table of Contents


TABLE OF CONTENTS



Page

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

3

PART I

ITEM 1.

Business

4

ITEM 1A.

Risk Factors

11

ITEM 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

19

ITEM 2.

Properties

19

ITEM 3.

Legal Proceedings

22

ITEM 4.

[Reserved]

23

PART II

ITEM 5.

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

23

ITEM 6.

Selected Financial Data

24

ITEM 7.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

26

ITEM 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

43

ITEM 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

43

ITEM 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

43

ITEM 9A.

Controls and Procedures

44

ITEM 9B.

Other Information

46

PART III

ITEM 10.

Directors and Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

ITEM 11.

Executive Compensation

ITEM 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

ITEM 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

ITEM 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

PART IV

ITEM 15.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule

46


SIGNATURES




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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This report, as well as our other public filings or public statements, include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are often identified by terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "continue," "should," "could," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "will" and similar expressions and include references to assumptions and relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies.

        Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

• our high level of indebtedness;
• our ability to make interest and principal payments on our debt and satisfy the other covenants contained in our senior secured credit facility and other debt agreements;
• general economic conditions (including the impact of continued high unemployment and changing consumer shopping behavior), inflation and interest rate movements;
• our ability to improve the operating performance of our stores in accordance with our long term strategy;
• our ability to realize same store sales growth;
• our ability to hire and retain pharmacists and other store personnel;
• the efforts of private and public third party payors to reduce prescription drug reimbursement and encourage mail order;
• competitive pricing pressures, including aggressive promotional activity from our competitors;
• decisions to close additional stores and distribution centers, which could result in further charges to our operating statement;
• our ability to manage expenses;
• our ability to realize the benefits from actions to further reduce costs and investment in working capital;
• continued consolidation of the drugstore industry;
• changes in state or federal legislation or regulations, and the impact of healthcare reform;
• the outcome of lawsuits and governmental investigations; and
• other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("the SEC").

        We undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this report. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences are discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Overview and Factors Affecting Our Future Prospects" included in this annual report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

Item 1.    Business

Overview

        We are the third largest retail drugstore chain in the United States based on revenues and number of stores. We operate our drugstores in 31 states across the country and in the District of Columbia. As of February 27, 2010, we operated 4,780 stores.

        In our stores, we sell prescription drugs and a wide assortment of other merchandise, which we call "front end" products. In fiscal 2010, prescription drug sales accounted for 67.9% of our total sales. We believe that our pharmacy operations will continue to represent a significant part of our business due to favorable industry trends, including an aging population, increased life expectancy, anticipated growth in the federally funded Medicare Part D prescription program as "baby boomers" begin to enroll in 2011, expanded coverage for uninsured Americans as the result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the discovery of new and better drug therapies. We offer approximately 25,000 front end products, which accounted for the remaining 32.1% of our total sales in fiscal 2010. Front end products include over-the-counter medications, health and beauty aids, personal care items, cosmetics, household items, beverages, convenience foods, greeting cards, seasonal merchandise and numerous other everyday and convenience products, as well as photo processing. We attempt to distinguish our stores from other national chain drugstores, in part, through our private brands and our strategic alliance with GNC, a leading retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements. We offer approximately 3,300 products under the Rite Aid private brand, which contributed approximately 15.0% of our front end sales in the categories where private brand products were offered in fiscal 2010.

        The overall average size of each store in our chain is approximately 12,500 square feet. The average size of our stores is larger in the western United States. As of February 27, 2010, approximately 59% of our stores are freestanding; approximately 50% of our stores include a drive-thru pharmacy; approximately 40% include one-hour photo shops; and approximately 40% include a GNC store-within-Rite Aid-store.

        Our headquarters are located at 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011, and our telephone number is (717) 761-2633. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol of "RAD." We were incorporated in 1968 and are a Delaware corporation.

Industry Trends

        The rate of pharmacy sales growth in the United States in recent years has slowed driven by the decline in new blockbuster drugs, a longer FDA approval process, drug safety concerns, higher copays, the loss of individual health insurance as unemployment rises and an increase in the use of generic (non-brand name) drugs, which are less expensive but generate higher gross margins. However, we expect prescription sales to grow in the coming years due to the aging population, increased life expectancy, "baby boomers" becoming eligible for the federally funded Medicare prescription program and new drug therapies. We expect that recently passed health care legislation could afford access for more patients to prescriptions. Furthermore, we expect the estimated additional 32 million people who will be covered by health insurance in 2014, and the closing of the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D to be good for our business.

        Generic prescription drugs help lower overall costs for customers and third party payors. We believe the utilization of existing generic pharmaceuticals will continue to increase. Further, a significant number of new generics are expected to be introduced in the next few years as many popular branded drugs are scheduled to lose patent protection. The gross profit from a generic drug prescription in the retail drugstore industry is greater than the gross profit from a brand drug prescription.

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        The retail drugstore industry is highly competitive and has been experiencing consolidation. We believe that the continued consolidation of the drugstore industry, continued new store openings, increased competition from internet based providers and aggressive generic pricing programs at competitors such as Wal-Mart and various supermarket chains will further increase competitive pressures in the industry. The pharmacy business has become increasingly promotional, which contributes to additional competitive pressures.

        The retail drugstore industry relies significantly on third party payors. Third party payors, including the Medicare Part D plans and the state sponsored Medicaid agencies, at times change the eligibility requirements of participants or reduce certain reimbursement rates. These evaluations and resulting changes and reductions are expected to continue. When third party payors, including the Medicare Part D program and state sponsored Medicaid agencies, reduce the number of participants or reduce their reimbursement rates, sales and margins in the industry could be reduced, and profitability of the industry could be adversely affected. These possible adverse effects can be partially or entirely offset by controlling expenses, dispensing more higher margin generics and dispensing more prescriptions overall. The impact of AMP and the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is still being determined.

Strategy

        Our objectives and goals are to grow profitable sales by unlocking the value of our diverse store base, improve customer loyalty by improving customer and associate satisfaction, generate positive cash flow by taking unnecessary costs out of the business and improving operating efficiencies and reduce debt via the generation of operating cash flow and improvements in working capital management. We believe that by executing on these goals we can improve stockholder value. The following paragraphs describe in more detail some of the components of our strategies that we believe will result in the achievement of these goals and objectives:

        Grow profitable sales by unlocking the value of our diverse store base.     As of February 27, 2010 we have 4,780 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. These stores are in diverse markets, with many being in urban, high traffic areas and many being in lower traffic suburban or rural areas. In the past we have operated our stores with consistent standards for store staffing, field management staffing, distribution center deliveries, advertising, product assortment and pricing. We are continuing the process of stratifying these stores into specific groups and further refining the business plans for each group. The plans will ultimately result in different subsets of stores having standards for labor, product assortment, pricing and distribution center deliveries that are best suited for that group of stores. Our focus will be on merchandising and sales growth opportunities, particularly in low volume and urban stores. We believe that these changes will improve profitability, particularly at our lower volume stores.

