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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended January 29, 2011

OR

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

Commission File Number: 000-21531

UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (401) 528-8634

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 x  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 x  No o

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

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

As of March 3, 2011 there were 48,367,100 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding.

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PART I.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.  Financial Statements

UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

January 29, 2011 (Unaudited)

1.             SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

(a)  Basis of Presentation

United Natural Foods, Inc. (the “Company”) is a leading national distributor and retailer of natural, organic and specialty products. The Company sells its products primarily throughout the United States and Canada.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for interim financial information, including the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally required in complete financial statements prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted. In the Company’s opinion, these financial statements include all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for interim periods, however, may not be indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year.  These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010.

Net sales consists primarily of sales of natural, organic and specialty products to retailers, adjusted for customer volume discounts, returns and allowances. Net sales also includes amounts charged by the Company to customers for shipping and handling, and fuel surcharges. The principal components of cost of sales include the amount paid to manufacturers and growers for product sold, plus the cost of transportation necessary to bring the product to the Company’s distribution facilities. Cost of sales also includes amounts incurred by the Company’s manufacturing subsidiary, United Natural Trading Co., which does business as Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, for inbound transportation costs and depreciation for manufacturing equipment offset by consideration received from suppliers in connection with the purchase or promotion of the suppliers’ products. Operating expenses include salaries and wages, employee benefits (including payments under the Company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan), warehousing and delivery, selling, occupancy, insurance, administrative, share-based compensation and amortization expense. Operating expenses also include depreciation expense related to the wholesale and retail divisions. Other expense (income) includes interest on outstanding indebtedness, interest income and miscellaneous income and expenses.

2.             ACQUISITIONS

During the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company, within its wholesale segment, completed its acquisition of the Rocky Mountain and Southwest distribution business of Whole Foods Market Distribution, Inc. (“Whole Foods Distribution”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Whole Foods Market, Inc. (“Whole Foods Market”), whereby the Company (i) acquired inventory at Whole Foods Distribution’s Aurora, Colorado and Austin, Texas distribution facilities; (ii) acquired substantially all of Whole Foods Distribution’s assets, other than the inventory, at the Aurora, Colorado distribution facility; (iii) assumed Whole Foods Distribution’s obligations under the existing lease agreement related to the Aurora, Colorado distribution facility; and (iv) hired substantially all of Whole Foods Distribution’s employees working at the Aurora, Colorado distribution facility.  In connection therewith, on October 11, 2010, the Company amended the existing Agreement for the Distribution of Products, dated as of September 26, 2006 between the Company and Whole Foods Market as subsequently amended on June 2, 2010, pursuant to which the Company became Whole Foods Market’s primary distributor in its Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and its Southwest Region, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.  The Company expects to generate incremental annual revenues of approximately $160 million from Whole Foods Market as a result of this transaction. For the three and six months ended January 29, 2011, it is impracticable for the Company to provide complete financial results for this business since it was absorbed by the operations of our broadline distribution business. Net sales resulting from the transaction totaled approximately $40.4 million and $55.1 million for the three months and six months ended January 29, 2011, respectively.  We do not record the expenses for this business separately from the rest of the broadline distribution business, and no separate financial statements are produced.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2011 the Company recorded certain adjustments to the amounts recorded during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 related to the acquisition of certain Canadian food distribution assets of the SunOpta Distribution Group (“SDG”) business of SunOpta Inc. (the “SDG assets”) acquired by the Company’s Canadian subsidiary on June 11, 2010.  These adjustments included an unfavorable lease liability of $0.7 million recorded within intangible assets based on updated valuation information, and

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an adjustment of $0.3 million to reduce the amount receivable related to the working capital adjustment, which increased goodwill by a total of $1.0 million. As of January 29, 2011, the Company does not expect any further material changes to the amounts recorded in the financial statements related to this transaction. Net sales resulting from the acquisition totaled $47.2 million and $91.9 million for the three months and six months ended January 29, 2011, respectively.  Net income was not significant in either period compared to the Company’s consolidated net income. Total assets of UNFI Canada were approximately $82.6 million as of January 29, 2011.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company recorded an adjustment to a liability related to certain restructuring activities at Distribution Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Millbrook Distribution Services, Inc. (“DHI”), which the Company acquired on November 2, 2007. These restructuring activities, which included reductions in staffing and the planned elimination of a facility, were charged to the cost of the acquisition of DHI and a corresponding liability of $7.6 million was included in other long-term liabilities for the fiscal year ended August 1, 2009. This liability was reduced in fiscal 2010 by $1.7 million ($1.0 million net of tax) due to an adjustment in the timeline of certain of the planned restructuring activities.  This liability was further reduced during the first quarter of fiscal 2011 by $0.5 million ($0.3 million net of tax) due to another adjustment in the timeline of certain of the planned restructuring activities.

