The retail industry is highly competitive. The marketplace is highly fragmented as many different retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of store formats and merchandising strategies, including mobile and online shopping. We expect competition to increase in the future. There are no significant economic barriers for others to enter our retail sector. Some of our current or potential competitors have greater financial resources than we do. We cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to compete successfully against existing or future competitors or that doing so will not require substantial capital expenditures. Please see “Item 1. Business” for further discussion of the effect of competition on our operations.

We could experience a decline in consumer confidence and spending in connection with product recalls if our customers become concerned about the quality and safety of the products we sell. To date, other than with respect to the stores temporarily closed to permit the removal and destruction of relevant inventory, we have not experienced significant lost sales in connection with the Recall, but there can be no assurances that consumer confidence in the quality and safety of our products resulting from the Recall will not decline in the future. If there is a decline in consumer confidence in our products, our reputation may be adversely affected and we may experience additional lost sales which could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We may stop selling or recall certain products produced by certain manufacturers for safety-related or other issues, including product contamination, product content such as lead, spoilage or other adulteration, improper manufacturing processes, improper testing, product mislabeling or product tampering. We may also stop selling or recall products if the products, the operations of our suppliers, or our operations violate applicable laws or regulations, including food, drug and cosmetic safety laws, or raise potential health and safety-related issues, including improper storage, product mishandling, contamination or other adulteration, or when our suppliers’ products cause injury, illness or death. On February 18, 2022, following a prior FDA and USDA inspection of Family Dollar Distribution Center 202 in Arkansas (“DC 202”), and subsequent issuance by the FDA of Form 483 observations primarily regarding rodent infestation at DC 202, as well as other items that require remediation, we initiated a voluntary retail-level product recall of FDA and USDA-regulated products stored and shipped to approximately 400 stores from DC 202 from January 1, 2021 through such date (the “Recall”). Any recall may require significant management attention, and could result in significant and unexpected costs, lost sales, compliance or enforcement actions by governmental authorities, and/or product liability claims or lawsuits. In addition, our sale of adulterated products could subject us to claims of false or deceptive advertising or other criticism. A significant product liability or other legal judgment against us, a related regulatory enforcement action or a product recall could materially and adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and/or results of operations. Moreover, even if a product liability, consumer fraud or other claim is unsuccessful, has no merit or is not pursued, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against the products we sell could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation and/or profitability. Additionally, the pending Recall has led, and any future product recall may lead, to increased scrutiny of our operations by regulatory agencies, requiring further management attention and potential legal fees and other expenses. Also see “Litigation, arbitration and government proceedings may adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations” on page 18 for, among other things, a description of legal proceedings relating to issues associated with DC 202.

Our growth and performance is dependent on the skills, experience and contributions of our associates, executives and key personnel for both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Various factors, including the ongoing pandemic, constraints on overall labor availability, wage rates, regulatory or legislative impacts, and benefit costs could impact our ability to attract and retain qualified associates at our stores, distribution centers and corporate offices. We are experiencing a shortage of associates and applicants to fill staffing requirements at our distribution centers, stores and corporate offices due to the current labor shortage affecting businesses. This has adversely affected the operating efficiency of our distribution centers and stores and our ability to transport merchandise from our distribution centers to our stores. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified associates for our distribution centers and stores in the future, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We are dependent on our vendors to supply merchandise in a timely and efficient manner. If a vendor fails to deliver on its commitments due to financial or other difficulties, we could experience merchandise shortages which could lead to lost sales or increased merchandise costs if alternative sources must be used. We rely on the timely availability of imported goods at favorable wholesale prices. Merchandise imported directly accounts for approximately 41% to 43% of our Dollar Tree segment’s total retail value purchases and 15% to 17% of our Family Dollar segment’s total retail value purchases. In addition, we believe that a significant portion of our goods purchased from domestic vendors is imported. Imported goods are generally less expensive than domestic goods and result in higher profit margins. A disruption in the flow of our imported merchandise or an increase in the cost of those goods may significantly decrease our profits. Risks associated with our reliance on imported goods may include disruptions in the flow of or increases in the cost of imported goods because of factors such as: •duties, tariffs or other restrictions on trade, including Section 301 tariffs that have already been imposed on imported Chinese goods, and it is uncertain whether the current presidential administration will reduce these tariffs in the future. We are currently expecting the amount of Section 301 tariffs we pay in 2022 to increase above 2021 levels because the amount of our imports is expected to increase; •raw material shortages, work stoppages, government travel restrictions, strikes and political unrest, including any impact on vendors or shipping arising from epidemics and related travel restrictions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; •economic crises in the United States or abroad and international disputes or conflicts, including war and economic sanctions; •changes in currency exchange rates or policies and local economic conditions, including inflation (including energy prices and raw material costs) in the country of origin; •potential changes to, or withdrawal of the United States from, international trade agreements or the failure of the United States to maintain normal trade relations with China and other countries; •changes in leadership and the political climate in countries from which we import products and their relations with the United States; and •failure of manufacturers outside the United States to meet food, drug and cosmetic safety and labeling requirements or environmental standards set by government regulators or consumer expectations. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion of the effect of foreign suppliers on our operations.