        Improve sales by improving customer loyalty.     We believe that our greatest opportunity to improve sales is by ensuring that we have a base of loyal, repeat customers, particularly in the pharmacy business. We believe that the best way to obtain loyal customers is to show that Rite Aid will help them lead happier, healthier lives. We believe that excellent customer service helps us achieve that goal and we believe that improving the associate work experience will translate into better customer service. We have several programs that are also designed to improve customer loyalty, including the following:

• We launched our wellness+ loyalty card program in four pilot markets in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. wellness+ provides many benefits for cardholders based on accumulating points for front end and prescription purchases. We rolled out the program to the rest of the chain on April 18, 2010. Based on the pilot markets, we are expecting enrollment of 15 to 20 million members at maturity.

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• We have several initiatives underway to simplify work processes in our stores to enable better customer service.
• We continue to offer our free Rx Savings Card, which provides cost savings on all prescription drugs to patients with limited or no insurance.
• We offer an automated refill option for customers with maintenance prescriptions, and also make courtesy refill reminder phone calls.

        In the front end business, we plan to aggressively grow our private brand offerings, as we believe that our private brand products offer cost effective alternatives to national brand products that are very attractive during difficult economic times. We are rolling out our new private brand architecture with strong promotional support, good price positioning and continued development of new items, which will help us grow private brand sales and meet the needs of today's customers. We expect this will increase our private brand penetration in categories such as health and beauty products, food and other consumables, household goods and baby products by approximately 75 basis points from approximately 15.00% to approximately 15.75% by the end of fiscal 2011. Additionally, we also have several other front end initiatives planned, including merchandising and sales growth, and shrink reduction. We also plan to add 105 new GNC stores-within-Rite Aid-stores.

        In the pharmacy business, we plan to increase the number of immunizing pharmacists from 2,000 in fiscal 2010 to 6,000 in fiscal 2011, which will increase our immunizing presence in many of our top markets. Additionally, we plan to grow script count by continuing to improve customer service, growing our Rx savings program, purchasing prescription files and attracting and retaining high value pharmacy customers through our wellness+ loyalty program.

        Generate positive cash flow by continuing to take unnecessary costs out of the business.     We believe we have an opportunity to better leverage our sales by making changes to our cost structure. We have numerous cost reduction initiatives in place or planned for fiscal 2011, including the following:

• We plan to make additional changes to staffing, marketing and merchandising, and distribution for some of our lower volume stores, which we believe will improve store profitability without sacrificing sales or customer service.
• We have centralized all non-merchandise purchasing into a centralized Indirect Procurement function. This group is responsible for reviewing all purchase contracts and arrangements and utilizes several tools, including on-line auctions, to control the cost of these services.
• We are continuing to examine our administrative headcount requirements.
• We expect to reduce supply chain costs by further reducing inventory, improving work processes in the distribution center network, and re-assigning which distribution centers service particular stores.

        We believe that these changes, as well as others, will enable us to improve our operating profitability without sacrificing sales and customer service.

        Reduce debt.     We are highly leveraged and believe that our leverage puts us at a competitive disadvantage. We plan to continue to reduce debt in fiscal 2011 by executing on the operating initiatives discussed above, as well as by doing the following:

• We have taken measures to reduce our investment in inventory, including steps to reduce the number of SKU's, reduce our backroom inventories and reduce store safety stock in certain categories. The continuation of these programs, along with planned improvements in our ad ordering system and sales forecasting techniques, should further reduce our inventory levels, which should increase available working capital and improve operating efficiencies.

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• We plan to closely manage our capital expenditures in fiscal 2011, as we did in fiscal 2010, when we significantly reduced capital expenditures after investing a significant amount of capital dollars into the Brooks Eckerd stores during fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009. Our targeted capital expenditures for fiscal 2011 are $250 million, with a $50 million allocation for prescription file buys.

        We believe that these initiatives, along with other improvements in cash flow from operations, will enable us to continue to reduce debt in fiscal 2011.

Products and Services

        Sales of prescription drugs represented approximately 67.9%, 67.2%, and 66.7% of our total sales in fiscal years 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. In fiscal years 2010, 2009 and 2008, prescription drug sales were $17.4 billion, $17.6 billion, and $16.2 billion, respectively. See "Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our consolidated financial statements.

        We sell approximately 25,000 different types of non-prescription, or front end products. The types and number of front end products in each store vary, and selections are based on customer needs and preferences and available space. No single front end product category contributed significantly to our sales during fiscal 2010. Our principal classes of products in fiscal 2010 were the following:

Product Class

Percentage of
Sales

Prescription drugs

67.9 %

Over-the-counter medications and personal care

9.4 %

Health and beauty aids

5.0 %

General merchandise and other

17.7 %

        We offer approximately 3,300 products under the Rite Aid private brand, which contributed approximately 15.0% of our front end sales in the categories where private brand products were offered in fiscal 2010. We intend to increase the number of private brand products, revamp and expand our private brand architecture.

        We have a strategic alliance with GNC under which we have opened 1,908 GNC "stores-within-Rite Aid-stores" as of February 27, 2010 and a contractual commitment to open an additional 444 stores by December 2014. We incorporate the GNC store-within-Rite Aid-store concept into our new and relocated stores. GNC is a leading nationwide retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, personal care, fitness and other health related products.

Technology

        All of our stores are integrated into a common information system, which enables our customers to fill or refill prescriptions in any of our stores throughout the country, reduces chances of adverse drug interactions, and enables our pharmacists to fill prescriptions more accurately and efficiently. This system can be expanded to accommodate new stores. Our customers may also order prescription refills over the Internet through www.riteaid.com , or over the phone through our telephonic automated refill systems for pick up at a Rite Aid store. As of February 27, 2010, we had a total of 997 automated pharmacy dispensing units, which are linked to our pharmacists' computers that fill and label prescription drug orders, in high volume stores. The efficiency of these units allows our pharmacists to spend more time consulting with our customers. Additionally, each of our stores employs point-of-sale technology that supports sales analysis and recognition of customer trends. This same point-of-sale technology facilitates the maintenance of perpetual inventory records which, together with our sales analysis, drives our automated inventory replenishment process.

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Suppliers

        During fiscal 2010, we purchased brand pharmaceuticals and some generic pharmaceuticals, which amounted to approximately 93.5% of the dollar volume of our prescription drugs, from a single wholesaler, McKesson Corp ("McKesson"), under a contract, which runs through April 1, 2013. Under the contract, with limited exceptions, we are required to purchase all of our branded pharmaceutical products from McKesson. If our relationship with McKesson was disrupted, we could temporarily have difficulty filling prescriptions until we executed a replacement wholesaler agreement or developed and implemented self-distribution processes, which could negatively affect our business.

        We purchase almost all of our generic (non-brand name) pharmaceuticals directly from manufacturers. We believe the losses of any one generic supplier would not have a material impact on our business.

        We purchase our non-pharmaceutical merchandise from numerous manufacturers and wholesalers. We believe that competitive sources are readily available for substantially all of the non-pharmaceutical merchandise we carry and that the loss of any one supplier would not have a material effect on our business.

        We sell private brand and co-branded products that generally are supplied by numerous competitive sources. The Rite Aid and GNC co-branded PharmAssure vitamin and mineral supplement products and the GNC branded vitamin and mineral supplement products that we sell in our stores are developed by GNC, and along with our Rite Aid brand vitamin and mineral supplements, are manufactured by GNC.