During the six months ended January 29, 2011, the Company recorded an increase of less than $0.1 million to its intangible assets in recognition of ongoing contingent consideration payments in the form of royalties ranging between 2-4% of net sales (as defined in the applicable purchase agreement) related to two of its branded product company acquisitions.  A third branded product company acquisition requires ongoing contingent consideration payments in the form of earn-outs over a period of five years from the acquisition date.  These earn-outs are based on tiers of net sales for the trailing twelve months, and no such amounts were earned or paid during the six months ended January 29, 2011.  During the six months ended January 30, 2010, the Company did not make any acquisitions but did make contingent consideration payments of approximately $0.2 million under these agreements.

3.             EARNINGS PER SHARE

Following is a reconciliation of the basic and diluted number of shares used in computing earnings per share:

There were 113,510 and 761,958 anti-dilutive share-based payment awards outstanding for the three months ended January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, respectively.  For the six months ended January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, there were 298,283 and 799,740 anti-dilutive stock awards outstanding, respectively.  These anti-dilutive share-based payment awards were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share.

4.             FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Interest Rate Swap Agreement

On August 1, 2005, the Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement effective July 29, 2005. The agreement provides for the Company to pay interest for a seven-year period at a fixed rate of 4.70% on an initial amortizing notional principal amount of $50.0 million while receiving interest for the same period at the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) on the same notional principal amount. The swap has been entered into as a hedge against LIBOR movements on current variable rate indebtedness at one-month LIBOR plus 1.00%, thereby fixing its effective rate on the notional amount at 5.70%. The swap agreement qualifies as an “effective” hedge under FASB ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging  (“ASC 815”). LIBOR was 0.26% and 0.23% as of January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, respectively.

Interest rate swap agreements are entered into for periods consistent with related underlying exposures and do not constitute positions independent of those exposures. The Company’s interest rate swap agreement is designated as a cash flow hedge at January 29, 2011 and is reflected at fair value in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as a component of other long-term liabilities.  The related gains or losses on this contract are deferred in stockholders’ equity as a component of other comprehensive income. However, to the

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extent that the swap agreement is not considered to be effective in offsetting the change in the cash flows being hedged, any change in fair value relating to the ineffective portion of the swap agreement is immediately recognized in income. For the periods presented, the Company did not have any ineffectiveness requiring current income recognition.

Fuel Supply Agreements

The Company is a party to several fixed price fuel supply agreements. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, the Company entered into several agreements which require it to purchase a portion of its diesel fuel each month at fixed prices through July 2011.  These fixed price fuel agreements qualify for the “normal purchase” exception under ASC 815 as physical deliveries will occur rather than net settlements, therefore the fuel purchases under these contracts are expensed as incurred and included within operating expenses.  During the six months ended January 30, 2010, the Company was a party to several similar agreements which required it to purchase a portion of its diesel fuel each month at fixed prices through July 2010. These fixed price fuel agreements also qualified for the “normal purchase” exception under ASC 815, therefore the fuel purchases under these contracts were expensed as incurred and included within operating expenses.

The following table provides the fair values hierarchy for financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis:

The Company’s determination of the fair value of its interest rate swap is calculated using a discounted cash flow analysis based on the terms of the swap contract and the observable interest rate curve.  The Company does not enter into derivative agreements for trading purposes.

The fair value of the Company’s other financial instruments including cash, accounts receivable, notes receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate carrying amounts due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The fair value of notes payable approximate carrying amounts as they are variable rate instruments.