Future increases in costs such as wage and benefit costs, ocean shipping rates, domestic freight costs, fuel and energy costs, the cost of merchandise (including the substitution of higher cost domestic goods), duties and tariffs, merchandise loss (due to theft, damage, or errors) and store occupancy costs would reduce our profitability. We expect material increases in wage rates and labor costs as well as in shipping rates, freight and fuel costs in 2022. We have incurred additional costs as a result of recent minimum wage increases by certain states and localities and we expect additional minimum wage increases by states and localities in 2022. In addition, the federal minimum wage may increase depending on the outcome of legislation proposed in Congress, and the current administration may consider raising the minimum salary for store managers who have exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Separately, government or industry actions addressing the impact of climate change may result in increases in merchandise or operating costs. In our Dollar Tree segment, we raised our primary price point on merchandise to $1.25 in fiscal 2021. In addition, we continue to implement our Dollar Tree Plus initiative which provides our customers with discretionary categories priced at the $3 and $5 price points. Although we have increased our price points at Dollar Tree stores, we remain dependent on our ability to adjust our product assortment, to operate more efficiently or to increase our comparable store net sales in order to offset cost increases. Supply chain constraints and higher commodity costs could make it more difficult for us to obtain sufficient quantities of certain products and could negatively affect our product assortment and merchandise costs. We can give no assurance that we will be able to adjust our product assortment, operate more efficiently or increase our comparable store net sales in the future. Although Family Dollar, unlike Dollar Tree, can raise the price of merchandise, customers may buy fewer products if prices were to increase. Please see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion of the effect of economic factors on our operations.

Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations, and changes to those laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations in connection with climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy, including any federal or state laws enacted to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, could significantly increase our operating or merchandise costs or reduce the demand for our products. These laws and regulations may include, but are not limited to, requirements relating to hazardous waste materials, recycling, single-use plastics, extended producer responsibility, use of refrigerants, carbon pricing or carbon taxes, product energy efficiency standards and product labeling. If carbon pricing or carbon taxes are adopted, there is a significant risk that the cost of merchandise from our suppliers will increase and adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, significant changes in laws or regulations that impact our relationship with our workforce, such as minimum wage increases, health care, labor laws or workplace safety, could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. An increase in federal corporate tax rates also could adversely affect our profitability. Changes in other regulatory areas, such as consumer credit, privacy and information security, product and food safety, energy or environmental protection, and tariff and other trade restrictions, among others, could cause our expenses to increase or result in product recalls. Further, if we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including wage and hour laws, we could be subject to legal risk, including government enforcement action and class action civil litigation, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business is subject to the risk of litigation and arbitration involving employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, shareholders, government agencies, or others through private actions, class actions, derivative actions, governmental investigations, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions, mass arbitration or other similar actions. In addition, due to the types of products that we store and sell, our operations are subject to regulatory oversight by the FDA, the USDA, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and other federal, state, local and applicable foreign governmental authorities. If such authorities believe that we have failed to comply with applicable regulations and/or procedures, they may require prompt corrective action, and/or proceed directly to other forms of enforcement action, including the imposition of operating restrictions, including a ceasing of operations in one or more facilities, enjoining and restraining certain violations of applicable law pertaining to products, seizure of products, and assessing civil or criminal sanctions or penalties. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict us from effectively selling our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. From January 11, 2022 through February 11, 2022, DC 202 was inspected by the FDA and USDA. On February 11, 2022, the FDA issued Form 483 observations primarily regarding rodent infestation at DC 202, as well as other items that require remediation. In connection therewith, we initiated the Recall, temporarily closed DC 202 for extensive cleaning, temporarily closed the affected stores to permit the removal and destruction of inventory subject to the Recall, ceased sales of relevant inventory subject to the Recall, committed to the FDA to continue to cease the shipment of FDA-regulated products from DC 202 until FDA approval is received, and initiated corrective actions at DC 202 intended to ensure that these issues will not recur when shipment of FDA-regulated products recommences. If the FDA and/or other governmental authorities are not satisfied with these corrective actions or observe issues in our other distribution centers or stores, they may initiate other enforcement or administrative actions, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Also see “We may stop selling or recall certain products for safety-related issues” on page 13. We have received the following class action complaints related to issues associated with DC 202 (and anticipate additional lawsuits of a similar nature): On February 22, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the Circuit Court of Pope County, Arkansas, alleging various causes of action on behalf of the citizens of Arkansas who purchased “contaminated products” covered by the Recall from January 1, 2021 through the date of such Recall. Plaintiffs seek restitution, disgorgement, damages, attorney fees, costs and expenses, punitive damages and such further relief (in each case in unspecified amounts), as the Court deems just and proper. On February 23, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Northern Division, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of a rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On February 25, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, on behalf of all persons who purchased products subject to the Recall (with a subclass for all persons residing in the State of Tennessee who purchased products subject to the Recall), alleging breach of the implied warranty of merchantability and unjust enrichment. Plaintiffs seek restitution, damages, interest, punitive damages, attorney fees, costs and expenses, and such further relief (in each case in unspecified amounts), as the Court deems just and equitable. On March 2, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On March 4, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missouri. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On March 7, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On March 8, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On March 10, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Delta Division, alleging various causes of action related to the sale of products that may be contaminated by virtue of rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions in stores throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri. Plaintiffs seek damages, attorney fees and costs, punitive damages and the replacement of, or refund of money paid to purchase the relevant products, and any other legal relief available for their claims (in each case in unspecified amounts), including equitable and injunctive relief. On March 10, 2022, a proposed class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Memphis Division, on behalf of all persons who purchased products subject to the Recall (with a subclass for all persons residing in the State of Tennessee who purchased products subject to the Recall), alleging breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, and unjust enrichment. Plaintiffs seek refunds of unjust benefits, damages, interest, punitive damages, attorney fees, costs and expenses, and such further relief (in each case in unspecified amounts), as the Court deems just and equitable. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves in the foregoing (and any similar) litigations. Although we have recently received the complaints, we do not believe that any of them will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. However, we cannot assure that these litigations, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the period or year in which they are reserved or resolved. On March 1, 2022, a federal grand jury subpoena was issued to us by the Eastern District of Arkansas requesting the production of information, documents and records pertaining to pests, sanitation and compliance with law regarding certain of our procedures and products. We intend to cooperate fully with the subpoena and any related investigation, however, no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of this matter. Three personal injury lawsuits are pending against us and our vendors alleging that certain talc products that were sold by the company in the past caused cancer. We intend to vigorously defend against these claims. Although we have been able to resolve previous talc lawsuits against us without material loss to the company, given the inherent uncertainties and high potential losses of talc litigation there can be no assurances regarding the outcome of pending or future cases. Future costs to litigate these cases are not known but may be significant, and it is uncertain whether our costs will be covered by insurance. In addition, although we have indemnification rights against our vendors in several of these cases, it is uncertain whether the vendors will have the financial ability to carry out their obligations. We do not believe that any of these lawsuits will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. However, we cannot assure that these lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the period or year in which they are reserved or resolved. Our products (or our storage and handling of such products) could also cause illness or injury, harm our reputation, and subject us to litigation. We are dependent on our vendors to ensure that the products we buy comply with all applicable safety standards. However, product liability, personal injury or other claims may be asserted against us relating to product contamination, product tampering, mislabeling, recall and other safety issues with respect to the products that we sell, or with respect to our handling or storage of such products, including as a result of the issues raised by the pending Arkansas FDA Matter (which has led to increased scrutiny of our operations by regulatory agencies, requiring further management attention and potential legal fees and other expenses). A significant product liability or other legal judgment against us, a related regulatory compliance or enforcement action or a product recall could materially and adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and/or results of operations. Moreover, even if a product liability, consumer fraud or other claim is unsuccessful, has no merit or is not pursued, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against the products we sell could materially and adversely affect our reputation. We seek but may not be successful in obtaining contractual indemnification from our vendors, where appropriate, or insurance coverage, and if we do not have adequate contractual indemnification or insurance available, such product liability or safety claims could adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Our ability to obtain the benefit of contractual indemnification from foreign vendors may be hindered by our ability to enforce contractual indemnification obligations against such vendors. Our litigation-related expenses could increase as well, which also could have a materially negative impact on our financial condition and/or results of operations even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued. The outcome of such matters is difficult to assess or quantify. Plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits or proceedings may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of the potential loss may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. In addition, certain of these matters, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, may result in an expense that may be material to our financial statements as a whole or may negatively affect our operating results if changes to our business operations are required. The cost to defend current and future litigation or proceedings, including arbitrations, may be significant. There also may be adverse publicity associated with litigation, including litigation related to product or food safety, customer information and environmental or safety requirements, which could negatively affect customer perception of our business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable. For a discussion of current legal matters, please see “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” and Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements under the caption “Contingencies.” Resolution of these matters, if decided against us, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, accrued liabilities or cash flows.