Customers and Third Party Payors

        During fiscal 2010, our stores filled approximately 300 million prescriptions and served an average of 2.2 million customers per day. The loss of any one customer would not have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

        In fiscal 2010, 96.2% of our pharmacy sales were to customers covered by third party payors (such as insurance companies, prescription benefit management companies, government agencies, private employers or other managed care providers) that agree to pay for all or a portion of a customer's eligible prescription purchases based on negotiated and contracted reimbursement rates. During fiscal 2010, the top five third party payors accounted for approximately 41.4% of our total sales, the largest of which represented 14.4% of our total sales. During fiscal 2010, Medicaid related sales were approximately 6.9% of our total sales, of which the largest single Medicaid payor was approximately 2.0% of our total sales. During fiscal 2010, approximately 16.7% of our pharmacy sales were to customers covered by Medicare Part D.

Competition

        The retail drugstore industry is highly competitive. We compete with, among others, retail drugstore chains, independently owned drugstores, supermarkets, mass merchandisers, discount stores, dollar stores and mail order pharmacies. We compete on the basis of store location and convenient access, customer service, product selection and price. We believe continued consolidation of the drugstore industry, the aggressive discounting of generic drugs by supermarkets and mass merchandisers and the increase of promotional incentives to drive prescription sales will further increase competitive pressures in the industry.

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Marketing and Advertising

        In fiscal 2010, marketing and advertising expense was approximately $375 million, which was spent primarily on weekly circular advertising. Our marketing and advertising activities centered primarily on the following:

• Product price promotions to draw customers to our stores;
• Our wellness+ loyalty program, which rolled out to the rest of the chain April 18, 2010 will be the largest marketing expenditure that we have made in several years;
• Initiatives to grow pharmacy sales, including a free Rx Savings Card, which provides significant cost savings on generic and brand prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to patients with limited or no insurance;
• Emphasis on the value of Rite Aid brand products;
• Support of specific initiatives and stores, including competitor market intrusion and prescription file buys; and
• Our vision to be the customer's first choice for health and wellness products, services and information.

        Under the umbrella of our "With Us It's Personal" brand positioning, we promoted educational programs focusing on specific health conditions and incentives for patients to transfer their prescriptions to Rite Aid. We are also emphasizing our automated courtesy refill service. We believe all of these programs will help us improve customer satisfaction and grow profitable sales.

Associates

        We believe that our relationships with our associates are good. As of February 27, 2010, we had approximately 97,500 associates; 13% were pharmacists, 44% were part-time and 26% were unionized. Associate satisfaction is critical to the success of our strategy. We have surveyed our associates to obtain feedback on various employment-related topics, including job satisfaction and their understanding of our core values and mission. We have also instituted an internal group, consisting of managers and staff from all components of our business that is responsible for using feedback from associates throughout the Company to create a better work environment.

        The national shortage of pharmacists has eased over the past 12 months, resulting in more licensed pharmacists and new graduates seeking positions in many markets. Although this is occurring nationally, there is still an unmet demand for pharmacists in certain regions of the country that are challenging to staff. We continue to offer competitive compensation plans to retain and attract current and future pharmacists, work with Colleges of Pharmacy across the U.S. to recruit both pharmacy interns and pharmacy graduates and conduct a recruiting program for international pharmacists.

Research and Development

        We do not make significant expenditures for research and development.

Licenses, Trademarks and Patents

        The Rite Aid name is our most significant trademark and the most important factor in marketing our stores and private brand products. We hold licenses to sell beer, wine and liquor, cigarettes and lottery tickets. As part of our strategic alliance with GNC, we have a license to operate GNC "stores-within-Rite Aid-stores." We also hold licenses to operate our pharmacies and our distribution facilities. Collectively, these licenses are material to our operations.

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Seasonality

        We experience moderate seasonal fluctuations in our results of operations concentrated in the first and fourth fiscal quarters as the result of the concentration of the cough, cold and flu season and the holidays. We tailor certain front end merchandise to capitalize on holidays and seasons. We increase our inventory levels during our third fiscal quarter in anticipation of the seasonal fluctuations described above. Our results of operations in the fourth and first fiscal quarters may fluctuate based upon the timing and severity of the cough, cold and flu season, both of which are unpredictable.

Regulation

        Our business is subject to federal, state, and local government laws, regulations and administrative practices. We must comply with numerous provisions regulating health and safety, equal employment opportunity, minimum wage and licensing for the sale of drugs, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and other products. In addition we must comply with regulations pertaining to product content, labeling, dating and pricing.

        Pursuant to the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 ("OBRA") and comparable state regulations, our pharmacists are required to offer counseling, without additional charge, to our customers about medication, dosage, delivery systems, common side effects and other information deemed significant by the pharmacists and may have a duty to warn customers regarding any potential adverse effects of a prescription drug if the warning could reduce or negate such effect.

        The appropriate state boards of pharmacy must license our pharmacies and pharmacists. Our pharmacies and distribution centers are also registered with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and are subject to Federal Drug Enforcement Agency regulations relative to our pharmacy operations, including regulations governing purchasing, storing and dispensing of controlled substances. Applicable licensing and registration requirements require our compliance with various state statutes, rules and/or regulations. If we were to violate any applicable statute, rule or regulation, our licenses and registrations could be suspended or revoked or we could be subject to fines or penalties. Any such violation could also damage our reputation and brand.

        In recent years, an increasing number of legislative proposals have been enacted (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), introduced or proposed in Congress and in some state legislatures that affect or would affect major changes in the healthcare system, either nationally or at the state level. The legislative initiatives include changes in reimbursement levels, changes in qualified participants, changes in drug safety regulations and e-prescribing. We cannot predict the timing of enactment of any such proposals to the extent not yet approved or the long-term outcome or effect of legislation from these efforts on our business.

        Our pharmacy business is subject to patient privacy and other obligations, including corporate, pharmacy and associate responsibility imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. As a covered entity, we are required to implement privacy standards, train our associates on the permitted uses and disclosures of protected health information, provide a notice of privacy practice to our pharmacy customers and permit pharmacy customers to access and amend their records and receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information. Failure to properly adhere to these requirements could result in the imposition of civil as well as criminal penalties.

        We are also subject to laws governing our relationship with our associates, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions and unionizing efforts. Increases in the federal minimum wage rate, associate benefit costs or other costs related to associates could adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, there are currently a number of legislative proposals being considered that could impact the ability of workers to unionize. We cannot assure you if or when any such proposal may be enacted or the impact any such legislation could have on our operations or cost structure.

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        In addition, in connection with the ownership and operations of our stores, distribution centers and other sites, we are subject to laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and health and safety matters, including those governing the management and disposal of hazardous substances and the cleanup of contaminated sites. Violations or liabilities under these laws and regulations as a result of our current or former operations or historical activities at our sites, such as gasoline service stations and dry cleaners, could result in significant costs.

Corporate Governance and Internet Address

        We recognize that good corporate governance is an important means of protecting the interests of our stockholders, associates, customers, and the community. We have closely monitored and implemented relevant legislative and regulatory corporate governance reforms, including provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley"), the rules of the SEC interpreting and implementing Sarbanes-Oxley, and the corporate governance listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

        Our corporate governance information and materials, including our Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee, our Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers, our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and our Related Person Transaction Policy are posted on the corporate governance section of our website at www.riteaid.com and are available in print upon request to Rite Aid Corporation, 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Our Board will regularly review corporate governance developments and modify these materials and practices as warranted.

