Ross Stores, Inc., a Fortune 500 and Nasdaq 100 (ROST) company headquartered in Pleasanton, California, is the nation's second largest off- price company with fiscal 2006 revenues of $5.6 billion. As of March 3, 2007, the Company operated 771 Ross Dress for Less(R) ("Ross") stores and 26 dd's DISCOUNTS(R) locations, compared to 714 Ross and 20 dd's DISCOUNTS(R) locations at the end of the same period last year. Ross offers first-quality, in-season, name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear and home fashions for the entire family at everyday savings of 20 to 60 percent off department and specialty store regular prices. dd's DISCOUNTS(R) features a more moderately-priced assortment of first-quality, in-season, name brand apparel, accessories, footwear and home fashions for the entire family at everyday savings of 20 to 70 percent off moderate department and discount store regular prices

http://www.rossstores.com

 
Ross Stores Reports June Sales, Raises Second Quarter EPS Guidance
June Recorded Comments 
PLEASANTON, Calif., July 8, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales increased 9% to $725 million for the five weeks ended July 3, 2010, up from $666 million for the five weeks ended July 4, 2009. Comparable store sales for the month grew 5%. 
For the five months ended July 3, 2010, sales totaled $3.274 billion, a 12% increase over the $2.922 billion in sales for the five months ended July 4, 2009. Comparable store sales for the five months ended July 3, 2010 increased 8% on top of a 3% gain last year. 
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "June comparable store sales slightly exceeded our expectations for a 3% to 4% increase. Home, Dresses and Shoes were our strongest merchandise categories, while Florida and the Mid-Atlantic were the best-performing regions." 
Looking ahead, Mr. Balmuth said, "Given our quarter-to-date sales and gross margin performance, as well as our continued expectation for a 3% to 4% increase in July comparable store sales, we now are forecasting earnings per share for the 13 weeks ending July 31, 2010 to be $1.00 to $1.02, up from our prior range of $.95 to $.99. This updated guidance represents a projected 22% to 24% increase on top of a 52% gain in last year's second quarter when earnings per share were $.82." 
Additional recorded information concerning today's press release and the Company's future outlook can be accessed by calling 706-645-9291, ID# 53158786, from 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on July 8, 2010 through 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on July 9, 2010. A transcript of these comments is available in the Investors section of the corporate website at http://www.rossstores.com/. 
The Company expects to report July 2010 sales results on Thursday, August 5th and second quarter 2010 earnings results on Thursday, August 19th. 
 

Ross Stores Announces First Quarter 2010 Earnings Release and Conference Call 
PLEASANTON, Calif., May 13, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) will announce its first quarter earnings results on Thursday, May 20, 2010. A press release will be sent out at approximately 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. 
The Company will also provide additional details concerning its first quarter results and business outlook on a conference call to be held on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. Participants may listen to a real time audio webcast of the conference call by visiting the Investors section of the Company's website located at www.rossstores.com. A recorded version of the call will also be available at the website address, as well as via a telephone recording at 706-645-9291, Passcode #55962228, through 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on May 27, 2010. 
 