Many of our information technology systems, such as those we use for our point-of-sale, web and mobile platforms, including online and mobile payment systems, and for administrative functions, including human resources, payroll, accounting, and internal and external communications, contain personal, financial or other confidential information that is entrusted to us by our customers and associates as well as proprietary and other confidential information related to our business and suppliers. We have procedures and technology in place to safeguard our customers’ personal information (including debit and credit card information), our associates’ private data, suppliers’ data, and our business records and intellectual property and other sensitive information. Despite these measures, we have experienced attempted and ongoing cyber-attacks, which are rapidly evolving. Perpetrators, who may include well-funded state actors, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect. We and/or our third party suppliers may be vulnerable to, and unable to anticipate, detect and appropriately respond to such cyber-security attacks, including data security breaches and data loss. We are subject to laws and regulations in various jurisdictions in which we operate regarding privacy, data protection and data security, including those related to the collection, storage, handling, use, disclosure, transfer and security of personal data. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, which became effective on January 1, 2020, and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, which will become effective on January 1, 2023, impose responsibilities on us for the handling, disclosure and deletion of personal information for consumers who reside in California. These laws permit California to assess potentially significant fines for data privacy violations and create a right for individuals to bring class action suits seeking damages for violations. Our efforts to comply with California’s consumer privacy laws and other similar privacy and data protection laws may impose significant costs and challenges that are likely to increase over time, and we could incur substantial penalties or be subject to litigation related to violation of existing or future data privacy laws and regulations. Likewise, we are subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI-DSS”) which is mandated by the card brands and administered through the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. As a Level 1 Merchant, we are subject to assessment and attestation for PCI-DSS compliance on an annual basis. A failure to meet and maintain compliance with PCI-DSS requirements could result in our inability to continue to accept credit cards as a form of payment, which would materially impact our ability to sell our products. In addition, our credibility and reputation within the business community and with our customers may be affected, which could result in our customers discontinuing the use of debit or credit cards in our stores or not shopping in our stores altogether. Non-compliance with PCI-DSS requirements also may subject us to recurring and accumulating fines until compliance is achieved. Considerable investments to strengthen our information security could also be required should we ever be deemed to be non-compliant. Moreover, significant capital investments and other expenditures could also be required to remedy cyber-security problems and prevent future security breaches, including costs associated with additional security technologies, personnel, experts and services (e.g., credit-monitoring services) for those whose data has been breached. These costs, which could be material, could adversely impact our results of operations in the period in which they are incurred and may not meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our information technology systems. The unavailability of our information technology systems or the failure of those systems or software to perform as anticipated for any reason and any inability to respond to, or recover from, such an event, could disrupt our business, decrease performance and increase overhead costs. If we are unable to secure our customers’ credit card and confidential information, or other private data relating to our associates, suppliers or our business, we could be subject to negative publicity, costly government enforcement actions or private litigation and increased costs. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or business.