        Our website also provides information on how to contact us and other items of interest to investors. We make available on our website, free of charge, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these reports with, or furnish them to, the SEC.

Item 1A.    Risk Factors

Factors Affecting our Future Prospects

        Set forth below is a description of certain risk factors which we believe may be relevant to an understanding of us and our business. Security holders are cautioned that these and other factors may affect future performance and cause actual results to differ from those which may be anticipated. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements."


Risks Related to Our Financial Condition

Current economic conditions may adversely affect our industry, business and results of operations.

        The United States economy is continuing to feel the impact of the economic downturn that began in late 2007, and the future economic environment may continue to be less favorable than that of previous years. This economic uncertainty has and could further lead to reduced consumer spending for the foreseeable future. If consumer spending continues to decrease, we will likely not be able to improve our same store sales. In addition, reduced or flat consumer spending may drive us and our competitors to offer additional products at promotional prices, which would have a negative impact on our gross profit. A continued softening or slow recovery in consumer spending may adversely affect our industry, business and results of operations. Reduced revenues as a result of decreased consumer spending may also reduce our liquidity and otherwise hinder our ability to implement our long term strategy.

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We are highly leveraged. Our substantial indebtedness could limit cash flow available for our operations and could adversely affect our ability to service debt or obtain additional financing if necessary.

        We had, as of February 27, 2010, $6.4 billion of outstanding indebtedness and stockholders' deficit of $1.7 billion. We also had additional borrowing capacity under our existing $1.175 billion senior secured revolving credit facility of approximately $936.0 million, net of outstanding letters of credit of $159.0 million. Our earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges and preferred stock dividends for fiscal 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006 by $498.4 million, $2.6 billion, $340.6 million, $50.8 million and $23.1 million, respectively.

        Our high level of indebtedness will continue to restrict our operations. Among other things, our indebtedness will:

• limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the markets in which we compete;
• place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to our competitors with less indebtedness;
• render us more vulnerable to general adverse economic, regulatory and industry conditions; and
• require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to service our debt.

        Our ability to meet our cash requirements, including our debt service obligations, is dependent upon our ability to substantially improve our operating performance, which will be subject to general economic and competitive conditions and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We cannot provide assurance that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund our cash requirements and debt service obligations.

        We believe we have adequate sources of liquidity to meet our anticipated requirements for working capital, debt service and capital expenditures through fiscal 2011 and have no material maturities prior to September 2012. However, if our operating results, cash flow or capital resources prove inadequate, or if interest rates rise significantly, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt and other obligations or otherwise be required to delay our planned activities. If we are unable to service our debt or experience a significant reduction in our liquidity, we could be forced to reduce or delay planned capital expenditures and other initiatives, sell assets, restructure or refinance our debt or seek additional equity capital, and we may be unable to take any of these actions on satisfactory terms or in a timely manner. Further, any of these actions may not be sufficient to allow us to service our debt obligations or may have an adverse impact on our business. Our existing debt agreements limit our ability to take certain of these actions. Our failure to generate sufficient operating cash flow to pay our debts or refinance our indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on us.

Borrowings under our senior secured credit facility are based upon variable rates of interest, which could result in higher expense in the event of increases in interest rates.

        As of February 27, 2010, approximately $2.1 billion of our outstanding indebtedness bore interest at a rate that varies depending upon the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR"), subject, in the case of the Tranche 3 Term Loan, senior secured loan due June 2014; the Tranche 4 Term Loan, senior secured loan due June 2015; and the senior secured revolving credit facility, to a minimum LIBOR floor of 300 basis points. Our Tranche 2 Term Loan, senior secured loan due June 2014, is most subject to LIBOR fluctuations because there is no floor. If we borrow additional amounts under our senior secured revolving credit facility, the interest rate on those borrowings will also vary depending upon LIBOR. If LIBOR rises, the interest rates on outstanding debt will increase. Therefore an increase in LIBOR would increase our interest payment obligations under those loans and have a negative effect on our cash flow and financial condition. We currently do not maintain hedging contracts that would limit our exposure to variable rates of interest.

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The covenants in the instruments that govern our current indebtedness may limit our operating and financial flexibility.

        The covenants in the instruments that govern our current indebtedness limit our ability to:

• incur debt and liens;
• pay dividends;
• make redemptions and repurchases of capital stock;
• make loans and investments;
• prepay, redeem or repurchase debt;
• engage in acquisitions, consolidations, asset dispositions, sale-leaseback transactions and affiliate transactions;
• change our business;
• amend some of our debt and other material agreements;
• issue and sell capital stock of subsidiaries;
• restrict distributions from subsidiaries; and
• grant negative pledges to other creditors.

        In addition, our credit facility has a fixed charge coverage ratio test which increases from 1.05 to 1.10 beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. The senior secured credit facility only requires us to maintain the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio once availability on the revolving credit facility is less than $150 million. If we are unable to meet the terms of the financial covenants or if we breach any of these covenants, a default could result under one or more of these agreements. A default, if not waived by our lenders, could result in the acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness and cause our debt to become immediately due and payable. If acceleration occurs, we would not be able to repay our debt and it is unlikely that we would be able to borrow sufficient additional funds to refinance such debt. Even if new financing is made available to us, it may not be available on terms acceptable to us. If we obtain modifications of our agreements, or are required to obtain waivers of defaults, we may incur significant fees and transaction costs or become subject to more stringent covenants and restrictions on our operations.

Our stockholders will experience dilution if we issue additional common stock.

        Subject to any required approval under the Stockholder Agreement (as defined below), we are generally not restricted from issuing additional shares of our common shares or preferred stock, including, subject to the terms of our outstanding debt instruments, any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common shares or preferred stock or any substantially similar securities, whether for cash, as part of incentive compensation or in refinancing transactions. Any additional future issuances of common stock will reduce the percentage of our common stock owned by investors who do not participate in such issuances. In most circumstances, stockholders will not be entitled to vote on whether or not we issue additional shares of common stock. The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of issuances of a large number of shares of our common stock or the perception that such issuances could occur.

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Subject to certain limitations, Jean Coutu Group may sell Rite Aid common stock at any time, which could cause our stock price to decrease.

        The shares of Rite Aid common stock that the Jean Coutu Group currently holds are generally restricted, but Jean Coutu Group may sell these shares under certain circumstances, including pursuant to a registered underwritten public offering under the Securities Act or in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act. We have entered into a registration rights agreement with Jean Coutu Group, which will give Jean Coutu Group the right to require us to register all or a portion of its shares at any time (subject to certain exceptions). The sale of a substantial number of our shares by Jean Coutu Group or our other stockholders within a short period of time could cause our stock price to decrease, make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of Rite Aid common stock or acquire other businesses using Rite Aid common stock as consideration.

We are in compliance with all New York Stock Exchange continued listing requirements. However, if we do not continue to maintain compliance with such requirements, our common stock may be delisted.