Ross Stores Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2009 Earnings 
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 18, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported earnings per share for the 13 weeks ended January 30, 2010 of $1.16, up 53% from $.76 for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009. Net earnings for the 13 weeks ended January 30, 2010 grew to a record $142.9 million, up 47% from $97.4 million for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009. Sales for the fourth quarter ended January 30, 2010 grew 14% to $1.980 billion, with comparable store sales up 10% over the prior year. 
For the 52 weeks ended January 30, 2010, earnings per share grew 52% to $3.54, up from $2.33 for the 52 weeks ended January 31, 2009. Net earnings for the 2009 fiscal year ended January 30, 2010 grew 45% to a record $442.8 million, from $305.4 million for the 2008 fiscal year ended January 31, 2009. Sales for the 2009 fiscal year increased 11% to $7.184 billion, with comparable store sales up 6% on top of a 2% gain in the prior year. 
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are exceptionally pleased with our outstanding sales and earnings results for the fourth quarter and full year. During one of the most challenging economic and retail environments, we not only generated stronger-than-planned revenues, but did so with record merchandise gross margins that drove double digit operating profits as a percent of sales. The best performing merchandise categories for both the quarter and the year were Shoes, Dresses and Home, while geographic trends were broadbased, with all regions posting healthy comparable store sales gains for both periods." 
Mr. Balmuth continued, "Earnings before interest and taxes for the 2009 fourth quarter grew about 260 basis points to 11.7% of sales, up from 9.1% in the prior year period. This higher profit margin was mainly due to a 230 basis point improvement in cost of goods sold along with a 30 basis point decline in selling, general and administrative costs. For the 2009 fiscal year, operating margin increased about 250 basis points over the prior year to 10.1% of sales, driven by a 230 basis point decline in cost of goods sold combined with a 20 basis point reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses. Key drivers of our improved profitability for both the fourth quarter and the year were much higher merchandise gross margin, lower shortage costs and leverage on operating expenses from the strong gains in same store sales." 
"Healthy operating cash flows during the year continued to provide the resources to make capital investments in new store growth and infrastructure and fund our ongoing stock repurchase and dividend programs. During 2009, we repurchased a total of 7.4 million shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $300 million, completing the two-year $600 million stock repurchase program announced in early 2008. In January 2010, our Board of Directors approved a new two-year $750 million stock repurchase program along with a 45% increase in our quarterly cash dividend to $.16 per common share. These actions reflect our confidence in the Company's ongoing ability to generate healthy amounts of excess cash and our commitment to enhancing stockholder returns," Mr. Balmuth said. 
Looking ahead to 2010, Mr. Balmuth commented, "Our past results demonstrate that we can deliver consistent growth in both healthy and challenging economic climates if we execute our strategies well. This long-term record gives us the confidence to project strong cash flows from additional increases in both comparable store sales and earnings per share during 2010 and beyond." 
The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to provide additional details concerning the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009 results and management's outlook and plans for 2010. A real time audio webcast of the conference call will be available in the Investors section of the Company's website, located at http://www.rossstores.com/. An audio playback will be available at 706-645-9291, ID #55962140 until 8:00 p.m. eastern time on March 25, 2010, as well as at the Company's website address. 

Ross Stores Reports January 2010 Same Store Sales Gain of 8% 
January Recorded Comments 
--Announces New $750 Million Stock Repurchase Program and 45% Increase in Quarterly Dividend --Updates EPS Estimate for 2009 Fourth Quarter --Provides 2010 Fiscal Year Guidance
PLEASANTON, Calif., Feb 04, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported sales for the four weeks ended January 30, 2010 of $411 million, an increase of 13% over the $365 million in sales for the four weeks ended January 31, 2009. Same store sales for the four weeks ended January 30, 2010 grew 8% over the prior year period. 
For the 13 weeks ended January 30, 2010, sales rose 14% to $1.980 billion, from $1.734 billion for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009. Comparable store sales for the quarter ended January 30, 2010 increased 10% over last year. 
For the 52 weeks ended January 30, 2010, sales grew 11% to $7.184 billion, compared to $6.486 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ended January 31, 2009. Comparable store sales for the 52 weeks ended January 30, 2010 rose 6% over the prior year. 
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased with our strong sales performance for January and the fourth quarter. Merchandise and geographic trends were relatively broad-based. Home and Shoes were the strongest merchandise categories in January, while the Mid Atlantic and Mountain regions were the top performing markets." 
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Estimates
Based on January sales and margin results, the Company is updating its profit forecast for the 13 weeks ended January 30, 2010. Earnings per share are now estimated to increase 51% to 53% to $1.15 to $1.16, up from $.76 for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009. For the 52 weeks ended January 30, 2010, earnings per share are estimated to grow about 52% to $3.53 to $3.54, up from $2.33 for the 2008 fiscal year ended January 31, 2009. 
New $750 Million Stock Repurchase Program and 45% Increase in Quarterly Dividend
The Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new two-year $750 million stock repurchase program. At the current stock price, this new authorization represents about 13% of the Company's total market value and a 25% increase over the prior program. During fiscal 2009, a total of 7.4 million shares of common stock were repurchased for an aggregate price of $300 million, completing the previous two-year $600 million stock repurchase authorization for 2008 and 2009. 
The Board also approved a 45% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $.16 per share. This higher quarterly dividend is payable on March 31, 2010 to stockholders of record as of February 19, 2010. Today's dividend announcement represents the sixteenth consecutive annual increase since the Company initiated its dividend in 1994. 
In commenting on these actions, Mr. Balmuth said, "Our new $750 million stock repurchase program and 45% increase in the quarterly cash dividend reflect our confidence in the Company's ongoing ability to generate significant amounts of excess cash after self funding the capital needs of our business. Our Board's actions reflect our long-term history and commitment to returning cash to our stockholders. We have completed every share authorization program, buying back stock annually since 1993." 