The following estimated fair value amounts have been determined by the Company using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies taking into account the instruments’ interest rate, terms, maturity date and collateral, if any, in comparison to the Company’s incremental borrowing rate for similar financial instruments.  However, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the Company could realize in a current market exchange.

5.           BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The Company has several operating divisions aggregated under the wholesale segment, which is the Company’s only reportable segment. These operating divisions have similar products and services, customer channels, distribution methods and historical margins. The wholesale segment is engaged in national distribution of natural, organic and specialty foods, produce and related products in the United States and Canada. The Company has additional operating divisions that do not meet the quantitative thresholds for reportable segments and are therefore aggregated under the caption of “Other”. “Other” includes a retail division, which engages in the sale of natural foods and related products to the general public through retail storefronts on the east coast of the United States, a manufacturing division, which engages in importing, roasting and packaging of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, trail mixes, granola, natural and organic snack items, confections and the Company’s branded product lines. “Other” also includes certain corporate operating expenses that are not allocated to operating divisions, which consist of depreciation, salaries, retainers, and other related expenses of

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officers, directors, corporate finance (including professional services), information technology, governance, legal, human resources and internal audit that are necessary to operate the Company’s headquarters located in Providence, Rhode Island. As the Company continues to expand its business and serve its customers through a national platform, these corporate expense amounts have increased. These unallocated corporate expenses are the primary driver behind the operating losses within the “Other” category below. Non-operating expenses that are not allocated to the operating divisions are under the caption of “Unallocated Expenses”. The Company does not record its revenues for financial reporting purposes by product group, and it is therefore impracticable for the Company to report them accordingly.

Following reflects business segment information for the periods indicated (in thousands):

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6.             SECONDARY COMMON STOCK OFFERING

During the six months ended January 29, 2011, the Company completed a secondary common stock offering.  This offering resulted in an issuance of 4,427,500 shares of common stock, including shares issued to cover the underwriters’ overallotment option, at a price of $33.00 per share.  The net proceeds of approximately $138.3 million were used to repay a portion of our outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility, which had increased during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 as we financed our purchase of the SDG assets with borrowings under our revolving credit facility.  We utilized a portion of the additional borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility resulting from the common stock offering to fund our transaction with Whole Foods Distribution, which included our acquisition of certain distribution assets including inventory and leasehold improvements in connection with our agreement to serve as the primary distributor in Whole Foods Market’s Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions.

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Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plans,” “goal,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and “would,” or similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or of financial positions or state other “forward-looking” information. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these forward looking statements and cause our results to differ materially from these expectations are described under “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and include, but are not limited to the Company’s ability to successfully deploy its operational initiatives in the Canadian market; the Company’s dependence on principal customers; the Company’s sensitivity to general economic conditions, including the current economic environment, changes in disposable income levels and consumer spending trends; the Company’s ability to timely and successfully deploy its new warehouse management system throughout its distribution facilities; increased fuel costs; the Company’s sensitivity to inflationary pressures; the relatively low margins and economic sensitivity of the Company’s business; the ability to identify and successfully complete acquisitions of other natural, organic and specialty food and related product distributors; and management’s allocation of capital and the timing of capital expenditures. You should be aware that the occurrence of the events described under “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Any forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements, possibly materially. We do not undertake to update any information in the foregoing reports until the effective date of our future reports required by applicable laws. Any projections of future results of operations should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These projections are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results. We may from time to time update these publicly announced projections, but we are not obligated to do so.

Overview

We believe we are the leading national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods and non-food products in the United States and Canada. We carry more than 60,000 high-quality natural, organic and specialty foods and non-food products, consisting of national brands, regional brands, private label and master distribution products, in six product categories: grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, nutritional supplements and sports nutrition, bulk and food service products and personal care items. We serve more than 23,000 customer locations primarily located across the United States and Canada, the majority of which can be classified into one of the following categories: independently owned natural products retailers, which include buying clubs; supernatural chains, which consist solely of Whole Foods Market; conventional supermarkets, which include mass market chains; and other which includes foodservice and international.