        On July 1, 2009, we were notified by the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") that, as of July 1, 2009, we regained compliance with the NYSE share price listing requirement. We are in compliance with all NYSE listing rules, have actively been taking steps to maintain our listing and expect our efforts to maintain our NYSE listing will be successful. However, there can be no assurance that we will maintain compliance with the NYSE minimum share price rule or other continued listing requirements. In the event of a delisting, holders of our 8.5% convertible notes due 2015 (the "8.5% Convertible Notes") could require us to repurchase their 8.5% Convertible Notes, which would result in a default under our senior credit facility. Although there can be no assurance that we would be able to do so, we may seek to refinance or otherwise acquire the 8.5% Convertible Notes to avoid such a scenario, as the amendment to our Credit Agreement permits us to do under certain circumstances.


Risks Related to Our Operations

We need to continue to improve our operations in order to improve our financial condition, but our operations will not improve if we cannot continue to effectively implement our business strategy or if our strategy is negatively affected by worsening economic conditions.

        We have not yet achieved the sales productivity level of our major competitors. We believe that improving the sales of existing stores is important to improving profitability and operating cash flow. If we are not successful in implementing our strategies, including our efforts to further reduce costs, or if our strategies are not effective, we may not be able to improve our operations. In addition, any further adverse change or continued downturn in general economic conditions or major industries can adversely affect drug benefit plans and reduce our pharmacy sales. Adverse changes in general economic conditions affect consumer buying practices and consequently reduce our sales of front end products, and cause a decrease in our profitability. Failure to continue to improve operations or a continued decline in major industries or general economic conditions would adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and our ability to make principal or interest payments on our debt.

For so long as Jean Coutu Group (and, subject to certain conditions, certain members of the Coutu family) maintain certain levels of Rite Aid stock ownership, Jean Coutu Group (and, subject to certain conditions, certain members of the Coutu family) could exercise significant influence over us.

        At February 27, 2010 Jean Coutu Group owns approximately 27.5% of the voting power of Rite Aid. As a result, Jean Coutu Group (and, subject to certain conditions, certain members of the Coutu family) generally has the ability to significantly influence the outcome of any matter submitted for the vote of our stockholders. The stockholder agreement (the "Stockholder Agreement") that we entered into at the time of the Brooks Eckerd acquisition provides that Jean Coutu Group (and, subject to

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certain conditions, certain members of the Coutu family) designate four of the fourteen members of our board of directors, subject to adjustment based on its ownership position in us. Accordingly, Jean Coutu Group generally is able to significantly influence the outcome of all matters that come before our board of directors. As a result of its significant interest in us, Jean Coutu Group may have the power, subject to applicable law (including the fiduciary duties of the directors designated by Jean Coutu Group), to significantly influence actions that might be favorable to Jean Coutu Group, but not necessarily favorable to our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the ownership position and governance rights of Jean Coutu Group could discourage a third party from proposing a change of control or other strategic transaction concerning us. Additionally, the Stockholder Agreement provides Jean Coutu Group with certain preemptive rights, the ability to maintain their ownership percentage in Rite Aid and in certain circumstances, requires two-thirds of our Board to approve certain transactions.

Conflicts of interest may arise between us and Jean Coutu Group, which may be resolved in a manner that adversely affects our business, financial condition or results of operations.

        Following the Brooks Eckerd acquisition, Jean Coutu Group has continued its Canadian operations but no longer has any operations in the United States, and we currently have no operations in Canada. Despite the lack of geographic overlap, conflicts of interest may arise between us and Jean Coutu Group in areas relating to past, ongoing and future relationships, including corporate opportunities, potential acquisitions or financing transactions, sales or other dispositions by Jean Coutu Group of its interests in us and the exercise by Jean Coutu Group of its influence over our management and affairs.

        As a result of the Brooks Eckerd acquisition, a number of the directors on our board of directors are persons who are also officers or directors of Jean Coutu Group or its subsidiaries. Service as a director or officer of both Rite Aid and Jean Coutu Group or its other subsidiaries could create conflicts of interest if such directors or officers are faced with decisions that could have materially different implications for Rite Aid and for Jean Coutu Group. Apart from the conflicts of interest policy contained in our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and applicable to our directors, we and Jean Coutu Group have not established any formal procedures for us and Jean Coutu Group to resolve potential or actual conflicts of interest between us. There can be no assurance that any of the foregoing conflicts will be resolved in a manner that does not adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are dependent on our management team, and the loss of their services could have a material adverse effect on our business and the results of our operations or financial condition.

        The success of our business is materially dependent upon the continued services of our executive management team. The loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition or cash flows. Additionally, we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain other skilled personnel in the future.

We are substantially dependent on a single wholesaler of branded pharmaceutical products to sell products to us on satisfactory terms. A disruption in this relationship may have a negative effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

        We purchase all of our brand prescription drugs from a single wholesaler, McKesson, pursuant to a contract that runs through April 1, 2013. Pharmacy sales represented approximately 67.9% of our total sales during fiscal 2010, and, therefore, our relationship with McKesson is important to us. Any significant disruptions in our relationship with McKesson would make it difficult for us to continue to operate our business until we executed a replacement wholesaler agreement or developed and implemented self-distribution processes. There can be no assurance that we would be able to find a replacement wholesaler on a timely basis or that such a wholesaler would be able to fulfill our demands

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on similar terms, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.


Risks Related to Our Industry

The markets in which we operate are very competitive and further increases in competition could adversely affect us.

        We face intense competition with local, regional and national companies, including other drugstore chains, independently owned drugstores, supermarkets, mass merchandisers, discount stores, dollar stores, mail order and internet pharmacies. Our industry also faces growing competition from companies who import drugs directly from other countries, such as Canada, as well as from large-scale retailers that offer generic drugs at a substantial discount. Some of our competitors have or may merge with or acquire pharmaceutical services companies or pharmacy benefit managers, which may further increase competition. We may not be able to effectively compete against them because our existing or potential competitors may have financial and other resources that are superior to ours. In addition, we may be at a competitive disadvantage because we are more highly leveraged than our competitors. The ability of our stores to achieve profitability depends on their ability to achieve a critical mass of loyal, repeat customers. We believe that the continued consolidation of the drugstore industry will further increase competitive pressures in the industry. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to effectively compete in our markets or increase our sales volume in response to further increased competition.

Drug benefit plan sponsors and third party payors could change their plan eligibility criteria and further encourage or require the use of mail-order prescriptions which could decrease our sales and reduce our margins and have a material adverse effect on our business.

        An adverse trend for drugstore retailing has been initiatives to contain rising healthcare costs leading to the rapid growth in mail-order prescription processors. These prescription distribution methods have grown in market share relative to drugstores as a result of the rapid rise in drug costs experienced in recent years and are predicted to continue to rise. Mail-order prescription distribution methods are perceived by employers and insurers as being less costly than traditional distribution methods and are being encouraged, and, in some cases, required, by third party pharmacy benefit managers, employers and unions that administer benefits. As a result, some labor unions and employers are requiring, and others may encourage or require, that their members or employees obtain medications from mail-order pharmacies which offer drug prescriptions at prices lower than we are able to offer.

        Another adverse trend for drugstore retailing has been for drug benefit plan sponsors and third party payors to change their plan eligibility requirements resulting in fewer beneficiaries covered and a reduction in the number of prescriptions allowed.

        Mail-order prescription distribution and drug benefit plan eligibility changes have negatively affected sales for traditional chain drug retailers, including us, and we expect such negative effect to continue in the future. There can be no assurance that our efforts to offset the effects of mail order and eligibility changes will be successful nor can we predict whether the recently adopted health care reform legislation will exacerbate this risk.