Ross Stores Reports Record Third Quarter Earnings; Reaffirms Fourth Quarter 2009 Guidance 
PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that earnings per share for the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2009 increased 91% to $.84, from $.44 for the 13 weeks ended November 1, 2008. Net earnings for the third quarter ended October 31, 2009 grew 83% to a record $105.1 million, up from $57.3 million for the third quarter ended November 1, 2008. Fiscal 2009 third quarter sales increased 12% to $1.744 billion, with comparable store sales up a strong 8% over last year. 
For the nine months ended October 31, 2009, earnings per share increased 52% to $2.39, from $1.57 for the nine months ended November 1, 2008. Net earnings for the year-to-date period in 2009 grew 44% to a record $299.9 million, up from $208.1 million in the prior year period. Sales for the first nine months of 2009 increased 10% to $5.204 billion, with comparable store sales up 5% on top of a 3% gain in the prior year period. 
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased with our robust sales and earnings growth in the third quarter and first nine months, both of which were well ahead of plan. Our ability to deliver compelling bargains, while operating our business on much lower inventories, remains the primary driver of these outstanding results. In addition, shortage results from our annual physical inventory during the quarter were much better than expected, mainly due to the ongoing successful implementation of our shortage control initiatives. Shoes and Dresses continued to be the top merchandise categories while the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic remained the strongest regions." 
Mr. Balmuth continued, "Third quarter operating margin grew about 385 basis points to 9.9%, due to 340 basis points of higher gross margin and a 45 basis point decline in selling, general and administrative costs. The gross margin improvement was from a combination of healthy merchandise gross margin gains, much lower than expected shortage results, a decline in freight and distribution expenses as a percent of sales, and leverage on occupancy costs." 
Mr. Balmuth also noted, "As we ended the third quarter, our balance sheet and cash flows remained healthy. We continued to return capital to stockholders through our stock repurchase and dividend programs. During the first nine months of fiscal 2009, we repurchased 5.8 million shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $230 million. We are on track to complete the remaining $70 million stock repurchase authorization by the end of fiscal 2009." 
Looking ahead, Mr. Balmuth said, "As we enter the important holiday season, we remain well positioned as a value retailer, and our stores are stocked with fresh and exciting assortments of terrific name-brand bargains. That said, with a still uncertain economic climate, we believe it is prudent to maintain our prior forecast for both sales and earnings." 
"For the 13 weeks ending January 30, 2010, we continue to forecast same store sales gains of 5% to 6% and earnings per share in the range of $.88 to $.94. For the fiscal year ending January 30, 2010, we now project earnings per share to increase 40% to 43% to $3.27 to $3.33, up from $2.33 in fiscal 2008," concluded Mr. Balmuth.
The Company will provide additional details concerning its third quarter results, fourth quarter and fiscal 2009 guidance, and business outlook on a conference call to be held on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. Participants may listen to a real time audio webcast of the conference call by visiting the Investors section of the Company's website, located at www.rossstores.com. A recorded version of the call will be available at the website address and via a telephone recording until 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on November 26, 2009 at (706) 645-9291, PIN # 86370218. 