A deterioration in economic conditions, whether related to the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, could reduce consumer spending or cause customers to shift their spending to products we either do not sell or do not sell as profitably. Adverse economic conditions such as a recession could disrupt consumer spending and significantly reduce our sales, decrease our inventory turnover, cause greater markdowns or reduce our profitability due to lower margins. Other factors that could result in or exacerbate adverse economic conditions include inflation, higher unemployment, consumer debt levels, trade disputes, as well as adverse climate or weather conditions, epidemics, terrorism or international tensions, including armed conflict and economic sanctions. Furthermore, factors that could adversely affect consumer disposable income could decrease our customers’ spending on products we sell. Factors that could reduce our customers’ disposable income and over which we exercise no influence include but are not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic and other adverse economic conditions described below as well as increases in fuel or other energy costs and interest rates, lack of available credit, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws, increasing healthcare costs, and changes in, decreases in, or elimination of, government subsidies such as unemployment and food assistance programs. Although governmental authorities adopted substantial measures, including fiscal and monetary stimulus, to provide economic assistance to individual households and businesses and support economic stability during the COVID-19 pandemic and the related recession, certain of the government assistance payments to households were temporary and were permitted to expire. There can be no assurance that current or future governmental efforts to support the economy during the pandemic or a recession will be sufficient to support future consumer spending at levels experienced in fiscal 2021 or mitigate the negative effect of the pandemic on the economy. If consumer spending on the goods we sell declines as a result, there could be a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations. Many of the factors identified above that affect disposable income, as well as commodity rates, transportation costs (including the costs of diesel fuel), costs of labor, insurance and healthcare, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, lease costs, barriers or increased costs associated with international trade and other economic factors also affect our ability to implement our corporate strategy effectively, our cost of goods sold and our selling, general and administrative expenses, and may have other adverse consequences which we are unable to fully anticipate or control, all of which may adversely affect our sales or profitability. We have limited or no ability to control many of these factors.

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic arising from a novel strain of coronavirus and its variants has caused on-going direct and indirect economic disruptions that have adversely affected, and are expected to continue to adversely affect, elements of our business. The COVID-19 pandemic, related public health measures and associated economic and social impacts have already contributed to, among other things, significant increases in the cost of operating our stores and distribution centers, decreased foot traffic in our stores, disruptions in the patterns of consumer demand and traffic, and an increase in demand for online sales (which is an insignificant part of our business), home deliveries (which we began providing in 2021 through our partnership with Instacart) or curbside deliveries (which we do not offer), and changes in the labor markets. There continues to be uncertainty and unpredictability about the impact of COVID-19-related issues on our financial and operating results in future periods. If the pandemic worsens or continues longer than expected, governments may reinstate or extend business or personal restrictions, and we could be forced to curtail or restrict operations or incur additional costs. We might also experience new disruptions in our supply chain and sources of supply, suffer facility closures or encounter additional difficulties in hiring or retaining the workforce required for our business. These circumstances, if applicable for an extended duration or across significant parts of our operating footprint, or if they fall during particularly meaningful holiday seasons, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We are unable to predict the full extent to which COVID-19-related issues will affect the economy and our customers, associates, suppliers, vendors, other business partners or our business, results of operations and financial condition. If the economic consequences of the pandemic are prolonged and/or worsen, it could amplify many of the other risks described in this Form 10-K.

We rely on domestic and foreign suppliers to provide us with merchandise in a timely manner and at favorable prices. Among our foreign suppliers, China is the source of a substantial majority of our imports. A disruption in the flow of our imported merchandise from China or an increase in the cost of those goods may significantly decrease our profits. The United States has scaled back punitive Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese imports based on an agreement reached with China in 2020. However, there is uncertainty as to the actions that may be taken under the current presidential administration with respect to U.S. trade policy with China, including whether the administration will support reductions in tariffs. The imposition of any new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports or the taking of other actions against China in the future, and any responses by China, could impair our ability to meet customer demand and could result in lost sales or an increase in our cost of merchandise, which would have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We rely extensively on our computer and technology systems and, in certain cases, those of third-party service providers to manage inventory, process credit card and customer transactions and summarize results. Our ability to effectively manage our business and coordinate the distribution and sale of our merchandise depends significantly on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of these systems and on our ability to successfully integrate the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar systems. We also rely on third-party providers and platforms for some of these computer and technology systems and support. Although we have operational safeguards in place, they may not be effective in preventing the failure of these systems or platforms to operate effectively and be available to us. This may be as the result of deliberate breach in the security of these systems or platforms by bad actors, including through malicious software, ransomware and other cyber-attacks, which may originate from state actors and may increase during times of international tensions. Failures may also be caused by various other factors, including power outages, catastrophic events, physical theft, computer and network failures, inadequate or ineffective redundancy, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems or platforms, flaws in third-party software or services, errors or improper use by our employees or third party service providers. If these systems are damaged or fail to function properly, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, may experience loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability to manage inventories or process customer transactions and may receive negative publicity, which could adversely affect our results of operations and business. In addition, remediation of any problems with our systems could take an extensive amount of time and could result in significant, unplanned expenses.