The availability of pharmacy drugs is subject to governmental regulations.

        The continued conversion of various prescription drugs, including the planned conversion of a number of popular medications, to over-the-counter medications may reduce our pharmacy sales and customers may seek to purchase such medications at non-pharmacy stores. Also, if the rate at which new prescription drugs become available slows or if new prescription drugs that are introduced into the market fail to achieve popularity, our pharmacy sales may be adversely affected. The withdrawal of

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certain drugs from the market or concerns about the safety or effectiveness of certain drugs or negative publicity surrounding certain categories of drugs may also have a negative effect on our pharmacy sales or may cause shifts in our pharmacy or front end product mix.

Changes in third party reimbursement levels for prescription drugs and changes in industry pricing benchmarks could reduce our margins and have a material adverse effect on our business.

        Sales of prescription drugs reimbursed by third party payors, including the Medicare Part D plans and state sponsored Medicaid agencies, are 96.2% of our business. We expect our pharmacy gross margin to be lower in fiscal 2011 than previously experienced due to continued reimbursement rate pressures, fewer new generics, fewer price reductions on existing generics and the impact of the recently implemented Average Wholesale Price ("AWP") adjustments on our Medicaid business.

        In conjunction with a class action settlement with two entities that publish the average wholesale price (AWP) of pharmaceuticals, the methodology used to calculate the AWP, a pricing reference widely used in the pharmacy industry, reduced the AWP for many prescription drugs effective September 26, 2009. We have reached understandings with most of our third party payors to adjust reimbursements to correct for this change in methodology, but many state Medicaid programs that utilize AWP as a pricing reference have not taken action to make similar adjustments, which is expected to result in reduced Medicaid reimbursement levels in fiscal 2011 as we have experienced in the latter part of fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2010, approximately 6.9% of our revenues were from state sponsored Medicaid agencies, the largest of which was approximately 2.0% of our total sales.

        Additionally, certain provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) sought to reduce federal spending by altering the Medicaid reimbursement formula for multi-source (i.e., generic) drugs (AMP). Those reductions did not go into effect; however, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law on March 23, 2010 (the Patient Care Act) enacted a modified reimbursement formula for multi-source drugs. The modified formula, when implemented, may reduce Medicaid reimbursements. There have also been a number of other recent proposals and enactments by the Federal government and various states to reduce Medicare Part D and Medicaid reimbursement levels in response to budget problems. We expect other similar proposals in the future.

        The continued efforts of the Federal government, health maintenance organizations, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, other State and local government entities, and other third-party payors to reduce prescription drug costs and pharmacy reimbursement rates, as well as litigation relating to how drugs are priced, may impact our profitability. In addition, some of these entities may offer pricing terms that we may not be willing to accept or otherwise restrict our participation in their networks of pharmacy providers.

        Although we expect continued improvements in selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues to somewhat mitigate all of these factors above, if our pharmacy gross margin continues to decrease, it would adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are subject to governmental regulations, procedures and requirements; our noncompliance or a significant regulatory change could adversely affect our business, the results of our operations or our financial condition.

        Our business is subject to federal, state and local government laws, regulations and administrative practices. We must comply with numerous provisions regulating health and safety, equal employment opportunity, minimum wage and licensing for the sale of drugs, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and other products. In addition, we must comply with regulations pertaining to product labeling, dating and pricing. Our pharmacy business is subject to local registrations in the states where our pharmacies are located, applicable Medicare and Medicaid regulations and prohibitions against paid referrals of patients. Failure to properly adhere to these and other applicable regulations could result in the imposition of civil and criminal penalties including suspension of payments from government programs;

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loss of required government certifications; loss of authorizations to participate in or exclusion from government reimbursement programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs; loss of licenses; significant fines or monetary penalties for anti-kickback law violations, submission of false claims or other failures to meet reimbursement program requirements and could adversely affect the continued operation of our business. Additionally, any such failure could damage our reputation or brand.

        Our pharmacy business is subject to the patient privacy and other obligations including corporate, pharmacy and associate responsibility, imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. As a covered entity, we are required to implement privacy standards, train our associates on the permitted use and disclosures of protected health information, properly dispose of related records, provide a notice of privacy practice to our pharmacy customers and permit pharmacy health customers to access and amend their records and receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information. Failure to properly adhere to these requirements could result in the imposition of civil as well as criminal penalties.

        Federal and state reform programs, such as healthcare reform and enforcement initiatives of federal and state governments may also affect our pharmacy business. These initiatives include:

• proposals designed to significantly reduce spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs;
• changes in programs providing for reimbursement for the cost of prescription drugs by third party plans;
• increased scrutiny of, and litigation relating to, prescription drug manufacturers' pricing and marketing practices; and
• regulatory changes relating to the approval process for prescription drugs.

        These initiatives could lead to the implementation or enactment of, or changes to, federal regulations and state regulations that could adversely impact our prescription drug sales and, accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. It is uncertain at this time what additional healthcare reform initiatives, if any, will be implemented, or whether there will be other changes in the administration of governmental healthcare programs or interpretations of governmental policies or other changes affecting the healthcare system. The recently adopted healthcare reform legislation as well as future healthcare or budget legislation or other changes, including those referenced above, may materially adversely impact our pharmacy sales.

Certain risks are inherent in providing pharmacy services; our insurance may not be adequate to cover any claims against us.

        Pharmacies are exposed to risks inherent in the packaging and distribution of pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products, such as with respect to improper filling of prescriptions, labeling of prescriptions, adequacy of warnings, unintentional distribution of counterfeit drugs and expiration of drugs. In addition, federal and state laws that require our pharmacists to offer counseling, without additional charge, to their customers about medication, dosage, delivery systems, common side effects and other information the pharmacists deem significant can impact our business. Our pharmacists may also have a duty to warn customers regarding any potential negative effects of a prescription drug if the warning could reduce or negate these effects. Although we maintain professional liability and errors and omissions liability insurance, from time to time, claims result in the payment of significant amounts, some portions of which are not funded by insurance. We cannot assure you that the coverage limits under our insurance programs will be adequate to protect us against future claims, or that we will be able to maintain this insurance on acceptable terms in the future. Our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows may be adversely affected if in the future our insurance coverage proves to be inadequate or unavailable or there is an increase in liability for which we self-insure or we suffer reputational harm as a result of an error or omission.

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We will not be able to compete effectively if we are unable to attract, hire and retain qualified pharmacists.

        The national shortage of pharmacists has eased over the past 12 months, resulting in more licensed pharmacists and new graduates seeking positions in many markets. Although this is occurring nationally, there is still an unmet demand for pharmacists in certain regions of the country that are challenging to staff. We continue to offer competitive compensation plans to retain and attract current and future pharmacists, work with Colleges of Pharmacy across the U.S. to recruit both pharmacy interns and pharmacy graduates and conduct a recruiting program for international pharmacists, but if the shortage recurs in one or more markets, our ability to compete effectively in that market could be adversely impacted.

We may be subject to significant liability should the consumption of any of our products cause injury, illness or death.