Ross Stores Reports September Same Store Sales Gain of 8%, Raises Third Quarter EPS Guidance 
September Recorded Comments 
PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales for the five weeks ended October 3, 2009 increased 12% to $629 million from $561 million for the five weeks ended October 4, 2008. Same store sales for the month rose 8%. 
For the eight months ended October 3, 2009, sales totaled $4.647 billion, up 9% over the $4.262 billion in sales for the eight months ended October 4, 2008. Comparable store sales for the eight months ended October 3, 2009 increased 4% on top of a 3% gain in the prior year period.
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "September comparable store sales exceeded our expectations for a 6% to 7% increase. We believe our performance for both the month and year-to-date periods reflects that our core strategy of delivering fresh and exciting name brand bargains continues to resonate with today's value-focused consumers. Merchandise and geographic trends remained relatively broad-based. Shoes, Home and Dresses were the top merchandise categories during the month, while the Mid Atlantic, Southeast and Texas were the best-performing markets." 
Looking ahead, Mr. Balmuth said, "I am pleased to report that earnings per share for the 13 weeks ending October 31, 2009 are now projected to be in the range of $.75 to $.77, a significant increase over $.44 in the third quarter of 2008. The forecasted upside from our previous earnings per share guidance of $.57-$.63 is being driven mainly by favorable shortage results from our annual physical inventory of stores in September. We believe our projected shrink for the year, which is now expected to be much lower than originally forecast, is benefiting from continued investments in our shortage control initiatives as well as the reductions we have made in selling store inventories. Our updated third quarter guidance also reflects stronger-than-planned sales and merchandise margins quarter-to-date and our continued expectation for a 5% to 6% same store sales gain in October." 
Mr. Balmuth concluded, "For the important holiday period, we continue to project a comparable store sales gain of 5% to 6% and earnings per share of $.88 to $.94 for the 13 weeks ending January 30, 2010. For the 2009 fiscal year ending January 30, 2010, earnings per share are now projected to be in the range of $3.18 to $3.26, a forecasted increase of 36% to 40% over $2.33 in fiscal 2008." 

Ross Stores Reports August Same Store Sales Gain of 6% 
August Recorded Comments 
PLEASANTON, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales for the four weeks ended August 29, 2009 increased 11% to $557 million from $504 million for the four weeks ended August 30, 2008. Same store sales for the month rose 6% on top of a 3% gain last year. 
For the seven months ended August 29, 2009, sales totaled $4.018 billion, up 9% over the $3.700 billion in sales for the seven months ended August 30, 2008. Comparable store sales for the seven months ended August 29, 2009 increased 3% on top of a 4% gain in the prior year period.
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased with our better-than-expected sales gains in August, which benefited from healthy back-to-school traffic during the month. Dresses and Shoes remained the strongest merchandise categories, while the Southeast was the best-performing market. Looking ahead, we continue to forecast same store sales gains of 6% to 7% for September and 5% to 6% for October." 

Ross Stores Reports April Same Store Sales Gain of 6%, Raises First Quarter EPS Guidance 
April Recorded Comments 
PLEASANTON, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales increased 11% to $534 million for the four weeks ended May 2, 2009, up from $480 million for the four weeks ended May 3, 2008. Comparable store sales for the month grew 6% over the prior year.
For the quarter ended May 2, 2009, sales totaled $1.692 billion, a 9% increase over the $1.556 billion in sales for the thirteen weeks ended May 3, 2008. Comparable store sales for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2009 grew 3% on top of a 3% increase in the prior year period.
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased with our sales gains for both April and the first quarter, especially considering the ongoing challenging economic and retail environment. We believe our solid performance throughout the quarter was driven by our continued ability to deliver compelling bargains to customers. Dresses, Children's and Shoes were the best performing merchandise categories for the month while the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic were the strongest regions."
Mr. Balmuth continued, "Our first quarter earnings are benefiting from above-plan sales, better-than-expected merchandise gross margin and tight expense control. As a result, earnings per share for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2009 are now estimated to be $.71 to $.72, up a strong 18% to 20% from the prior year's $.60 per share. This compares to our previous earnings per share range of $.68 to $.70."