Our operations are comprised of three principal operating divisions. These operating divisions are:

·      our wholesale division, which includes our broadline natural and organic distribution business, UNFI Specialty, which is our specialty distribution business, Albert’s, which is a leading distributor of organically grown produce and perishable items, and Select Nutrition, which distributes vitamins, minerals and supplements;

·      our retail division, consisting of the Natural Retail Group, which operates our 12 natural products retail stores within the United States; and

·      our manufacturing division, consisting of Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, which specializes in the importation, roasting, packaging and distribution of nuts, dried fruit, seeds, trail mixes, granola, natural and organic snack items, and confections, and our Blue Marble Brands product lines.

In recent years, our sales to existing and new customers have increased through the continued growth of the natural and organic products industry in general; increased market share through our high quality service and a broader product selection, including specialty products, and the acquisition of, or merger with, natural and specialty products distributors; the expansion of our existing distribution centers; the construction of new distribution centers; and the development of our own line of natural and organic branded products. Through these efforts, we believe that we have been able to broaden our geographic penetration, expand our customer base, enhance and diversify our product selections and increase our market share. Beginning in fiscal 2009, our strategic plan has focused on increasing market share, particularly in our conventional supermarket channel.  This channel typically generates lower gross margins than our independent retailer channel but also typically has lower operating expenses.  Our strategic plan also includes the rollout of a national warehouse management and procurement system upgrade, which has been implemented in our Lancaster, Texas facility which began shipping products in the first quarter of fiscal 2011.  These steps and others are intended to promote operational

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efficiencies and further reduce our operating expenses to offset the lower gross margins we expect to generate by increased sales to the conventional supermarket and supernatural channels.

Since the second half of fiscal 2010, we have experienced a strong improvement in our sales growth and a reduction in the volatility of our sales.  Prior to the second half of fiscal 2010, we had experienced a slow down in our year over year sales growth which began in October 2008, and coincided with the macro-economic recession. During that time, consumers’ desire to purchase typically higher-cost natural and organic products weakened while we continued to experience elevated levels of inflation in our product costs.  Our specialty business was affected most by these factors.  However, the majority of consumers purchase natural and organic products because of their commitment to a healthy lifestyle and environmental sustainability, and those customers continue to seek out products that, although higher priced, are reflective of this commitment.   Despite experiencing slower sales growth during that time, we were able to manage our operating expenses in order to generate higher levels of operating income.  While inflation still remains lower than average historical levels, it has been increasing steadily over the past four quarters.  We believe our current trend of moderate inflation will continue over the next eighteen to twenty four months as the macro-economy continues to stabilize.

We have been the primary distributor to Whole Foods Market for more than 12 years. In 2007, our relationship with Whole Foods Market was expanded to cover the former Wild Oats Markets stores retained by Whole Foods Market following Whole Foods Market’s merger with Wild Oats Markets. We had served as the primary distributor of natural and organic foods and non-food products to Wild Oats Markets prior to the merger. Effective June 2, 2010, we amended our distribution agreement with Whole Foods Market to extend the term of the agreement for an additional seven years. Under the terms of the amended agreement, we will continue to serve as the primary wholesale natural grocery distributor to Whole Foods Market in its United States regions where we were serving as the primary distributor at the time of the amendment. The amendment extended the expiration date of the agreement from September 25, 2013 to September 25, 2020. On July 28, 2010, we announced that we had entered into an asset purchase agreement under which we agreed to acquire certain distribution and related assets of Whole Foods Distribution previously used in their self distribution of non-perishables in their Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions, and to become the primary distributor in these regions. We closed this transaction in late September 2010 in the case of the Southwest region and early October 2010 in the case of the Rocky Mountain region. We now serve as the primary distributor to Whole Foods Market in all of its regions in the United States, and have amended our distribution agreement with Whole Foods Market effective October 11, 2010 to include these regions. Whole Foods Market accounted for approximately 37% and 36% of our net sales for the three months ended January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, respectively, and approximately 36% and 35% of our net sales for the six months then ended, respectively.

We now distribute specialty food items (including ethnic, kosher, gourmet, organic and natural foods), health and beauty care items through both our broadline and UNFI Specialty warehouses, and distribute other specialty non-food items through UNFI Specialty. We believe that the acquisition of DHI accomplished certain of our strategic objectives, including accelerating our expansion into a number of high-growth business segments and establishing immediate market share in the fast-growing specialty foods market. Due to our expansion into specialty foods, we gained new business with a number of conventional supermarkets during fiscal 2010. These new customers include Wakefern Food Corporation, Giant Landover, Kings and Giant Eagle.  We believe that UNFI Specialty’s customer base enhances our conventional supermarket business channel and that our complementary product lines continue to present opportunities for cross-selling.