        Products that we sell could become subject to contamination, product tampering, mislabeling or other damage requiring us to recall our private brand products. In addition, errors in the dispensing and packaging of pharmaceuticals could lead to serious injury or death. Product liability claims may be asserted against us with respect to any of the products or pharmaceuticals we sell and we may be obligated to recall our private brand products. A product liability judgment against us or a product recall could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

If we fail to protect the security of personal information about our customers and associates, we could be subject to costly government enforcement actions or private litigation.

        Through our sales and marketing activities, we collect and store certain personal information that our customers provide to purchase products or services, enroll in promotional programs, register on our web site, or otherwise communicate and interact with us. We also gather and retain information about our associates in the normal course of business. We may share information about such persons with vendors that assist with certain aspects of our business. Despite instituted safeguards for the protection of such information, security could be compromised and confidential customer or business information misappropriated. Loss of customer or business information could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and expose us to claims from customers, financial institutions, payment card associations and other persons, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, compliance with tougher privacy and information security laws and standards may result in significant expense due to increased investment in technology and the development of new operational processes.

Item 1B.    Unresolved SEC Staff Comments

        None

Item 2.    Properties

        As of February 27, 2010, we operated 4,780 retail drugstores. The overall average selling square feet of each store in our chain is 10,000 square feet. The overall average total square feet of each store in our chain is 12,500. The stores in the eastern part of the U.S. average 8,800 selling square feet per store (10,900 average total square feet per store). The stores in the western part of the U.S. average 15,400 selling square feet per store (19,800 average total square feet per store).

        Our Customer World store prototype has an overall average selling square footage of 11,500 and an overall average total square feet of 14,500. The new Customer World store prototype in the eastern parts of the U.S. averages 11,000 selling square feet (14,000 average total square feet per store). The Customer World store prototype in the western part of the U.S. averages 14,000 selling square feet (17,400 average total square feet per store).

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        The table below identifies the number of stores by state as of February 27, 2010:

State

Store Count

Alabama

95

California

600

Colorado

20

Connecticut

78

Delaware

43

District of Columbia

7

Georgia

195

Idaho

13

Indiana

10

Kentucky

117

Louisiana

66

Massachusetts

159

Maine

81

Maryland

145

Michigan

286

Mississippi

27

North Carolina

242

Nevada

1

New Hampshire

68

New Jersey

270

New York

656

Ohio

229

Oregon

71

Pennsylvania

570

Rhode Island

47

South Carolina

98

Tennessee

88

Utah

22

Vermont

38

Virginia

195

Washington

139

West Virginia

104

Total

4,780

        Our stores have the following attributes at February 27, 2010:

Attribute

Number Percentage

Freestanding

2,799 58.6 %

Drive through pharmacy

2,393 50.1 %

One-hour photo development department

1,911 40.0 %

GNC stores-within a Rite Aid-store

1,908 39.9 %

        We lease 4,522 of our operating drugstore facilities under non-cancelable leases, many of which have original terms of 10 to 22 years. In addition to minimum rental payments, which are set at competitive market rates, certain leases require additional payments based on sales volume, as well as reimbursement for taxes, maintenance and insurance. Most of our leases contain renewal options, some of which involve rent increases. The remaining 258 drugstore facilities are owned.

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        We own our corporate headquarters, which is located in a 205,000 square foot building at 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011. We lease 366,400 square feet of space in various buildings near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for document warehousing use and additional administrative personnel. We own additional buildings near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which total 105,800 square feet and house our model store and additional administrative personnel.

        We operate the following distribution centers and satellite distribution locations, which we own or lease as indicated:

Location

Owned or
Leased
Approximate
Square
Footage

Rome, New York

Owned 283,000

Utica, New York(1)

Leased 172,000

Geddes, New York(1)

Leased 300,000

Poca, West Virginia

Owned 255,000

Dunbar, West Virginia(1)

Leased 110,000

Perryman, Maryland

Owned 885,000

Perryman, Maryland(1)

Leased 262,000

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Owned 230,000

Cottondale, Alabama(1)

Leased 224,000

Pontiac, Michigan

Owned 325,000

Woodland, California

Owned 513,000

Woodland, California(1)

Leased 200,000

Wilsonville, Oregon

Leased 643,000

Lancaster, California

Owned 914,000

Charlotte, North Carolina

Owned 585,500

Charlotte, North Carolina(1)

Leased 291,000

Dayville, Connecticut

Owned 460,000

Liverpool, New York

Owned 828,000

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Owned 245,000

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania(1)

Leased 415,000

(1) Satellite distribution locations.

        The original terms of the leases for our distribution centers and satellite distribution locations range from 5 to 22 years. In addition to minimum rental payments, certain distribution centers require tax reimbursement, maintenance and insurance. Most leases contain renewal options, some of which involve rent increases. Although from time to time, we may be near capacity at some of our distribution facilities, particularly at our older facilities, we believe that the capacity of our facilities is adequate.

        We also own a 55,800 square foot ice cream manufacturing facility located in El Monte, California. On February 17, 2010 we sold the 68,000 square foot office building in Warwick, Rhode Island which was acquired as part of the Brooks Eckerd acquisition.

        On a regular basis and as part of our normal business, we evaluate store performance and may reduce in size, close or relocate a store if the store is redundant, underperforming or otherwise deemed unsuitable. We also evaluate strategic dispositions and acquisitions of facilities and prescription files. When we reduce in size, close or relocate a store or close distribution center facilities, we often continue to have leasing obligations or own the property. We attempt to sublease this space. As of February 27, 2010, we had 10,092,337 square feet of excess space, 4,832,854 square feet of which was subleased.

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Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

        We are currently a defendant in several putative collective or class action lawsuits filed in federal or state courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Ohio and Oregon, purportedly on behalf of, in some cases (i) current and former assistant store managers, or (ii) current and former store managers and assistant store managers, respectively, working in our stores at various locations. The lawsuits allege violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and of certain state wage and hour statutes. The lawsuits seek various combinations of unpaid compensation (including overtime compensation), liquidated damages, exemplary damages, pre- and post-judgment interest as well as attorneys' fees and costs. In one of the cases, Craig et al v. Rite Aid Corporation et al, pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, brought on behalf of current and former assistant store managers, the Court, on December 9, 2009, conditionally certified a nationwide collective group of individuals who worked for us as assistant store managers since December 9, 2006. Notice of the Craig action has been sent to the purported members of the collective group. The number of persons who will opt into the Craig action has not been determined. In another of the cases, Indergit v. Rite Aid Corporation et al, pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, brought on behalf of current and former store managers and assistant store managers, the Court, on April 2, 2010, conditionally certified a nationwide collective group of individuals who worked for us as store managers since March 31, 2007. The Court ordered that Notice of the Indergit action be sent to the purported members of the collective group. Neither the actual date on which the Notice will be sent nor the number of persons who will opt into the Indergit action has been determined. At this time, we are not able to predict the outcome of these lawsuits, or any possible monetary exposure associated with the lawsuits. We believe, however, that the lawsuits are without merit and not appropriate for collective or class action treatment. We are vigorously defending all of these claims.

        We are currently a defendant in several putative class action lawsuits filed in state courts in California alleging violations by us of California wage and hour laws pertaining primarily to pay for missed meals and rest periods. These suits purport to be class actions and seek substantial damages. At this time, we are not able to predict the outcome of these lawsuits, or any possible monetary exposure associated with the lawsuits. We believe, however, that the plaintiffs' allegations are without merit and that their claims are not appropriate for class action treatment. We are vigorously defending all of these claims.