Ross Stores Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2008 Earnings 
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 19, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported earnings per share for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009 of $.76, up 9% from $.70 for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2008. Net earnings for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009 grew to a record $97.4 million, up from $94.5 million for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2008. Sales for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009 increased 5% to $1.734 billion compared to $1.652 billion for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2008. Comparable store sales for the 13 weeks ended January 31, 2009 declined 1% compared to a 2% gain for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2008. 
For the 52 weeks ended January 31, 2009, earnings per share grew 23% to $2.33, from $1.90 for the 52 weeks ended February 2, 2008. Net earnings for the 52 weeks ended January 31, 2009 grew to a record $305.4 million, from $261.1 million for the 52 weeks ended February 2, 2008. Sales for the 2008 fiscal year increased 9% to $6.486 billion, with comparable store sales up 2% over the prior year. 
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased with our solid earnings per share growth for both the fourth quarter and fiscal 2008. Our results are especially noteworthy considering the extremely challenging macro-economic and retail environment that became increasingly difficult as the year progressed. A key driver of this performance was the efficient execution of our resilient and flexible off-price strategies, which included taking advantage of the huge amount of close-out opportunities in the marketplace. This enabled us to deliver fresh and exciting assortments of sharply priced name brand bargains to our customers. More importantly, we accomplished this while also operating the business with leaner in-store inventories, which drove faster turns and reduced markdowns, resulting in higher merchandise gross margin." 
Mr. Balmuth continued, "Operating margin for the 2008 fourth quarter was 9.1%, up about five basis points over the prior year, as stronger merchandise gross margin was partially offset by some deleveraging of occupancy and store operating costs as well as higher distribution expenses as a percent of sales. For the 2008 fiscal year, operating margin increased about 60 basis points over the prior year to 7.6%. As a percent of sales, key drivers of our improved profitability for the year were higher merchandise gross margin and lower distribution and shortage costs, partially offset by an increase in occupancy, store operating and incentive plan expenses."
"Solid operating cash flows during fiscal 2008 continued to provide the resources to make capital investments in new store growth and infrastructure, and fund our ongoing stock repurchase and dividend programs. During fiscal 2008, we repurchased a total of 9.3 million shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $300 million and we plan to complete the remaining $300 million repurchase authorization in 2009. In January 2009, our Board of Directors also approved a 16% increase in our quarterly cash dividend to $.11 per common share. On an annual basis, this represents our 15th consecutive dividend increase," Mr. Balmuth concluded. 
The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to communicate additional details concerning the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2008 results and management's outlook and plans for 2009. A real time audio webcast of the conference call will be available at www.rossstores.com. An audio playback will be available at 706-645-9291, ID #86369590 through March 26, 2009.

Ross Stores Reports February Sales 
February Recorded Comments 
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales increased 7% to $476 million for the four weeks ended February 28, 2009, up from $444 million for the four weeks ended March 1, 2008. Comparable store sales for the month grew 1% on top of a 4% gain in the prior year.
Michael Balmuth, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased with our better-than-expected sales in February. Our ongoing ability to deliver fresh and exciting assortments of compelling name brand bargains to an increasingly value-focused consumer remains the key driver of our solid top line performance. Merchandise and geographic trends were generally broad-based, benefiting from healthy traffic levels during the month. Dresses and Shoes were the best performing merchandise categories while the Mid-Atlantic was the strongest region."