WEIS MARKETS INC 10-K

Item 1. Business: (continued) The Company strives to be good stewards of the environment and makes this an important part of its overall mission. Its sustainability strategy operates under four key pillars: natural resource conservation, green design, community impact, and food and agricultural impact. The goal of the sustainability strategy is to reduce the Company’s overall carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the impact on the environment, which also serves to increase the Company’s efficiency and benefit the communities in which it operates. The Company adheres to comprehensive refrigerant management ( or strict refrigeration maintenance) standards to proactively reduce refrigerant gas leak rates and continues to refine its food donation and diversion practices. More information can be found in the Company’s most recently published sustainability report, linked below in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. The Company operates in a highly competitive marketplace. The number and the variety of competitors vary by market. The Company’s principal competition consists of international, national, regional and local food chains, as well as independent food stores. The Company also faces substantial competition from convenience stores, membership warehouse clubs, specialty retailers, supercenters and large-scale drug and pharmacy chains. This competition is augmented by the food retail industry’s expansion into the online market in recent years. The Company continues to effectively compete by offering a strong combination of value, quality and service. The Company has provided additional product offerings and customer conveniences such as “Weis 2 Go Online,” currently offered at 195 store locations. “Weis 2 Go Online” allows the customer to order on-line and have their order delivered or picked up at an expedient store drive-thru. The Company also currently offers home delivery to customers at all 202 of its locations via multiple grocery delivery partners. Human Capital. The Company believes that talent is a business differentiator and is committed to creating a sustainable competitive advantage through the selection, development and promotion of talented, highly motivated people. The Company believes that establishing a learning culture supports its commitment to be an employer of choice and helps drive customer engagement with its employees. Improvements in the Company’s talent management and development will help drive business impact while providing internal career opportunities. The Company continues to grow leaders at every level throughout the organization by creating a culture of mentoring, coaching and leveraging on-the-job assignments for continued development. The Company believes that a strong employment brand is necessary to attract and retain top talent and affects its ability to compete and execute strategic plans. The Company will continue to assess and upgrade underlying technologies to support human capital development as a strategic imperative for future growth. The Company currently employs over 22,000 full-time and part-time employees. Approximately 94% of Weis Markets employees are paid an hourly wage. Trade Names and Trademarks. The Company has invested significantly in the development and protection of “Weis Markets” both as a trade name and a trademark and considers it to be an important asset. The Company is the exclusive licensee of nearly 100 trademarks registered and/or pending in the United States Patent and Trademark Office from WMK Holdings, Inc., including trademarks for its product lines and promotions such as Weis, Weis 2 Go, Weis Great Meals Start Here, Weis Gas-n-Go and Weis Nutri-Facts. Each trademark registration is for an initial period of 10 years and may be renewed so long as it is in continued use in commerce. The Company considers its trademarks to be of material importance to its business and actively defends and enforces its rights. The Company maintains a corporate web site at www.weismarkets.com/investor-relations. The Company makes available, free of charge, on the “Investor Relations” page of its web site, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material or furnishes it to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by clicking on the SEC information link. ​ 3 Table of Contents WEIS MARKETS, INC. Item 1. Business: (continued) The Company’s Corporate Governance materials can be found on the “Corporate Governance” page of its web site. These materials include the Corporate Governance Guidelines; the Charters of the Audit, Compensation and Disclosure Committees; both the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the Code of Ethics for the CEO and CFO; the Policy Relating to Recovery (Clawback) of Erroneously Awarded Compensation; and the Securities Trading Policy. A copy of the foregoing corporate governance materials is available upon written request to the Company’s principal executive offices. ​ Item 1a. Risk Factors: Competitive and Reputational Risks The Company’s industry is highly competitive. If the Company is unable to compete effectively, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected. The retail food industry is intensely price competitive, and the competition the Company encounters may have a negative impact on product retail prices. The operating environment continues to be characterized by aggressive expansion, entry of non-traditional competitors, market consolidation and increasing fragmentation of retail and online formats. The introduction of on-line food retail in recent years has augmented competition in industry. The financial results may be adversely impacted by a competitive environment that could cause the Company to reduce retail prices without a reduction in its product cost to maintain market share; thus, reducing sales and gross profit margins. Food safety issues could result in the loss of consumer confidence in the Company. Customers count on the Company to provide them with safe and wholesome food products. Concerns regarding the safety of food products sold in its stores could cause shoppers to avoid purchasing certain products from the Company, or to seek alternative sources of supply for all of their food needs, even if the basis for the concern is outside of the Company’s control. A loss in confidence on the part of its customers would be difficult and costly to reestablish. As such, any issue regarding the safety of any food items sold by the Company, regardless of the cause, could have a substantial and adverse effect on operations. The Company may be unable to retain key management personnel. The Company’s success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of senior management. The loss of any key member of management may prevent the Company from implementing its business plans in a timely manner. In addition, employment conditions specifically may affect the Company’s ability to hire and train qualified employees. Financial, Investments and Infrastructure Risks The failure to execute expansion plans could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and results of its operations. Circumstances outside the Company’s control could negatively impact anticipated capital investments in the Company’s stores, distribution and manufacturing, as well as in information technology and equipment. The Company cannot determine with certainty whether its new or acquired stores will meet expected benefits including, among other things, operating efficiencies, procurement savings, innovation, sharing of best practices and increased market share that may allow for future growth. Achieving the anticipated benefits may be subject to a number of significant challenges and 4 Table of Contents WEIS MARKETS, INC.