        We do not believe that any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. We cannot give assurance, however, that an unfavorable outcome in one or more of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the period in which they are resolved.

        We are subject from time to time to various claims and lawsuits and governmental investigations, inspections, audits, inquiries and similar actions arising in, and incidental to, the ordinary course of our business. While we cannot predict the outcome of these claims with certainty, we do not believe that the outcome of any of these legal matters will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

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Item 4.    [Reserved]


PART II

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

        Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RAD." On April 20, 2010, we had approximately 28,771 stockholders of record. Quarterly high and low stock prices, based on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") composite transactions, are shown below.

Fiscal Year

Quarter High Low

2011 (through April 20, 2010)

First $ 1.74 $ 1.34

2010

First 1.22 0.21

Second 1.74 1.22

Third 2.24 1.26

Fourth 1.66 1.26

2009

First 2.99 2.03

Second 2.32 1.01

Third 1.21 0.30

Fourth 0.51 0.20

        We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock since the third quarter of fiscal 2000 and we do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Our senior secured credit facility and some of the indentures that govern our other outstanding indebtedness restrict our ability to pay dividends.

        We have not sold any unregistered equity securities during the period covered by this report, nor have we repurchased any equity securities, during the period covered by this report.

        The Chief Executive Officer of the Company certified to the NYSE on July 1, 2009 that she was not aware of any violation by the Company of the NYSE's corporate governance listing standards.


STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH

        The graph below compares the yearly percentage change in the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock for the last five fiscal years with the cumulative total return on (i) the Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Index, and (ii) the Russell 1000 Index, over the same period (assuming the investment of $100.00 in our common stock and such indexes on February 26, 2005 and reinvestment of dividends).

        For comparison of cumulative total return, we have elected to use the Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Index, consisting of 52 companies including the three largest drugstore chains, and the Russell 1000 Index. This allows comparison of the company to a peer group of similar sized companies. We are one of the companies included in the Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Index and the Russell 1000 Index. The Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Index is a capitalization-weighted index of companies that provide products directly to consumers that are typically considered nondiscretionary items based on consumer purchasing habits. The Russell 1000 Index consists of the largest 1000 companies in the Russell 3000 Index and represents the universe of large capitalization stocks from which many active money managers typically select.

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Comparison of 5 Year Cumulative Total Return
Assumes Initial Investment of $100
February 2010


2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

RITE AID CORP

118.90 168.90 77.63 8.14 44.20

Russell 1000 Index

109.74 120.76 117.90 66.48 103.26

Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Index

104.33 115.18 125.80 91.62 127.51

Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

        The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes.

        Selected financial data for the fiscal years 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006 have been adjusted to reflect the operations of our 28 stores in the Las Vegas market area as a discontinued operations as the Company entered into an agreement to sell the prescription files and terminate the operations of these stores during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.

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        Selected financial data for March 1, 2008 includes Brooks Eckerd results of operations for the thirty-nine week period ended March 1, 2008.


Fiscal Year Ended

February 27,
2010
(52 weeks)
February 28,
2009
(52 weeks)
March 1,
2008
(52 weeks)
March 3,
2007
(52 weeks)
March 4,
2006
(53 weeks)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

Summary of Operations:

Revenues(1)

$ 25,669,117 $ 26,289,268 $ 24,326,846 $ 17,399,383 $ 17,163,044

Costs and expense:

Cost of goods sold(2)

18,845,027 19,253,616 17,689,272 12,710,609 12,491,642

Selling, general and administrative expenses(3)(4)

6,603,372 6,985,367 6,366,137 4,338,462 4,275,098

Goodwill impairment charge

- 1,810,223 - - -

Lease termination and impairment charges

208,017 293,743 86,166 49,317 68,692

Interest expense

515,763 477,627 449,596 275,219 277,017

Loss on debt modifications and retirements, net

993 39,905 12,900 18,662 9,186

(Gain) loss on sale of assets and investments, net

(24,137 ) 11,581 (3,726 ) (11,139 ) (6,463 )

Total costs and expenses

26,149,035 28,872,062 24,600,345 17,381,130 17,115,172

(Loss) income before income taxes

(479,918 ) (2,582,794 ) (273,499 ) 18,253 47,872

Income tax expense (benefit)(5)

26,758 329,257 802,701 (11,609 ) (1,228,136 )

Net (loss) income from continuing operations

(506,676 ) (2,912,051 ) (1,076,200 ) 29,862 1,276,008

Loss from discontinued operations, net of gain on disposal and income tax benefit

- (3,369 ) (2,790 ) (3,036 ) (3,002 )

Net (loss) income

$ (506,676 ) $ (2,915,420 ) $ (1,078,990 ) $ 26,826 $ 1,273,006

Basic and diluted (loss) income per share:

Basic (loss) income per share

$ (0.59 ) $ (3.49 ) $ (1.54 ) $ (0.01 ) $ 2.36

Diluted (loss) income per share

$ (0.59 ) $ (3.49 ) $ (1.54 ) $ (0.01 ) $ 1.89

Year-End Financial Position:

Working capital

$ 2,332,976 $ 2,062,505 $ 2,123,855 $ 1,363,063 $ 741,488

Property, plant and equipment, net

2,293,153 2,587,356 2,873,009 1,743,104 1,717,022

Total assets

8,049,911 8,326,540 11,488,023 7,091,024 6,988,371

Total debt(6)

6,370,899 6,011,709 5,985,524 3,100,288 3,051,446

Stockholders' (deficit) equity

(1,673,551 ) (1,199,652 ) 1,711,185 1,662,846 1,606,921

Other Data:

Cash flows (used in) provided by:

Operating activities

(325,063 ) 359,910 79,368 309,145 417,165

Investing activities

(120,486 ) (346,358 ) (2,933,744 ) (312,780 ) (231,084 )

Financing activities

397,108 (17,279 ) 2,903,990 33,716 (272,835 )

Capital expenditures

193,630 541,346 740,375 363,728 341,349

Basic weighted average shares

880,843,000 840,812,000 723,923,000 524,460,000 523,938,000

Diluted weighted average shares(7)

880,843,000 840,812,000 723,923,000 524,460,000 676,666,000

Number of retail drugstores

4,780 4,901 5,059 3,333 3,323

Number of associates

97,500 103,000 112,800 69,700 70,200

(1) Revenues for the fiscal years 2007 and 2006 have been adjusted by $108,336 and $107,924 respectively for the effect of discontinued operations.
(2) Cost of goods sold for the fiscal years 2007 and 2006 have been adjusted by $80,988 and $80,218 respectively for the effect of discontinued operations.
(3) Selling, general and administrative expenses for the fiscal years 2007 and 2006 have been adjusted by $32,019 and $32,323 respectively for the effect of discontinued operations.
(4) Includes stock-based compensation expense. Stock based compensation expense for the fiscal years 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was determined using the fair value method set forth in ASC 718, "Compensation-Stock Compensation." Stock-based compensation expense for the fiscal year ended March 4, 2006 was determined using the fair value method set forth in the former SFAS No. 123 "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation".
(5) Income tax benefit for the fiscal years 2007 and 2006 has been adjusted by $1,635 and $1,616 respectively for the effect of discontinued operations.

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