Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this presentation or in our earnings call for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 that look forward in time or that express management’s beliefs, expectations or hopes are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. These statements include: our expectations regarding our ability to strategically acquire companies in existing markets, including our ability to grow our share with local operators, achieve supply chain synergies and fill potential gaps in our product offerings and capabilities; our expectations that our recently implemented organizational and executive leadership changes will increase agility, reduce costs and accelerate decision making; our expectations that our investments in technology and our business will allow for future growth and exceptional customer service; our expectations regarding softer local case volume over the next quarter; our expectations regarding initiatives that will drive cost improvement and enhance customer service, including (i) the Finance Transformation Roadmap and our expectation that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, (ii) Smart Spending and our expectation that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, (iii) Canadian Regionalization and our expectation that this initiative will contribute to increased cost savings and that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, and (iv) Administrative Expenses and our expectation that this initiative, which includes our new streamlined organizational and business unit structure, will drive costs out of the business and that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019; our expectations regarding our ability to increase profitability for SYGMA; our expectations regarding our ability to leverage operating expense growth to gross profit growth; our expectations regarding our Cutting Edge Solutions innovation platform, including the launch of new products; our expectations regarding our investments across Europe, including, but not limited to, the strengthening of our existing product portfolio in our Ireland business and the integration of Brake France and Davigel to Sysco France, including our ability to continue to succeed in the French marketplace and our expectation that we will see benefit from this integration in our France business beginning in fiscal 2020; our ability to deliver against our strategic priorities, which we believe will provide excellent customer service and improve our overall performance; statements regarding economic trends in the United States and abroad; our expectations regarding the long-term potential for our hospitality segment; our expectations regarding our ability to accelerate emphasis on administrative cost reductions, including pulling forward some of our multi-year cost savings opportunities and finding new ways to achieve incremental administrative cost savings; our expectation regarding our effective tax rate for fiscal 2019; and our expectations with respect to achieving our three-year financial targets through fiscal 2020, including our expectation that our three-year plan gap will be approximately 150 basis points.
The success of our plans and expectations regarding our operating performance, including expectations regarding our three-year financial objectives, are subject to the general risks associated with our business, including the risks of interruption of supplies due to lack of long-term contracts, severe weather, crop conditions, work stoppages, intense competition, technology disruptions, dependence on large, long-term regional and national customers, inflation risks, the impact of fuel prices, adverse publicity, labor issues, political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, transport capacity and costs and other factors relating to foreign trade, any or all of which could delay our receipt of product or increase our input costs. Risks and uncertainties also include risks impacting the economy generally, including the risks that the current general economic conditions will deteriorate, or consumer confidence in the economy or consumer spending, particularly on food-away-from-home, may decline. Market conditions may not improve. Competition and the impact of GPOs may reduce our margins and make it difficult for us to maintain our market share, growth rate and profitability. We may not be able to fully compensate for increases in fuel costs, and fuel hedging arrangements intended to contain fuel costs could result in above market fuel costs. Our ability to meet our long-term strategic objectives depends on our ability to grow gross profit, leverage our supply chain costs and reduce administrative costs. This will depend largely on the success of our various business initiatives, including efforts related to revenue management, expense management, our digitale-commerce strategy and any efforts related to restructuring or the reduction of administrative costs. There are various risks related to these efforts, including the risk that if sales from our locally managed customers do not grow at the same rate as sales from regional and national customers, or if we are unable to continue to accelerate local case growth, our gross margins may decline; the risk that we are unlikely to be able to predict inflation over the long term, and lower inflation is likely to produce lower gross profit; the risk that our efforts to modify truck routing, including our small truck initiative, in order to reduce outbound transportation costs may not be effective; the risk that our efforts to mitigate increases in warehouse costs may be unsuccessful; the risk that we may not be able to accelerate and/or identify additional administrative cost savings in order to compensate for any gross profit or supply chain cost leverage challenges; the risk that these efforts may not provide the expected benefits in our anticipated time frame, if at all, and may prove costlier than expected; the risk that the actual costs of any initiatives may be greater or less than currently expected; and the risk of adverse effects to our business, results of operations and liquidity if past and future undertakings, and the associated changes to our business, do not prove to be cost effective or do not result in the cost savings and other benefits at the levels that we anticipate. Our plans related to and the timing of any initiatives are subject to change at any time based on management’s subjective evaluation of our overall business needs. If we are unable to realize the anticipated benefits from our efforts, we could become cost disadvantaged in the marketplace, and our competitiveness and our profitability could decrease. Adverse publicity about us or lack of confidence in our products could negatively impact our reputation and reduce earnings. Capital expenditures may vary based on changes in business plans and other factors, including risks related to the implementation of various initiatives, the timing and successful completion of acquisitions, construction schedules and the possibility that other cash requirements could result in delays or cancellations of capital spending. Periods of significant or prolonged inflation or deflation, either overall or in certain product categories, can have a negative impact on us and our customers, as high food costs can reduce consumer spending in the food-away-from-home market, and may negatively impact our sales, gross profit, operating income and earnings, and periods of deflation can be difficult to manage effectively. Fluctuations in inflation and deflation, as well as fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies, are beyond our control and subject to broader market forces. Expanding into international markets presents unique challenges and risks, including compliance with local laws, regulations and customs and the impact of local political and economic conditions, including the impact of Brexit and the “yellow vest” protests in France against a fuel tax increase and the French government, and such expansion efforts may not be successful. Any business that we acquire may not perform as expected, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions. Expectations regarding the financial statement impact of any acquisitions may change based on management’s subjective evaluation. Meeting our dividend target objectives depends on our level of earnings, available cash and the success of our various strategic initiatives. Changes in applicable tax laws or regulations and the resolution of tax disputes could negatively affect our financial results. We rely on technology in our business and any cybersecurity incident, other technology disruption or delay in implementing new technology could negatively affect our business and our relationships with customers. For a discussion of additional factors impacting Sysco’s business, see our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended June 30, 2018, as filed with the SEC, and our subsequent filings with the SEC, including our Quarterly Report on Form10-Q for the second quarter of fiscal 2019. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.
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