On June 11, 2010, we acquired certain assets of SDG through our wholly-owned subsidiary, UNFI Canada, for cash consideration of $65.8 million. With the acquisition, we became the largest distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods, including kosher foods, in Canada. This strategic acquisition provides us with an immediate platform for growth in the Canadian market.

In order to maintain our market leadership and improve our operating efficiencies, we seek to continually:

·      expand our marketing and customer service programs across regions;

·      expand our national purchasing opportunities;

·      offer a broader product selection;

·      offer operational excellence with high service levels and a higher percentage of on-time deliveries;

·      centralize general and administrative functions to reduce expenses;

·      consolidate systems applications among physical locations and regions;

·      increase our investment in people, facilities, equipment and technology;

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·      integrate administrative and accounting functions; and

·      reduce the geographic overlap between regions.

Our continued growth has allowed us to expand our existing facilities and open new facilities in an effort to achieve increasing operating efficiencies. We have made significant capital expenditures and incurred considerable expenses in connection with the opening and expansion of our facilities. We have increased our distribution capacity to approximately 7.7 million square feet. Our leased, 675,000 square foot distribution center in York, Pennsylvania, commenced operations in January 2009, and replaced our New Oxford, Pennsylvania facility serving customers in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. In April 2009, we successfully relocated our UNFI Specialty distribution facility in East Brunswick, New Jersey to the York, Pennsylvania distribution center, creating our first fully integrated facility offering a full assortment of natural, organic, and specialty foods. In late September 2010, we began shipping products from our new facility in Lancaster, Texas, which serves customers throughout the Southwestern United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana.  Finally, in October 2010, in connection with the transaction with Whole Foods Distribution, we took over the operations, including the assumption of an operating lease, at a facility in Aurora, Colorado, which augments our existing Aurora, Colorado facility, which was at capacity, in serving customers in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Our net sales consist primarily of sales of natural, organic and specialty products to retailers, adjusted for customer volume discounts, returns and allowances. Net sales also consist of amounts charged by us to customers for shipping and handling and fuel surcharges. The principal components of our cost of sales include the amounts paid to manufacturers and growers for product sold, plus the cost of transportation necessary to bring the product to our distribution facilities. Cost of sales also includes amounts incurred by us at our manufacturing subsidiary, Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, for inbound transportation costs and depreciation for manufacturing equipment, offset by consideration received from suppliers in connection with the purchase or promotion of the suppliers’ products. Our gross margin may not be comparable to other similar companies within our industry that may include all costs related to their distribution network in their costs of sales rather than as operating expenses. We include purchasing and outbound transportation expenses within our operating expenses rather than in our cost of sales. Total operating expenses include salaries and wages, employee benefits (including payments under our Employee Stock Ownership Plan), warehousing and delivery, selling, occupancy, insurance, administrative, share-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expense. Other expenses (income) include interest on our outstanding indebtedness, interest income and miscellaneous income and expenses.

As noted above, the Company includes shipping and handling fees billed to customers in net sales. Shipping and handling costs associated with inbound freight are generally recorded in cost of sales, whereas shipping and handling costs for selecting, quality assurance, and outbound transportation are recorded in operating expenses.  Outbound shipping and handling costs, which exclude employee benefit expenses which are not allocated, totaled $63.7 million and $53.8 million for the three months ended January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, respectively.  For the six months ended January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, these outbound shipping and handling costs totaled $123.4 million and $107.5 million respectively.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has defined critical accounting policies as those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require our most difficult, complex or subjective judgments or estimates. Based on this definition and as further described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe our critical accounting policies include the following: (i) determining our allowance for doubtful accounts, (ii) determining our reserves for the self-insured portions of our workers’ compensation and automobile liabilities and (iii) valuing goodwill and intangible assets.   For all financial statement periods presented, there have been no material modifications to the application of these critical accounting policies or estimates since our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Results of Operations

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, certain income and expense items expressed as a percentage of net sales: