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J Sainsbury PLC

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FY2010 Annual Report · J Sainsbury PLC
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Tasty salad 

Jerseys with
crispy bacon 

Annual Report and 
Financial Statements 2010 

 
We have made fundamental changes at Sainsbury’s in recent years which have
 
transformed our business. We have stayed true to our heritage. Our passion for
 
great food at fair prices and our robust, ethical approach remain central to our
 
continued success.
 

World leaders in Fairtrade 

We are the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade goods by 
value. One in every four pounds spent on Fairtrade in the 
UK is spent at a Sainsbury’s store. 

Supermarket of the year

Sainsbury’s was named Supermarket of the Year at the 
2009 Retail Industry Awards, due to our ability to adapt 
to changing customer needs over the past year. 

We are ‘Green to the Core’ 

We were awarded an industry leading ‘A’ rating in the ‘Green to 
the Core?’ survey by Consumer Focus for our customer engagement 
on green issues, our sustainable farming and fish policies and 
the high proportion of sustainable products available. 

Largest UK retailer of Freedom Food


We are the largest retailer of Freedom Food both by the amount 
of products we sell and the range we offer. Freedom Food is the 
RSPCA’s farm assurance and food labelling scheme. 

Leader in HR and people
management

We won the CBI ‘People’s Organisation’ award for our 
broad-ranging HR and people-management excellence. 

Leader in quality

We won more Quality Food Awards than any other retailer this 
year, including 7 wins from 15 categories for Value products. 

Official partner of the
London 2012 Paralympic Games

We have been appointed as the first ever Paralympic-only 
sponsor, becoming a Tier One Partner of the London 2012 
Paralympic Games. 

www.j-sainsbury.co.uk 
/illustratedreview 
An illustrated review of Sainsbury’s during 
the 2009/10 financial year is also online at 
our corporate website or through the 
direct website address above. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate objectives 
The Company’s strategy centres around five areas of focus. These areas are 
underpinned by Sainsbury’s strong heritage and brand which consistently 
sets it apart from major competitors. 

1  Great food at fair prices 

To build on and stretch the lead in food. By sharing 
customers’ passion for healthy, safe, fresh and tasty 
food, Sainsbury’s will continue to innovate and provide 
leadership in delivering quality products at fair prices, 
sourced with integrity. 

2  Accelerating the growth of complementary 

non-food ranges and services 
To continue to accelerate the development of non-food 
ranges and services following the principles of quality 
and value and to provide a broader shopping experience 
for customers. 

3  Reaching more customers through 

additional channels 
To extend the reach of Sainsbury’s brand by 
opening new convenience stores and developing 
the online operations. 

4  Growing supermarket space 

To expand the Company’s store estate, actively seeking 
and developing a pipeline of new stores and extending 
the largely under-developed store portfolio to provide 
an even better food offer while also growing space for 
non-food ranges. 

5  Active property management 

The ownership of property assets provides operational 
flexibility and the exploitation of potential development 
opportunities will maximise value. 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Over 19 million customer transactions on average every
 
week, a million more than last year
 

A 16.1 per cent market share in the UK, up by 0.2 per cent 
on last year 

Won more Quality Food Awards than any other retailer this 
year, including seven wins from 15 categories for Value products 

World’s largest retailer of Fairtrade goods by value 

Over 

19m 

customer transactions on average every 
week, a million more than last year 

Complementary non-food grew three times faster than 
food sales and the TU clothing range continued to be 
the star performer 

Our TU childrenswear range is now the seventh largest 
in the UK market by volume 

Doubled our clothing warehouse capacity to manage the 
increasing demand for our clothing lines 

Sainsbury’s Bank delivered strong growth, with operating 
profit increasing to £19 million 

51 Sainsbury’s convenience stores opened during 2009/10 

Total convenience estate of 335 stores with plans to open 
75 to 100 more in 2010/11 

Groceries online business growing rapidly with sales up 
just under 20 per cent, within reach of nearly 90 per cent 
of UK households 

Non-food online launched in July 2009, with over 8,000 
products now available nationally 

38 new supermarkets opened, including our largest store 
in Northern Ireland at 70,000 sq ft 

13 supermarkets extended 

Added over 1.1 million gross sq ft of new space in total 
(including convenience), an increase of 6.8 per cent 

On track to meet our target of increasing gross space by 
15 per cent over the two years to March 2011 

Market value of our freehold property portfolio increased 
to £9.8 billion 

Up £2.3 billion on last year, including £0.7 billion of property 
value created from investment and development activity 

294 wholly-owned freehold and long leasehold stores,
 
of which 85 per cent have development potential
 

Two property joint ventures containing 43 supermarkets 

3x 

Complementary non-food grew three 
times faster than food sales 

Online up 

20% 

Online sales growing rapidly with 
turnover up over 20 per cent 

Added over 

1.1m gross sq ft 

of new space in total, including 38 new 
supermarkets and 13 extensions 

£9.8bn
 

Market value of freehold property 

   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
  
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
  
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
  
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
Business review 

About Sainsbury’s 
J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 and today operates a total 
of 872 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience 
stores. It jointly owns Sainsbury’s Bank with Lloyds Banking Group 
and has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group PLC 
and The British Land Company PLC. 

The Sainsbury’s brand is built upon a heritage of providing customers 
with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. Quality and fair prices go 
hand-in-hand with a responsible approach to business. Sainsbury’s 
stores have a particular emphasis on fresh food and we strive 
to innovate continuously and improve products in line with our 
customer needs. 

We now serve over 19 million customers a week and have a market 
share of over 16 per cent. Our large stores offer around 30,000 
products and we offer complementary non-food products and 
services in many of our stores. An internet-based home delivery 
shopping service is also available to nearly 90 per cent of UK 
households. We employ 150,000 colleagues. 

Contents 

Annual Review 

Business review
— Values and highlights
— Chairman’s statement 
— Key financial performance indicators
— Operating review
— Corporate responsibility review  
— Financial review  
— Principal risks and uncertainties  
Board of Directors 
Operating Board 

 1 
 2 
3 
 4 
 5 
11 
16 
22 
24 
26 

Governance 

27 
Directors’ report  
29 
Statement of corporate governance 
33 
Remuneration report 
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities   43 

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Financial summary 

Sales (including VAT) 
Sales (excluding VAT) 
Underlying operating profi t 
Underlying profit before tax 
Profit before tax 
Profit after tax 

2009/10 
£m 

2008/09 
£m 

21,421  20,383 
19,964  18,911 
616 
519 
466 
289 

671 
610 
733 
585 

Underlying basic earnings per share 
Basic earnings per share 
Full year dividend per share 

23.9p 
32.1p 
14.2p 

21.2p 
16.6p 
13.2p 

Change 
% 

5.1 
5.6 
8.9 
17.5 
57.3 
102.4 

12.7 
93.4 
7.6 

Notes 
Like-for-like sales: Like-for-like sales are Easter-adjusted for comparative purposes. 2009/10 included a Good Friday trading 
week and an Easter Sunday trading week. 2008/09 included an Easter Sunday trading week. 

Underlying operating profit: Underlying profit before tax from continuing operations before underlying net fi nance costs 
and share of underlying post-tax results from joint ventures. 

As previously announced, Sainsbury’s has excluded the non-cash IAS 19 financing element from its underlying profi t 
definition. The comparatives for all relevant underlying measures have been restated accordingly. 

Underlying profit before tax: Profit before tax from continuing operations before any profit or loss on the sale of properties, 
investment property fair value movements, impairment of goodwill, financing fair value movements, IAS 19 pension 
financing element and one-off items that are material and infrequent in nature. 

Underlying basic earnings per share: Profit after tax from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders 
before any profit or loss on the sale of properties, investment property fair value movements, impairment of goodwill, 
financing fair value movements, IAS 19 pension financing element and one-off items that are material and infrequent in 
nature, divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period, excluding those held by the 
ESOP trusts, which are treated as cancelled. 

‘Green to the Core?’ survey — Consumer Focus (formally known as the National Consumer Council) commissioned 
independent marketing research agency, GfK NOP Ltd, to conduct in-store, helpline and website research during July 2009. 

Sainsbury’s 16.1 per cent market share at March 2010 is based on Kantar World panel 52 week data (Total till roll, Share 
of Grocers). 

The property value of £9.8 billion has been estimated based on independent third party valuations as at March 2010 
covering a representative sample of around 50 per cent of our freehold and long leasehold properties. The basis of 
valuation is investment market value based on rent and yield, assuming sale and leaseback on the standard institutional 
lease which the Company currently uses when transacting its disposals of mature assets. 

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current 
expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ 
materially from any expected future events or results referred to in these forward-looking statements. They appear in a 
number of places throughout the Annual Report and Financial Statements and include statements regarding our intentions, 
beliefs or current expectations and those of our officers, directors and employees concerning, amongst other things, 
our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the business we operate. Unless 
otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or accounting standard, we do not undertake any obligation to update or 
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. 

Financial Statements 
& additional information 

Independent Auditors’ report to the 
44 
members of J Sainsbury plc 
Group income statement 
45 
Statements of comprehensive income   46 
47 
Balance sheets  
48 
Cash fl ow statements 
49 
Statements of changes in equity  
51 
Notes to the fi nancial statements  
103 
Five year fi nancial record  
104 
Additional shareholder information 
106 
Financial calendar  
107 
Glossary 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Values and highlights 

OUR GOAL 
At Sainsbury’s we will deliver an ever improving quality shopping 
experience for our customers with great products at fair prices. 
We will exceed customer expectations for healthy, safe, fresh and 
tasty food, making their lives easier every day.
 

As a leading food retailer 
we focus on being 

1.  BEST FOR 
FOOD AND

   HEALTH
 

...that’s why we’re so 
committed to... 
2.  SOURCING
 
WITH INTEGRITY 

And because we source from around the world 
and sell in the UK we have to show 

3.  RESPECT FOR OUR 
ENVIRONMENT 

...and play an active role 
in the communities that we serve 

  4.  MAKING A POSITIVE 
DIFFERENCE TO OUR COMMUNITY 

All this is possible through the commitment 
of our colleagues so we make Sainsbury’s 
5.  A GREAT PLACE 
TO WORK 

   Freefrom: 

 100

     new and improved ‘Freefrom‘ lines making 

the range 236 in total.

  Be Good to Yourself: The ‘Be Good 

to Yourself’ healthy food range was 

relaunched in January 2010 with 60 new 

and improved lines, bringing the total to 
around 250 lines. 

  Fairtrade: With sales of over 

 £218 million,


     we are the world’s largest retailer of 

Fairtrade by value.

  Development groups: During 2009/10 

we extended Sainsbury’s successful 

Development Group model to beef, pork, 

poultry, lamb, cheese and egg suppliers. 

  Green to the Core: 

‘A rating’

     in the ‘Green to the Core?’ survey by 

Consumer Focus.

  Store environmental innovation: We continue 
to lead on store environmental innovation 
with our eco-store programme growing 
larger in 2009/10 with new store openings. 

  Active Kids: To date we have donated over

 £86 million

     to schools and clubs.

  Sport Relief: Customers and colleagues 

helped us to donate a record £5 million for 
Sport Relief 2010, more than doubling the 
£2.3 million raised for Sport Relief 2008. 

   Over 

 £80 million

     bonus payment will be shared between 

127,000 colleagues.

     ‘You Can’: around 9,150 colleagues have 

been provided with job opportunities, skills 
and qualifi cations through our ‘You Can’ 
programme. 

And that’s why we believe OUR VALUES MAKE US DIFFERENT


2 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Chairman’s statement
 

David Tyler, Chairman 

The Board is pleased with the performance of Sainsbury’s over 
the last year. We delivered good profit growth and underlying 
earnings per share were up over 12 per cent. Our progress in 
achieving strategic objectives has been very encouraging, 
especially in increasing our selling space and widening the 
range of our complementary non-food offer. At the same time, 
the values of the organisation have continued to underpin 
everything we do, with our continued focus on customer 
service and responsible trading. 

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Our colleagues 
I was delighted to be invited to become Chairman of the 
business last autumn and would first like to thank my 
predecessor, Sir Philip Hampton, for the major contribution 
he has made to Sainsbury’s during his five years at the 
Company. Since 2005, sales have grown by around 
£1 billion each year and profits have more than doubled. 

My most significant observation since joining is associated 
with our 150,000 colleagues. I have been hugely impressed 
with their enthusiasm and their commitment to deliver 
a great experience for our customers. They share 
Sainsbury’s values and work well as a team. I would like to 
thank them all for their hard work in the last 12 months and 
their commitment over an extended period to ‘Making 
Sainsbury’s Great Again’. As a result of their success, 
colleagues have been able to earn a share of a record 
bonus this year of over £80 million. 

Market background 
2009/10 was a year of recession in the UK. In this very 
uncertain environment, consumers have naturally been 
determined to shop around for more value. Some 
commentators believed that Sainsbury’s would under-
perform in these conditions. However, our universal 
customer appeal and flexibility in meeting customer needs 
has enabled us to grow our market share and profi tability 
during this period. 

Our results 
The commitment of our colleagues and our focus on 
customers has been key to the delivery of another strong 
set of results despite this challenging economic backdrop. 
Underlying profit before tax for the year was up 17.5 per 
cent to £610 million with underlying basic earnings per 
share up 12.7 per cent to 23.9 pence. As a result of this 
continued improvement in profitability, the Board is 
recommending a final dividend of 10.2 pence per share, 
making a full year dividend of 14.2 pence, an increase of 
7.6 per cent over the previous year. This dividend is covered 
1.68 times by underlying earnings in line with our policy for 
dividend cover of 1.50 to 1.75 times. 

Strategy and business model 
Our strategy is based on five areas of focus which aim to 
improve our profitability through universal customer 
appeal and increased reach throughout the UK. Great food 
at fair prices remains core to our heritage of offering 
fresh, tasty and healthy food at a competitive price. 

Our customers welcome our emphasis on freshness and 
value and consequently we now serve over 19 million 
customers a week which is one million more than last year. 
Accelerating the growth of complementary non-food 
ranges and services is a significant area of focus and 
non-food sales are now growing at three times the rate of 
food. We are reaching more customers through additional 
channels by opening 51 new convenience stores and by 
developing our online home delivery operation which is now 
available to nearly 90 per cent of UK households. We also 
successfully launched our non-food online business in the 
year. Growing supermarket space has been fundamental 
in helping us to grow market share to 16.1 per cent of the 
UK grocery market. Our store pipeline has been built up 
steadily over the last five years. This year we have 
increased gross store space by 6.8 per cent and we are 
on track to deliver 15 per cent growth in the two years to 
March 2011. Active property management underpins our 
strategy. The value of our freehold property estate is now 
estimated at £9.8 billion, up £2.3 billion from last year. 

Our values 
2009/10 was an award-winning year with Sainsbury’s 
voted the ‘Supermarket of the Year’ by the Retail Industry 
Awards. We received recognition for our commitment to 
excellent customer service and the outstanding quality of 
our offer. Our customers expect us to trade responsibly 
and ethically without compromising on quality or value. 
We are proud to be the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade 
goods by value which reflects the importance we attach 
to sourcing goods with integrity. We are also pleased to 
have been awarded an industry-leading ‘A rating’ for our 
customer engagement on green issues in the ‘Green to 
the Core?’ survey, conducted by Consumer Focus. 

Outlook 
Sainsbury’s is a growing business with a strong balance 
sheet, valuable property assets and an improving return 
on capital. Our strong operating cash flows support our 
plans to accelerate the investment programme, delivering 
further trading and property value for shareholders. 
While we expect that the environment will remain 
challenging and consumer spending will be under pressure, 
we believe our substantial space growth plans, supporting 
our expanding food, non-food and convenience store 
businesses, alongside our continued focus on productivity, 
will enable the business to make further good progress. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Key financial performance indicators
 

Like-for-like sales1  (%)	 

Total sales1  (%) 

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25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

24.4 

19.9 

13.2 

9.9.9.000 

4.4.4.333 

1yr LfL 

2yr LfL 

3yr LfL 
2009/10 

4yr LfL 

5yr LfL 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

33.9 

27.2 

18.1 

11.11.11.777 

6.6.6.777 

1yr 

2yr 

3yr 
2009/10 

4yr 

5yr 

Trading intensity per square foot2, 3  (£ per week) 

Underlying EBITDAR4  (%) 

2005/06  £18.40 

2006/07  £19.30 

2007/08  £19.69 

2008/09  £20.01 

2009/10  £20.42 up 2.0% 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

6.886.886.88 

7.7.7.222333 

7.49 

7.62 

7.79 

Underlying operating margin5  (%)	 

Underlying profit before tax6  (£m) 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08	 

2008/09	 

2009/10 

2.22.2444 
2.2	 

2.54 
2.542.54 

2005/06

2006/07

242424444 

333333999 

3.00 

2007/08 

3.26 

2008/09 

3.36 

2009/10	 

434 

519 

610 

Underlying basic earnings per share7  (pence) 

Net capital expenditure8  (£m) 

2005/06  9.5	 

2006/07 

13.0	 

2007/08 

17.4	 

2008/09  21.2 	

2009/10	 

23.9 up 12.7% 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

Pre-tax return on capital employed9  (%)	 

Operating cash flow (£m) 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10	 

6.6.111 
6.	 

7.7.777 
7.	 

8.8 

10.1 

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08	 

2008/09	 

11.0 

2009/10 

363636111 

636363111 

799 

862 

915

787878000 

838383000 

998 

1,206 

1,206 

	Sales excluding fuel, including VAT. 

Notes 
1 
2  Trading intensity per square foot: sales per week (including VAT, excluding fuel) divided by sales area excluding checkout space. 
3  Adjusted for comparative purposes for the VAT change to 15 per cent between 1 December 2008 and 31 December 2009. 
4  	Underlying EBITDAR: underlying profit before tax from continuing operations before underlying net finance costs, underlying share of post-tax profit or loss from joint ventures, depreciation, amortisation and 

rent, divided by sales excluding VAT including fuel. 

5  	Underlying operating margin: underlying profit before tax from continuing operations before underlying net finance costs and underlying share of post-tax profit or loss from joint ventures, divided by sales 

excluding VAT, including fuel. 

6  	Underlying profit before tax: profit before tax from continuing operations before any profit or loss on the sale of properties, investment property fair value movements, impairment of goodwill, financing fair 

value movements, IAS 19 pension financing element and one-off items that are material and infrequent in nature. 

7  	Underlying basic earnings per share: profit after tax from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders before any profit or loss on sale of properties, investment property fair value movements, 
impairment of goodwill, financing fair value movements, IAS 19 pension financing element and one-off items that are material and infrequent in nature, divided by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares in issue during the period, excluding those held by the ESOP trusts, which are treated as cancelled. 

8  Net capital expenditure: total capital expenditure including the investment in the British Land joint venture in 2008/09, less disposal proceeds. 
9  Underlying profit before interest and tax, divided by the average of opening and closing capital employed (net assets before net debt). 

4 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating review 

Justin King, Chief Executive 

Sainsbury’s has outperformed because we continue to lead on 
providing healthy, fresh and tasty food with universal appeal. 
Total sales, including VAT, excluding fuel, for the year were up 
6.7 per cent and like-for-like sales were up 4.3 per cent. Like-for­
like sales have grown cumulatively over five years by nearly 25 per 
cent. Customers recognise the progress we have made in ‘Making 
Sainsbury’s Great Again’ and we now serve on average over 
19 million customers each week. That’s one million more than 
last year and nearly five million more than five years ago. 

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Colleagues have worked hard to deliver operational 
excellence resulting in better service and further 
productivity savings which have contributed to 
17.5 per cent growth in underlying profit before tax, 
a good performance in difficult trading times. I am 
delighted therefore that 127,000 colleagues will 

share a bonus of over £80 million. Our success has 
also meant that we have been able to invest over 
£900 million in capital expenditure in the year. This 
has added 1.1 million sq ft to our store estate, opening 
or extending over 100 stores and creating over 6,500 
new jobs with Sainsbury’s. 

Good sales and profit performance: accelerating our growth strategy 

Financial summary 

•  Total sales (including VAT, including fuel) up 5.1 per cent to £21,421 million (2008/09: £20,383 million) 

•  Total sales (including VAT, excluding fuel) up 6.7 per cent 

•  Like-for-like sales (including VAT, excluding fuel) up 4.3 per cent 

•  Underlying operating profit up 8.9 per cent to £671 million (2008/09: £616 million) 

•  Underlying profit before tax up 17.5 per cent to £610 million (2008/09: £519 million) 

•  Underlying basic earnings per share up 12.7 per cent to 23.9 pence (2008/09: 21.2 pence) 

•  Proposed full year dividend of 14.2 pence (2008/09: 13.2 pence), up 7.6 per cent 

Statutory 

•  Profit before tax up 57.3 per cent to £733 million (2008/09: £466 million) 

•  Basic earnings per share up 93.4 per cent to 32.1 pence (2008/09: 16.6 pence) 

Balance sheet and fi nancing 

•  Property value of £9.8 billion up £2.3 billion, £0.7 billion due to investment and development activity 
•  IAS 19 pension deficit post-tax at March 2010 of £303 million (March 2009: deficit post-tax of £222 million) 

•  Triennial March 2009 pension funding agreed — utilises property asset, post-tax cash fl ows unchanged 

•  Net debt of £1,549 million, ongoing funding secured on property, credit rating affirmed then withdrawn 

Making Sainsbury’s Great Again 

•  Now over 19 million weekly customer transactions, up one million year-on-year 

•  ‘Supermarket of the Year’ in 2009 Retail Industry Awards 

•  Top marks in the Consumer Focus ‘Green to the Core?’ survey 

•  127,000 colleagues share bonus of over £80 million 

•  Food: World’s largest retailer of Fairtrade; UK’s largest retailer of Freedom Food 

•  Non-food: Growing at three times the rate of food; Sainsbury’s Bank pre-tax operating profit of £19 million 

•  Channels: 51 new convenience stores; groceries online sales up just under 20 per cent 

•  Space: 1.1 million sq ft of gross new space added, including 38 new supermarkets 
•  On track for 2.5 million sq ft, or 15 per cent, of gross new space growth in two years to March 2011 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Operating review continued 

Operating review 

Since launching the ‘Making Sainsbury’s Great Again’ 
plan we have continued to grow the business and build 
a strong foundation for growth. In what has been a 
challenging consumer environment over the past year, 
we have delivered good results and accelerated our 
growth strategy. 

Our business model has shown its resilience. We listened 
to our customers and delivered an offer with genuine 
universal appeal, enabling them to do their full weekly shop 
with us, whatever their budget. This was recognised by 
Sainsbury’s being awarded ‘Supermarket of the Year’ in 
the 2009 Retail Industry Awards for the third time in four 
years, where the judges acknowledged our clear customer 
understanding and innovation in providing value without 
compromising brand and quality standards. 

Ever since John Sainsbury set up his first dairy shop in 
1869, our values have made us different. They refl ect our 
customers’ priorities and the way we want to work. Our 
customers are demanding and want top quality purchases 
at a fair price and to them quality includes social, 
environmental and ethical concerns. 

Trading summary 

We have made strong progress on our strategic areas of 
focus over the past year. We have grown store space and 
expanded our product ranges. We are developing new 
lines of business and distribution channels. We continue to 
actively manage our property estate for long-term value. 

Good sales performance has underpinned our success. 
Total sales, including VAT, excluding fuel, increased by 
6.7 per cent during the year and our like-for-like sales 
were up 4.3 per cent, ahead of our three to four per cent 
medium-term objective. We now serve over 19 million 
customers each week, a million more than last year. 

All areas of our business supported this sales growth. 
Our non-food product range performed extremely well, 
with sales growing three times as quickly as food and our 
groceries online business grew by just under 20 per cent. 
Convenience stores experienced strong underlying growth 
and we made good progress in growing supermarket 
space, with net new space contributing two per cent 
to total sales growth. 

We invest both to stay competitive on price and to improve 
the quality of our offer. ‘Shop and Save’ communicates the 

Company’s competitive pricing policy and 
strong promotions. We have worked hard to 
ensure that retail price inflation for our 
customers remained lower than cost of goods 
inflation through the year and have also 
delivered great value promotions. ‘Switch and 
Save’ helps customers to save at least 20 per 
cent by choosing our equivalent own-label 
standard products or more through choosing 
‘basics’ products over leading brands and was 
recognised as the consumer initiative of the 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

year in ‘The Grocer Gold Awards 2009’. ‘Cook and Save’ 
provides cooking ideas such as ‘Feed Your Family for a 
Fiver’, one of our most successful campaigns to date. 

Building customer loyalty is an important feature of our 
business and we have increased the range and depth of 
our engagement with customers through our unique 
loyalty offer combining the Nectar loyalty scheme with 
‘coupon at till’ technology. Our ‘Collect and Save’ 
campaign delivers a wide range of relevant and targeted 
offers which our customers really value and over 100 
suppliers are now signed up to the scheme. There are now 
one million more Nectar users than last year and Nectar 
has become the UK’s largest loyalty card scheme. 

We also invest to deliver operational excellence. We have 
again raised our performance in customer service and 
product availability this year. We upgraded our IT 
infrastructure to improve stock replenishment and 
enhanced our ordering flexibility, thereby reducing 
food waste. 

Higher wages, energy prices and property costs pushed 
cost inflation to the higher end of our two to three per cent 
medium-term expectations. Cost-saving measures such 
as self-checkout and bioptic scanners, amongst many 
other initiatives, have offset over 75 per cent of this cost 
inflation. In addition we continue to invest for the long 
term with the expansion of our non-food infrastructure 
and depot capacity, the launch of our non-food online 
operation and a significant step-up in new space growth. 

This year’s good sales performance was matched by 
good growth in underlying operating profit with growth 
of 8.9 per cent to £671 million. Increased sales and tight 
cost control has improved our underlying operating 
margin which rose by 10 basis points to 3.36 per cent. 

We continue to invest in developing our business for 
the future. We have invested over £900 million capital 
expenditure in the year, adding a gross 1.1 million sq ft of 
new space in line with our accelerated growth plans. This 
included opening 38 new supermarkets and has helped to 
create over 6,500 new jobs with Sainsbury’s. We expect to 
achieve a pre-tax internal rate of return in excess of 15 per 
cent on our current investment programme, with a further 
£1.1 billion of capital expenditure earmarked for 2010/11. 

Financial strength 

Sainsbury’s is a strongly cash-generative business and 
delivered an operating cash flow of £1.2 billion in the year. 
Net debt reduced by £122 million in the year to £1,549 
million (March 2009: £1,671 million). 

We have strong asset backing from our freehold property 
estate which has significant development potential. As at 
20 March 2010, the estimated market value of our freehold 
property assets was £9.8 billion, an increase of £2.3 billion 
since last year. 

Our efficient capital structure comprises debt that is 
secured on our property assets and is low-cost and 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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long-dated. Since the major refinancing of the business in 
2006, Sainsbury’s has funded itself through the secured 
debt market, supplemented by shorter-term bank credit 
lines and has no rated unsecured debt instruments 
outstanding. Following a review of funding requirements 
we do not anticipate issuing unsecured capital markets 
debt and as such the corporate rating is no longer needed. 

Accordingly, and consistent with the strategy followed 
by a number of other property-rich companies using 
secured funding platforms, Sainsbury’s has withdrawn 
its corporate family rating from Moody’s Investors Service 
and its corporate credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. 
This concludes the transition to an asset-backed funding 
strategy initiated in 2006 and no material impact on the 
cost or availability of debt is anticipated. The Group has 
over £3 billion of available debt and facilities, which gives 
us significant funding capacity both to support our current 
activities and to realise our future ambitions. 

As at 20 March 2010, the IAS 19 pension defi cit post-tax 
was £303 million (March 2009: deficit of £222 million). 
This reflects the fact that asset values have increased by 
£900 million since March 2009, offset by a lower real 
discount rate and revised mortality assumptions. 

In May 2010, Sainsbury’s reached agreement with the 
Company’s Pension Scheme Trustees on the terms of the 
triennial actuarial valuation, which was struck at 21 March 
2009, and related funding plan. The actuarial defi cit is 
£1,227 million, with the increase from the last actuarial 
deficit of £443 million (in March 2006) refl ecting that 
asset values were taken at a low point in the cycle. 

The funding plan represents a comprehensive package 
of measures to address the deficit whilst ensuring effi cient 
cash management for Sainsbury’s. We are utilising 
property assets to address half of the deficit through the 
establishment of a property-backed partnership, which 
avoids locking in higher annual cash payments based on 
depressed March 2009 asset values, and enables the 
contributions agreed to be cash-neutral on a post-tax 
basis over the next five years. The actuarial valuation 
and related funding plan will be finalised in June 2010 
and submitted to the Pensions Regulator. 

Our Values Make Us Different 

Underpinning our business are five key values, which we 
believe set us apart from other retailers. They determine 
our priorities to ensure that we conduct ourselves in an 
honest, ethical, and therefore sustainable fashion. Our 
commitment to values was recognised in November 
2009 when Sainsbury’s was awarded top marks in the 
Consumer Focus ‘Green to the Core?’ survey of leading 
UK supermarkets for our customer engagement on 
green issues. 

As a leading food retailer, we seek to be the best for food 
and health which is why we are committed to sourcing 
our products with integrity. As we source from all over 
the world to sell in the UK, we promote respect for our 
environment and the communities in which we operate. 

Our commitment to our values would not be possible 
without the full support of our colleagues, making 
Sainsbury’s a great place to work. 

Being best for food and health was the founding principle 
on which our business was built. Sainsbury’s very fi rst 
store was established to improve the diet of poorer 
Londoners through good quality, healthy eating. It is 
common to all our food offerings and is fundamental in 
sub-brands like ‘Freefrom’, ‘Be Good to Yourself’ and 
‘Taste the Difference’. We promote healthy eating by 
inspiring customers to cook via successful campaigns 
such as ‘Feed your Family for a Fiver’ and simple recipe 
‘tip cards’. Over 25 per cent of these contain at least one 
portion of fruit or vegetables towards the recommended 
‘five a day’ and half of the ideas on tip cards are rated 
as ‘healthier’. 

Sainsbury’s goes to great lengths to source with integrity. 
We are committed to offering British products at their 
best, when in season and when quality meets customers’ 
expectations. We are the world’s largest Fairtrade retailer 
by value, providing financial and logistical support to 
farmers to help them achieve Fairtrade status. One in 
every four pounds spent on Fairtrade in the UK is spent 
at a Sainsbury’s store. Our leadership in this area was 
recognised by the South African president Jacob Zuma 
when he toured our Greenwich supermarket during his 
UK state visit in March 2010. 

Our respect for the environment aligns with our 
customers’ concerns. We recognise that in order to 
seriously tackle climate change, we must work upstream 
alongside our supply chain, as well as downstream with 
our customers. Making it easier for our customers to 
reduce, re-use and recycle goes a long way to making 
a difference. Our ‘Make the Difference Day’ initiatives are 
designed to have a big impact with a simple, easy-to-use 
idea like our ‘Love Your Leftovers’ food container 
giveaway. We gave away two million re-usable food 
containers to help customers use their food leftovers 
and thereby reduce food waste. 

Initiatives to reduce waste, packaging and energy usage 
have also been implemented which are environmentally 
responsible as well as cost efficient. During 2009/10 we 
reduced energy usage by two and a half per cent despite 
over six per cent space growth, through our energy reset 
programme. We are also the first supermarket to commit 
to CO2 refrigeration, which is up to 3,000 times less 
damaging than other refrigerants in global warming terms. 
This is a pledge which will help us achieve our commitment 
to cut our carbon footprint by a third by 2030. 

Our stores are at the heart of the communities 
they serve and through economic and social 
impacts we aim to make a positive difference 
to these communities. We actively get involved 
in local organisations to promote a healthier 
and more active lifestyle for people of all ages, 
and each store is encouraged to select a local 
charity and work together to make a real 
difference for people in that community. 
Nationally, our Active Kids programme helps 

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Operating review continued 

to give schools and nurseries access to sports equipment 
and promote healthier lifestyles. Active Kids has now 
raised £86 million towards sports and cooking equipment in 
local schools, nurseries and clubs. We are also proud to 
have raised over £5 million for Sport Relief during the year. 

Earlier this month Sainsbury’s became the offi cial sponsor 
of London 2012 Paralympic Games which complements 
our commitment to promote healthy, fitter lifestyles across 
all ages and abilities and will offer great opportunities for 
our customers and colleagues to get involved. 

Ensuring that Sainsbury’s is a great place to work builds 
on our commitment to help improve the quality of life for 
our colleagues. We were the first UK employer to offer 
fl exible qualifications to our colleagues and since launching 
‘You Can’ in 2008, over 9,000 colleagues have benefi ted 
from our job-related qualification schemes. This year 
we trained an additional 300 apprentices on our bakery, 
meat and fish counters and we plan to continue to 
develop our apprenticeships in many new stores. We are 
the first supermarket to have launched a bakery college 
which will take over 200 apprentices towards a level 2 
NVQ qualification on the successful completion of the 
apprenticeship. As a result of these and many more 
initiatives in developing our people, our colleague 
retention has improved signifi cantly year-on-year. 
As a result of their success, 127,000 colleagues have 
shared in a record bonus this year of over £80 million. 

Accelerating our Growth — Five Areas of Focus 

In 2007, we identifi ed five areas of focus for developing 
our business and significant progress in each area has 
contributed to our good performance. During 2009/10 
we have accelerated our growth in these areas by 
allocating additional capital and resources. 

Great food at fair prices: To build on and stretch the lead 
in food. By sharing our customers’ passion for healthy, 
safe, fresh and tasty food, Sainsbury’s will continue to 
innovate and provide leadership in delivering quality 
products at fair prices, sourced with integrity. 

Accelerating the growth of complementary non-food 
and services: To accelerate the development of non-food 
ranges and services, such as Sainsbury’s Bank, following 
the same principles of quality, value and innovation and 
to provide a broader shopping experience for customers. 

Reaching more customers through additional channels: 
To extend the reach of Sainsbury’s brand by opening new 
convenience stores and developing our online businesses. 

Growing supermarket space: To expand the Company’s 
store estate, actively developing a pipeline of new stores 
and extending the largely under-developed store portfolio 
to provide an even better food offer while also growing 
space for complementary non-food ranges. 

Active property management: The ownership of 
property assets provides operational flexibility and the 
exploitation of potential development opportunities will 
maximise value. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

1  Great food at fair prices 

We continually invest in the quality of our 
food and no other food retailer does more 
to provide its customers with fresh and 
in-season British produce at fair prices. 
Under our ‘Local First for Fresh’ scheme, 
around 50 stores now take delivery from 
local suppliers of new potatoes and strawberries 
on the day they are harvested. 

We continue to develop closer relations with 
over 17,000 farmers and growers both at 
home and overseas to help improve the 
quality and value of the food they provide. Through 
our ‘Field to Fork’ initiative we have been encouraging 
suppliers to work together to share knowledge and 
expertise and have extended our existing development 
group for dairy farmers to beef, lamb, pork, cheese, 
poultry and egg farmers. 

Own-brand products are rigorously and independently 
tested through quality sampling, benchmark testing and 
customer panels. Products don’t reach our shelves unless 
they are judged to be better than existing products. We 
launched 1,300 new own-brand products this year and 
improved a further 3,500. These efforts have not gone 
unnoticed. Sainsbury’s won more Quality Food Awards 
than any other retailer this year, including seven wins 
from 15 categories for Value products. 

Ethical issues remain high on our customers’ minds and 
Sainsbury’s is proud to offer the largest range of ‘Freedom 
Food’ that meets the RSPCA standards for higher welfare 
in the UK. For the healthier-minded, we strive for great-
tasting food with a high nutritional value. We relaunched 
our ‘Freefrom’ and ‘Be Good to Yourself’ ranges this year. 
Our ‘Freefrom’ range for customers with wheat, gluten 
and dairy intolerances now has over 100 new or improved 
products and a market share of nearly 29 per cent, up 
seven per cent on last year. ‘Be Good to Yourself’ was 
relaunched in January 2010 with 60 new lines, with a focus 
on taste and new product innovation. We now have around 
250 lines in the range and have grown our market share 
since launch to nearly 27 per cent. 

In a year in which household budgets were under pressure, 
several initiatives promoted value for money. We expanded 
our entry-level ‘basics’ range with 140 new products last 
year and now have over 700 products in the range which 
meet our quality standards whilst saving customers 
money. The range continues to deliver strong growth 
and sales were up 25 per cent this year. 

Our ‘Cook and Save’ campaign offers money-saving 
tips to encourage scratch cooking. In the last 12 months 
we have created over 100 different tip cards which are 
a firm favourite with customers who collected over 
40 million cards from stores during the year. Our 
successful ‘Feed Your Family for a Fiver’ campaign 
featured Jamie Oliver giving nutritious, tasty recipe 
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Operating review continued 

2  Accelerating the growth of complementary 

non-food and services 

Supermarket operators currently account for less than 
15 per cent of the £166 billion UK non-food market and 
the scale of the opportunity is therefore considerable. 
We compete with non-food retailers and our focus on 
‘high street style’ at supermarket prices resonates 
with customers. 

Today, only around 20 per cent of the UK population live 
within a 15-minute drive of one of our stores with a wider 
15,000 sq ft plus non-food offer. Consequently, we are 
stepping up plans for extensions and completed 13 larger, 
more cost-effective extensions in the year. We have a 
strong pipeline and expect to add 15 to 20 extensions 
per year ongoing with 70 planning consents already 
held. This will result in the proportion of the population 
within a 15-minute drive time doubling to around 40 per 
cent by 2014. When we extend a store it generates uplifts 
in both food and non-food sales, becoming a destination 
store for both product ranges, that customers will travel 
longer to visit. 

We are developing compelling non-food 
ranges which are relevant and easy to 
shop with clothing, home décor, 
cookshop and papershop key areas of 
focus. During the year our complementary 
non-food business grew at three times 
the rate of food and our TU clothing 
range continued to be a star performer. 
Ladieswear grew well with major 
highlights on footwear, accessories and 
lingerie. Childrenswear grew strongly 

and we are now the seventh largest childrenswear 
retailer in the UK market by volume. 

General merchandise also enjoyed strong growth. 
The January Sale drove significant sales increases in our 
homeware ranges, with home accessories, cookshop and 
bedding showing significant uplift. In Entertainment we 
continue to grow market share. Launch events for ‘Harry 
Potter’ and ‘Call of Duty’ helped to demonstrate that we 
can take up to 25 per cent market share with targeted 
and coordinated marketing on key items that also has 
the effect of increasing customer visits to our stores. 

Operationally, we have increased the volume of goods we 
source directly from the Far East and we have opened a 
new sourcing office in Shanghai to complement our main 
operation in Hong Kong. We have established a second 
clothing depot in Bedford to support our main depot in 
Coventry, doubling our clothing warehouse capacity and 
helping manage the increasing demand for our clothing 
lines. An upgraded IT system, which helps us to control 
our clothing stock more effectively, is now being extended 
to handle all our non-food items. 

Sainsbury’s Bank delivered strong growth despite 
a challenging market. The launch of the new reward 
campaign in September, offering customers double Nectar 
points for two years on their Sainsbury’s shopping when 
they take out a financial services product, demonstrates 

the closer integration with our core business. Sainsbury’s 
Bank customers spend more in our stores and customer 
numbers have increased to 1.4 million active customer 
accounts. We continue to win awards for our products 
including two key industry awards for ‘Best Online Credit 
Card Provider’ and ‘Best Direct Home Insurance Provider’ 
and are extending the range of financial services we offer 
with, for example, travel money bureaux now becoming 
a core in-store service with our one hundredth bureau 
now open. 

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3  Reaching more customers through
 

additional channels
 

Convenience is the fastest-growing sector in the grocery 
store market and a key growth area for Sainsbury’s. 
The market is still not consolidated — the four largest 
players have a combined share of less than 15 per cent 
— representing a significant growth opportunity. We opened 
51 convenience stores during 2009/10, adding 122,000 sq ft 
of additional space, and now have a total estate of 335 
stores with plans to open 75 to 100 more in 2010/11, and 
then over 100 per year thereafter. 

Our ‘food on the move’ and ‘neighbourhood’ formats 
are working well, meeting customer needs for food 
for now, later and top-up shopping. We continue to be 
creative in the way we use all available space to provide 
as comprehensive an offer as possible with our 
convenience stores delivering good underlying growth. 

Our groceries online business is also growing rapidly with 
annual sales now over £500 million and the business is 
delivering a positive contribution to profitability. We now 
reach nearly 90 per cent of UK households and through 
continued improvements in IT, supply chain and store-
picking processes we have achieved record service and 
product availability metrics. 

In July 2009, we successfully launched our non-food 
online business with over 8,000 non-food products 
available nationally. We will be introducing our ‘click 
and collect’ service into ten trial stores from May 2010. 

4  Growing supermarket space 

In addition to our strong pipeline of extensions and 
planned convenience store openings, we also have 
significant opportunity to grow supermarket space. 
Sainsbury’s currently has a 16.1 per cent market share 
in the UK as a whole, up by 0.2 per cent on last year. 
However, we are currently under-represented in many 
areas of the country and this provides a real opportunity 
for growth. Around 40 per cent of the UK population 
does not live within a 10-minute drive of a Sainsbury’s 
supermarket and we have started to close this gap. 
During the year we opened 38 new supermarkets of 
which around three quarters are in the areas where 
we are currently under-represented. This included 33 
stores (26 supermarkets and seven convenience stores) 
acquired from Co-op/Somerfield of which 32 are currently 
trading, with one due to open in the summer. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Of the 294 supermarkets that we wholly own, 89 are on 
the development plan, with a further 16 having potential 
for mixed-use schemes. Of the remaining balance, 141 have 
longer-term potential subject to planning, economic and 
physical viability. 

Sainsbury’s continues to monetise dry assets that have 
been fully developed and to use these proceeds to invest 
in stores with development potential. During the year 
we generated proceeds from disposals of £153 million, 
including the sale and leaseback of six supermarkets, 
realising a total profit on disposal of £27 million. 

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Operating review continued 

We operate a full range of store formats, from convenience 
to larger destination stores which means we can be more 
flexible with the space that we open whilst still ensuring 
that all investments meet our strict investment hurdle 
rate criteria. The combination of the 38 new supermarkets, 
13 extensions and 51 new convenience stores has meant 
that we have added over 1.1 million sq ft of gross new space 
in the year, equivalent to a 6.8 per cent increase. This new 
space is performing ahead of our expectations. 

In 2010/11, we plan for a full year gross space growth of 
around 8 per cent, fulfilling our growth plan of 15 per cent 
in the two years to March 2011 which equates to 2.5 million 
sq ft of additional selling area. We expect to achieve an 
internal rate of return in excess of 15 per cent on our 
current investment programme on a pre-tax basis. 

5  Active property management 

Ownership of our assets enables us to retain operational 
flexibility while exploiting development opportunities and 
maximising value for shareholders. 

At 20 March 2010, the value of our freehold property 
estate was estimated at £9.8 billion. This represents an 
increase of £2.3 billion in property value since last year 
of which £1.7 billion is due to a yield improvement but 
importantly £0.7 billion is due to investment and 
development activity we have undertaken, less £0.1 billion 
in relation to the disposal of dry assets. 

In total we wholly own 294 supermarkets and have 
a 50 per cent share of the 43 stores in our property 
joint ventures (“JVs”) and taken together this is equivalent 
to 65 per cent of our total supermarket trading space. 
Our estate comprises many well-located sites which are 
relatively under-developed and therefore have great 
potential for creating value through delivering trading 
uplifts and also an increase in the overall property value. 

We are working with our JV partners to maximise the 
value of the 43 sites held in these JVs. 21 are on the 
development plan, with a further 16 having longer-term 
potential. There are also four potential mixed-use schemes 
including Wandsworth, which is part of our JV with Land 
Securities and for which we received planning approval for 
a significant mixed-use scheme in March 2010. There are 
two dry assets which may be candidates for disposal at 
appropriate yields. 

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Corporate responsibility review 

Commitments and progress 

Value 

Commitment 

Progress 

Best for Food and Health 

Healthier baskets for 
customers 

We will make the most popular items in our 
customers’ baskets healthier, focusing on 
products that contribute the most saturated fat, 
salt or sugar to the UK diet, to deliver a real 
impact on the nation’s health. 

Ongoing — we continue to make the 
most popular items in our customers’ 
baskets healthier. 

Sourcing with Integrity 

Being best for British 

We will source great-tasting British products when  Achieved and Ongoing — we remain 
committed to supporting UK farmers 
in season, wherever these meet our customers’ 
and continue to source British 
expectations for quality and authenticity. 
products, both when in season and 
in certain categories all year round. 

Being number one 
supermarket for animal 
welfare 

We will offer the widest range of higher welfare 
products of any UK retailer. 

Achieved — we offer both the widest 
range of Freedom Food higher 
welfare products and sell more 
than any other UK retailer. 

Sourcing responsibly 
and ethically 

We will be the largest UK retailer of Fairtrade 
products (by sales value). 

Achieved — we are now the world’s 
largest retailer of Fairtrade by value. 

Respect for our Environment 

Reducing energy 

We will reduce our CO2 emissions per square 
metre by 25% by 2012, against a 2005/06 
baseline. 

Reducing packaging 

We will reduce our own brand packaging 
weight relative to sales, by 33% by 2015 
against a 2009 baseline. 

Reducing food waste 

We will have all supermarkets and depots 
connected to a zero food waste to landfi ll 
programme by the end of 2009. 

Ongoing — our commitment on 
refrigeration, Eco-stores and 
reset programme are helping us 
to progress towards this target. 

Ongoing — making progress both 
incrementally through packaging 
redesign and through packaging 
innovation like milk bags. 

Achieved — we now have all of our 
supermarkets and depots connected 
to a zero food waste to landfi ll 
programme. 

Reducing waste 

We will have all supermarkets and depots 
connected to a zero waste to landfi ll programme 
for operational waste by the end of 2010. 

Ongoing — making progress by using 
our back-hauling process more 
efficiently and ISO14001 at depots. 

Making a Positive Difference to our Community 

Generating a positive 
economic impact on 
communities 

We will provide 6,500 new Sainsbury’s jobs in 
2009/10, through our planned opening of 28 
supermarkets and 55 new convenience stores. 

Achieved — over 6,500 new 
Sainsbury’s jobs were created by 
opening 38 new supermarkets and 
51 new convenience stores. 

Supporting local 
communities 

We will launch our Local Charity of the Year 
scheme, linking every store, Sainsbury’s depot 
and our support centres to a local charity 
partner each year. 

Achieved — we have supported 
over 750 local charities through 
the scheme this year and donated 
over £1 million to local charities. 

A Great Place to Work 

Supporting the 
development of 
our colleagues 

We will provide over 10,000 colleagues with job 
opportunities, skills and qualifi cations through 
our ‘You Can’ programme by 2010. 

Ongoing — we are making progress 
against our target of providing 10,000 
colleagues with job opportunities, 
skills and qualifications through ‘You 
Can’. To date, around 9,150 colleagues 
have taken part in ‘You Can’. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Corporate responsibility review continued 

An award-winning year for Corporate Responsibility at Sainsbury’s
 

9  10 

Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2009/10 
We are proud to be recognised as the global industry 
leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2009/10. 

IGD Food Industry Award 
Tetra Pak Environmental Sustainability Award for 
Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group. 

FTSE4Good Index 
We continue to be included in the FTSE4Good Index, 
in recognition of our management of environmental, 
social and ethical issues. 

BITC CR Index — Platinum status award 
For the 2nd year running we are Platinum members of the 
BITC CR Index for our commitment to responsible retailing. 

Consumer Focus ‘Green to the Core?’ 
‘A rating’ in a survey of UK leading supermarkets 
by Consumer Focus. 

RSPCA Good Business Awards 
Most improved supermarket (widest range 
of Freedom Food labelled products). 

CBI Human Capital Award 
We won the ‘People’s Organisation’ award for our 
broad-ranging HR and people-management excellence. 

Fairtrade 
World’s largest retailer of Fairtrade by value. 

Carbon Trust Standard 
Recognition of our supermarket division’s reduction 
of CO2 year-on-year. 

Freedom Food 
Largest UK retailer of Freedom Food both 
by value and range. 

With an average of over 19 million customer transactions 
each week, almost 150,000 colleagues and in excess of 
2,000 suppliers, Sainsbury’s has a real impact on the 
economy, environment and society. Sainsbury’s values 
underpin our goal to provide healthy, safe, fresh and tasty 
food at fair prices. These values are at the heart of our 
business; they determine our priorities and ensure that 
we conduct ourselves in an honest, ethical, and therefore 
sustainable manner. As a leading food retailer we focus on 
being the ‘best for food and health’ which is why we are 
committed to ‘sourcing with integrity’. As we source from 
all over the world to sell in the UK we aim to always show 

‘respect for our environment’ and play an active role in 
the communities we serve ‘making a positive difference 
to our community’. All this is possible through the 
commitment of our colleagues so that Sainsbury’s is 
‘a great place to work’. 

Our values are an integral part of the way we do business 
at Sainsbury’s. This is reflected in our corporate 
responsibility governance structure whereby members 
of our Operating Board have responsibility for each of 
our five values and sit on our Corporate Responsibility 
Steering Group. 

Corporate Responsibility 
Governance Structure 

J Sainsbury 
plc Board 

David Tyler, 
Chairman 

CR committee 

Established January 2007 
Meets twice annually 

Anna Ford, Chair 
Non-Executive Director 

CR steering group 

Established 2001, Meets quarterly 
Justin King, Chair, Chief Executive 

Best for food and health 
Gwyn Burr, Customer Director 

Sourcing with integrity 
Mike Coupe, Trading Director 

Respect for our environment 
Neil Sachdev, Commercial Director 

Health 
Steering Group 

Brand Governance 
Steering Group 

Environment 
Steering Group 

Making a positive difference to our community 
Roger Burnley, Retail and Logistics Director 

Community 
Steering Group 

A great place to work 
Imelda Walsh, Human Resources Director 

A Great Place to Work 
Steering Group 

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Corporate responsibility review continued 

Customers and stakeholders trust the company to act 
responsibly on their behalf. They also look to Sainsbury’s 
to take the lead in encouraging people to shop with 
the environment and ethics in mind. Throughout the 
challenging economic environment, customers have told 
us that ethical and environmental issues are important 
to them. Therefore, whilst customers have demanded 
better value from their purchases this is not at the 
expense of the environment or society. 

Little Ones launch: Our ‘Little Ones’ baby and toddler 
club, launched in October 2009, aims to provide parents of 
children aged zero to four years with targeted, nutritional 
advice and recipes through direct mail and a fully interactive 
website. All of the 180+ recipes are approved by the British 
Nutrition Foundation and our online experts such as 
Dr Dawn Harper and nutritionist Sara Stanner, give the 
300,000 registered users comprehensive health and 
nutrition advice. 

Sainsbury’s publishes an extensive Corporate Responsibility 
report that covers our five values in more detail and this 
is available at www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/cr. We have reported 
on Corporate Responsibility in some form since 1996, 
when we were the first UK food retailer to publish an 
Environment report. 

Best for Food and Health 

Our goal is to offer our customers great quality food at 
fair prices and as a leading food retailer, we are committed 
to being ‘Best for food and health’. Our approach is to 
help and inspire customers to eat a healthy, balanced diet 
by promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. It’s not 
only about making healthy, high quality and tasty food 
easily available in our stores, but it’s about having clear 
and straightforward labelling that helps people make more 
informed choices. We were the first UK retailer to apply 
front-of-pack Multiple Traffic Light labelling to all 
relevant products, making it easier for customers to 
make healthy choices at a glance. 

We recognise that customers are still conscious about 
price, which is why we also focus on making healthy 
food affordable and inspiring customers to cook and 
‘try something new today’. Through our initiatives such 
as ‘Feed Your Family for a Fiver’ and the ‘Try Team’ 
we continue to help customers cook on a budget and 
encourage them to waste less food through initiatives 
such as ‘Love Your Leftovers’ and ‘Make the Most of 
your Roast’ tip cards. 

Highlights from the year include: 
Be Good to Yourself: The ‘Be Good to Yourself’ healthy 
food range was relaunched in January 2010 with 60 new 
and improved lines bringing the total to around 250 lines. 
Market share (Kantar Worldpanel February 2010; 52 week) 
was up one per cent on last year, to nearly 27 per cent. 

Freefrom: The ‘Freefrom’ range was relaunched in February 
2010 with over 100 new and improved lines making 236 in 
total. Market share (Nielsen February 2010; 52 week) was 
up 6.8 per cent on last year, to nearly 29 per cent. 

Tip cards: Over the last 12 months, our customers have 
collected over 40 million tip cards. Over 25 per cent of 
these recipes contain at least one portion of fi ve-a-day 
and 50 per cent feature healthier recipes (i.e. only green 
or amber traffi c lights). We now have at least two tip 
cards in every set of 12 aimed specifically for kids, 
thereby catering even more for families. 

Sourcing with Integrity 

‘Sourcing with integrity’ is central to our ability to deliver 
great products at fair prices. In practice it means working 
with our suppliers to ensure the sustainability of our 
products in the round, taking into consideration their 
economic, environmental and social impacts. We are 
committed to offering British products at their best, 
when in season and when the quality meets customers’ 
expectations. For example we sell more British apples 
and pears than any other retailer in the UK. We have 
a long history of supporting British farmers and helping to 
raise capability and skills to create sustainable businesses 
and long-term relationships. 

Sainsbury’s also recognises the value it brings to communities 
in developing countries. Through our position as the 
world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products we know 
that we make a positive impact by not only providing 
trade but also through the payment of social premiums to 
local communities that improve schools, healthcare and 
local infrastructure amongst other projects. Last year 
Sainsbury’s customers helped us to pay $16 million in 
social premiums. We also provide financial and logistical 
support to farmers in Africa and elsewhere to help them 
achieve Fairtrade accreditation. 

We are committed to promoting high standards of 
animal welfare, as we know this is a key concern for our 
customers. We are proud that not only do we sell more 
high welfare ‘freedom food’ products than anyone else 
but we also stock the largest range. Sainsbury’s also offer 
the largest range of fi sh certified by the MSC in the UK. 
The MSC certification programme for sustainable and 
well-managed fisheries assures the highest standards of 
fish sustainability practices. We recognise that we have 
a responsibility to use natural resources sustainably and 
through our commitments to sustainable palm oil, Forest 
Stewardship Council (“FSC”) timber and improved water 
management we minimise the impact of our products on 
the environment. 

Highlights from the year include: 
Fairtrade: With sales of over £218 million, we are the 
world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade by value. This 
leadership along with our green credentials prompted 
the first state visit to a supermarket by South African 
president Jacob Zuma. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Freedom Food and MSC fi sh: We are the largest retailer 
of Freedom Food meat and fish in the UK and offer 
the largest range of own-brand MSC fi sh, illustrating 
our strong commitment to sourcing sustainable fi sh 
and promoting high animal welfare. 

Change Strategy divides the business into three elements: 
Our Operations, Our Products, Our Customers. Our 
approach is to reduce the environmental impact of our 
operations and our products and help our customers 
be more environmentally responsible. 

Development groups: During 2009/10 we extended 
Sainsbury’s successful Development Group model to 
beef, pork, poultry, lamb, cheese and egg suppliers. 
Our first group, the Dairy Development Group helps 
our dairy farmers implement efficiencies to become 
more competitive businesses. The group pioneered 
a carbon footprinting model which has the potential 
to reduce farmers’ energy costs and reduce farmers’ 
carbon footprint. 

Sustainable palm oil: Ranked number one out of 
59 European retailers in the World Wildlife Fund 
Sustainable Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard. The scorecard 
ranks companies’ commitment to buying and using 
sustainable palm oil, ultimately linked to deforestation 
of the rainforest. We were the first retailer to buy 
sustainable palm oil last year and it is committed 
to only using sustainable palm oil in its own brand 
products by 2014. 

Respect for our Environment 

At Sainsbury’s we take environmental issues seriously. 
We aim to be environmentally responsible in the way we 
run our business and we also want to make it easy for 
customers to be environmentally responsible. Climate 
change represents one of the greatest challenges we 
face, both as a business and as a global population. As 
a UK retailer, we source products from all over the world. 
We take a long-term view of our environmental impact and 
are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, as well as 
managing the use of precious resources in a responsible 
manner. We recognise that tackling the issue involves 
addressing both our direct and indirect impacts. We are 
working hard to reduce our operational footprint and 
continue to develop a better understanding of the carbon 
embodied in our products and in the construction of our 
buildings. We are the UK’s first retailer to make a fi rm 
commitment to phase out harmful gases from our 
refrigeration. All of our fridges will be switched to 
environmentally friendly CO2 technology, which will 
cut our store carbon footprint by one third by 2030. 

Sainsbury’s champions the ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’ 
approach both to minimise waste from its operations 
as well as helping customers reduce waste in the home, 
for example by packaging reduction and providing clear 
recycling advice both on pack and in-store. We now 
have all of our stores connected to our zero food 
waste to landfi ll programme, which results in food waste 
going to Anaerobic Digestion or creating energy from this 
waste. During the year we have developed a new Climate 
Change Strategy which has further refined our strategy 
for managing our environmental impact. The Climate 

Highlights from the year include: 
Green to the Core: We received an industry-leading 
‘A rating’ in the ‘Green to the Core?’ survey by 
Consumer Focus. This report assessed supermarkets’ 
performance on making ‘green’ shopping easier. We ranked 
well on engagement with our customers on green issues 
and our “excellent sustainable farming and fi sh policies, 
with a high proportion of sustainable products available”. 

Environmental stores: We continue to lead in store 
environmental innovation with our eco-store programme 
growing larger in 2009/10 with store openings at 
Westhoughton, Dursley, Gloucester Quays and a 
convenience store in Bath. Through these we have 
commissioned Europe’s first biomass generator, 
created bee hotels and opened the UK’s fi rst carbon 
negative extension at Durham. 

Reducing packaging: Through a number of packaging 
innovations, such as switching canned chopped tomatoes 
to FSC-certified Tetra Pak and the launch of milk bags 
that have 75 per cent less packaging compared to plastic 
bottles, we are on track to meet our corporate target of 
a 33 per cent reduction in packaging by sales by 2015. 

Supporting customers: We launched a number of 
initiatives during the year making it easier for customers 
to be more environmentally responsible. For example, we 
were the first UK retailer to invest in electric vehicle 
charge points at 11 of our stores in London; this is now 
being extended to our remaining London stores. We also 
announced the world’s largest fleet of electric vans for 
our online deliveries. 

Making a Positive Difference to our Community 

Our stores are at the very heart of the communities they 
serve. For us this is not only about providing great service 
and quality products. It’s also about making a positive 
difference to our communities and being a good neighbour. 
With almost 150,000 colleagues throughout the UK, we are 
a major contributor to local employment. Whilst we clearly 
have a significant economic impact, as one of the major 
local employers, of equal and increasing importance is 
the social impact we have on local communities. When 
developing plans for new stores or store improvement 
programmes, we always engage and consult with members 
of the local community, council and key stakeholders and 
they consider our local community activities as a key point 
of difference from other retailers. By engaging fully with 
the communities in which we operate we ensure our stores 
mirror and reflect the local community and are at the 
hub of the communities they serve. We support local 
communities through programmes such as local charity 

14 

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Highlights from the year include: 
‘You Can’: ‘You Can’ is our umbrella brand for the work we 
are doing to open Sainsbury’s to a wider range of new 
recruits, and help our colleagues to develop new skills. 
These range from offering apprenticeships, to job-related 
qualifications, to more general ‘Skills for Life’. We are 
making progress against our target of providing 10,000 
colleagues with job opportunities, skills and qualifi cations 
through ‘You Can’. To date, over 9,150 colleagues have 
taken part in ‘You Can’. 

Bakery college: We launched the UK’s fi rst supermarket 
bakery college representing a significant investment in 
training and skills to help develop the next generation of 
bakers. The college will take over 200 apprentices toward 
a level 2 NVQ qualification on the successful completion 
of the apprenticeship. 

Colleague bonus: 127,000 colleagues will earn a share of 
a bonus payment of over £80 million this year bringing 
the total amount paid out over the last five years to over 
£290 million. The bonus scheme is linked to the delivery 
of great service and product availability as well as overall 
sales and profi t measures. 

Apprenticeships: We trained 300 apprentices for our 
bakery, butcher and fish counters and we plan to have 
apprentices in all our main stores. 

Corporate responsibility review continued 

partnerships, food donation schemes, Comic Relief and 
Sainsbury’s Active Kids. 

We aim to be known as ‘More than a Store’ through the 
offering of our space and facilities to be used by the local 
community. We encourage community groups to use our 
stores as a meeting place and a number of groups meet 
and run events ranging from scouts meetings to speed 
dating for the elderly. We have also trialled hosting 
community meetings in our stores giving key groups 
within the community the opportunity to work with 
each other and discuss and support the needs of the 
community. We plan to extend this further in 2010/11. 

Highlights from the year include: 
Local charity partnerships: We support over 750 local 
charities through colleague and customer fundraising and 
volunteering. We now have all of our stores, depots and 
support centres linked to local charities. 

Sport Relief: Customers and colleagues helped us to 
donate a record £5 million for Sport Relief 2010, more 
than doubling the £2.3 million raised for Sport Relief 2008. 

Active Kids: Over 43,000 schools and clubs have registered 
to our 6th Active Kids scheme. To date we have donated 
over £86 million to schools and clubs. 

Job creation: During 2009/10 we generated around 
6,500 new Sainsbury’s jobs by opening 38 new 
supermarkets and 51 new convenience stores across the 
UK, meeting our 2009/10 target. This was in addition to 
the 15,500 temporary jobs we created over Christmas 
2009 to manage increased trade over the holiday season. 

A Great Place to Work 

Being ‘A great place to work’ is rooted in Sainsbury’s 
heritage and values. It also plays a crucial role in achieving 
our business goals. We rely on our colleagues to deliver 
great service to our customers every single day. 

We are committed to championing equality, diversity, 
inclusion and flexible working options for our colleagues. 
We remain committed to recruiting, retaining and 
engaging the best people, from backgrounds that 
reflect the communities we serve. We believe that every 
colleague, no matter where they work or the role they 
perform, should be encouraged to develop and make best 
use of their skills. 

We value the opinions of our colleagues and we communicate 
honestly with them. We also believe in recognising and 
rewarding our colleagues for the vital part they play in 
making Sainsbury’s a great place to work. All these things 
are important, whatever the economic climate; in an 
economic downturn they’re more vital than ever. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Financial review
 

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Darren Shapland, Chief Financial Offi cer 
Sainsbury’s has performed well in what remains 
a challenging economic environment, continuing 
to develop its offer and invest for the future whilst 
delivering its growth strategy and maintaining 
the strength of its balance sheet. This leaves the 
company well placed to deliver sustainable growth 
into the coming year and beyond. 

Sales (including VAT) increased by 5.1 per cent to 
£21,421 million (2008/09: £20,383 million). Underlying 
profit before tax, which now excludes the IAS 19 pension 
financing element, improved by 17.5 per cent to £610 
million (2008/09: £519 million). Profit before tax was up 
57.3 per cent, at £733 million (2008/09: £466 million), 
supported by the surplus on the revaluation of properties 
within joint ventures. 

Underlying basic earnings per share increased to 
23.9 pence (2008/09: 21.2 pence), up 12.7 per cent. 

The rate of increase was lower than at an underlying 
profit before tax level due to the small dilutive effect 
of the 78.1 million shares issued in June 2009. Basic 
earnings per share increased by 93.4 per cent, to 
32.1 pence (2008/09: 16.6 pence), more than the 
increase in underlying earnings per share primarily 
due to the revaluation of properties within the joint 
ventures. A final dividend of 10.2 pence has been 
recommended by the Board (2008/09: 9.6 pence) 
making a full year dividend of 14.2 pence per share, 
up 7.6 per cent year-on-year (2008/09: 13.2 pence). 

Summary income statement
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010

Sales (including VAT)1 

Sales (excluding VAT)

Underlying operating profi t
Underlying net fi nance costs2 
Underlying share of post-tax profit from joint ventures3

Underlying profit before tax4
Profit on sale of properties
Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing (charge)/credit
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry

Profit before tax
Income tax expense

Profit for the fi nancial period

Underlying basic earnings per share4
Basic earnings per share 
Full year dividend per share

2009/10 
£m 

2008/09 
£m 

21,421 

20,383 

Change 
% 

5.1 

19,964 

18,911 

671 
(79) 
18 

610 
27 
123 
(15) 
(24) 
12 

733 
(148) 

585 

616 
(113) 
16 

519 
57 
(124) 
(10) 
24 
-

466 
(177) 

289 

23.9p 
32.1p 
14.2p 

21.2p 
16.6p 
13.2p 

5.6 

8.9 
30.1 
12.5 

17.5 
n/a 
n/a 
(50.0) 
n/a 
n/a 

57.3 
16.4 

102.4 

12.7 
93.4 
7.6 

1  Sales (including VAT) were adversely affected by the reduction in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent, effective from 1 December 2008 to 31 December 2009. 

2  Net finance costs before financing fair value movements and the IAS 19 pension fi nancing element.
 
3  The underlying share of post-tax profits from joint ventures is stated before investment property fair value movements and financing fair value movements.
 
4  Restated for the change in definition of underlying profit before tax to exclude the IAS 19 pension fi nancing element.
 

16 

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Financial review continued 

Sales (including VAT) and space 
Sales (including fuel) increased by 5.1 per cent to £21,421 
million (2008/09: £20,383 million) through a combination 
of strong like-for-like (“LFL”) performance and new space, 
offset by the impact of slightly lower fuel prices largely as 
a result of the change in VAT rate. 

The 5.1 per cent growth includes a 0.3 per cent impact 
from the timing of Easter in 2009 and a 1.8 per cent 
contribution from net new space. LFL sales (including 
fuel) were up 3.0 per cent, lower than for sales excluding 
fuel due to the impact of slightly lower fuel prices. 

Sales growth (including VAT, including fuel)
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Like-for-like sales (Easter-adjusted)
Addition/(removal) of Easter adjustment1
Net new space (excluding extensions) 

Total sales growth 

2009/10 
%

2008/09 
 % 

3.0 
0.3 
1.8 

5.1 

5.5
 
(0.7)
 
0.9
 

5.7 

1 

Like-for-like sales growth has been Easter-adjusted for comparative purposes. 2008/09 included one Easter Sunday trading week. 2009/10 included one Good Friday trading week and one Easter Sunday 
trading week. 

Sales (excluding fuel) grew by 6.7 per cent with LFL growth 
of 4.3 per cent, of which 0.7 per cent was contributed by 
extensions in their first year of trading, net of disruptions. 
The LFL growth rate was above Sainsbury’s medium-term 
planning assumption of between three and four per cent 
representing a good performance in tough economic 
conditions, with good growth in customer transactions 
across the year. 

The LFL growth was 5.7 per cent in the first half and 
2.8 per cent in the second half, reflecting the reduction 
in food inflation in the latter part of the year. Within this 
good growth, non-food sales grew at more than three 
times the rate of grocery growth and groceries online 
sales increased by just under 20 per cent. 

Sales growth (including VAT, excluding fuel) 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Like-for-like sales (Easter-adjusted) 
Addition/(removal) of Easter adjustment1
Net new space (excluding extensions) 

Total sales growth

2009/10 
%

2008/09 
 % 

4.3 
0.4 
2.0 

6.7 

4.5
 
(0.8)
 
1.0
 

4.7 

1 

Like-for-like sales growth has been Easter-adjusted for comparative purposes. 2008/09 included one Easter Sunday trading week. 2009/10 included one Good Friday trading week and one Easter Sunday 
trading week. 

New space (excluding extensions) contributed a net 2.0 per 
cent to total sales growth of 6.7 per cent (excluding fuel). 
Sainsbury’s added a gross 1,143,000 sq ft of selling area, 
an increase of 6.8 per cent since the start of the year. 
Including the impact of replacements, closures and disposals, 
this translated into net space growth of 1,047,000 sq ft, an 
increase of 6.3 per cent since the start of the year. 

Sainsbury’s has increased the pace of property activity this 
year with 38 new supermarkets opening during the year, 
including three replacement stores. These openings have 
allowed Sainsbury’s to increase its representation in 
Scotland, Wales and South West England, with over 75 per 
cent of the new space added in these areas. In addition, 
Sainsbury’s has also completed 13 supermarket extensions 
and a further 41 refurbishments in the year. 

Sainsbury’s acquired 33 stores from the Co-op and 
Somerfield in the year, of which 25 are now trading as 
supermarkets and seven as convenience stores. These 
have generated an additional 320,000 sq ft of new space, 
included in the total above. The remaining store will open 
in summer 2010 and trade as a supermarket. 

In the convenience estate, Sainsbury’s opened 51 new 
stores, representing a significant increase on the 16 stores 
opened in 2008/09, disposed of six stores and extended 
or refurbished eight stores. 

Gross space growth of around eight per cent is expected 
in 2010/11, completing growth of 15 per cent in the two 
years to March 2011. Net new store space excluding 
extensions is expected to contribute 2.5 per cent to total 
sales growth (excluding fuel) in 2010/11. 

Store numbers and retailing space 

As at 21 March 2009 
New stores 
Replacements/disposals/closures 
Extensions/downsizes/refurbishments

As at 20 March 2010

Memorandum: 
Extensions 
Refurbishments/downsizes 

Total projects 

Supermarkets
Number 

Supermarkets 
 Area
000 sq ft 

Convenience
Number 

Convenience 
 Area 
000 sq ft 

502 
38 
(3) 
-

537 

15,974 
758 
(86) 
263 

16,909 

13 
41 

54 

226 
37 

263 

290 
51 
(6) 
-

335 

2 
6 

8 

729 
122 
(10) 
-

841 

2 
(2) 

-

Total 
Number 

792 
89 
(9) 
-

Total 
Area 
000 sq ft 

16,703 
880 
(96) 
263 

872 

17,750 

15 
47 

62 

228 
35 

263 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Underlying operating profi t 
Underlying operating profit increased by 8.9 per cent to 
£671 million (2008/09: £616 million) reflecting the strong 
sales performance and a 10 basis point improvement in 
underlying operating margin to 3.36 per cent for the 
year (2008/09: 3.26 per cent). The underlying rate of 
improvement was consistent across the first half and the 
second half of the year after adjusting for fl uctuations in 
fuel prices. 

Underlying EBITDAR margin has improved 17 basis points 
to 7.79 per cent for the year (2008/09: 7.62 per cent). 
The rate of improvement is higher than at an operating 
profit level due to the increased lease costs arising from 
the disposal of supermarket assets which have no further 
development potential. 

Sainsbury’s has driven operational gearing from higher 
sales volumes and the delivery of cost effi ciency savings 
which have offset over 75 per cent of total cost infl ation 
as well as supporting sustained investment in the customer 
offer. Cost inflation in 2010/11 is expected to fall at the 
lower end of the two to three per cent medium-term range, 
with cost savings expected to fully offset this infl ation. 

Underlying operating profi t 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

2009/10 

2008/09 

Change 

Underlying operating profi t (£m)1 
Underlying operating margin (%)2 
Underlying EBITDAR (£m)3 
Underlying EBITDAR margin (%)4  

671 
3.36 
1,555 
7.79 

616 
3.26 
1,441 
7.62 

8.9% 
10 bps 
7.9% 
17 bps 

1 

	Underlying earnings before interest and tax and before Sainsbury’s share of post-tax profi ts 
from joint ventures. 

2  Underlying operating profit divided by sales excluding VAT. 
3  Underlying operating profit before rent, depreciation and amortisation. 
4  Underlying EBITDAR divided by sales excluding VAT. 

Sainsbury’s Bank joint venture (“JV”) 
Sainsbury’s Bank has made further good progress, 
generating a pre-tax operating profit of £19 million 
(2008/09: £13 million). Sainsbury’s 50 per cent equity 
share of the post-tax profit amounted to £7 million for 
the year (2008/09: £4 million). 

The business has increased profitability through a rise 
in net interest income, strong cost control and good risk 
management of bad debts. Sainsbury’s Bank continues 
to lend prudently to higher credit scoring customers and 
successfully build its revenue sources with a clear focus 
on the Sainsbury’s shopper across banking, insurance 
services and transaction fees. It has a strong and well­
capitalised balance sheet. 

The Sainsbury’s Bank JV is expected to contribute 
a similar year-on-year step-up in profits in 2010/11. 

Property joint ventures 
Sainsbury’s total underlying share of post-tax profi t from 
its JVs with British Land and Land Securities was £11 
million for the year (2008/09: £12 million), slightly down 
on last year as a result of the full-year effect of additional 
debt within the Land Securities JV. 

Profits from property JVs are expected to deliver 
a broadly similar result in 2010/11. 

18 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

At the year end, a total surplus on the revaluation of the 
properties of £123 million (2008/09: a deficit of £124 million) 
has been recognised within the share of post-tax profi ts 
from JVs in the income statement. This represents an 
increase on revaluation of these properties to an average 
yield of 5.2 per cent (2008/09: 6.2 per cent). 

Underlying net fi nance costs 
Underlying net finance costs decreased by £34 million 
to £79 million (2008/09: £113 million) mainly as a result 
of the decrease in the RPI rate, which resets annually in 
February, lowering the cost of Sainsbury’s infl ation-linked 
debt, as well as reduced variable interest costs and tight 
control of working capital. In line with the change in the 
definition of underlying profit before tax (“UPBT”), the 
IAS 19 pension financing element has been removed 
from underlying net fi nance costs. 

Interest cover was 8.7 times (2008/09: 5.6 times, 
restated for the change in UPBT definition to remove 
the IAS 19 pension financing element). Fixed charge 
cover was 2.3 times (2008/09: 2.1 times). 

Sainsbury’s expects underlying net finance costs in 2010/11 
to increase by around £25 million due to the change in 
interest rates on RPI-linked debt. 

Underlying net fi nance costs1 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010

Underlying fi nance income

Interest costs
Capitalised interest

Underlying fi nance costs

Underlying net fi nance costs

2009/10 
£m 

2008/09 
£m 

33 

28 

(127) 
15 

(112) 

(79) 

(156) 
15 

(141) 

(113) 

1 

	Finance income/(costs) before financing fair value movements and IAS 19 pension 
fi nancing element. 

Taxation 
The income tax charge for the year was £148 million 
(2008/09: £177 million), with an underlying tax rate of 
28.5 per cent (2008/09: 29.1 per cent) and an effective 
tax rate of 20.2 per cent (2008/09: 38.0 per cent). The 
underlying tax rate has remained broadly in line with last 
year and remains slightly higher than the statutory rate 
due to disallowable depreciation, offset by the resolution 
of a number of other outstanding items. Disallowable 
depreciation amounted to £77 million in 2009/10 (2008/09: 
£73 million). The effective tax rate is lower than in 2008/09 
primarily due to the movement in the joint venture property 
valuations which are not subject to tax. 

Underlying tax rate calculation 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Profit before tax 
Less: profit on sale of properties 
Less: investment property fair 
  value movements 
Add: financing fair value movements 
Add: IAS 19 pension fi nancing element 
Less: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry 

Underlying profit before tax 

Profi t 
£m 

733 
(27) 

(123) 
15 
24 
(12) 

610 

Rate 
% 

20.2 

Tax 
£m 

(148) 
(15) 

-
(4) 
(7) 
-

(174) 

28.5 

The Group expects the underlying tax rate to be 
between 30 per cent and 31 per cent in 2010/11. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial review continued 

Earnings per share 
Underlying basic earnings per share increased by 12.7 
per cent to 23.9 pence (2008/09: 21.2 pence). The rate 
of increase reflects the improvement in underlying profi t 
after tax attributable to equity holders partially offset 
by the small dilutive effect of the additional 78.1 million 
shares issued as part of the equity placing in June 2009. 

Basic earnings per share were up 93.4 per cent, at 
32.1 pence (2008/09: 16.6 pence), more than the 
increase in underlying earnings per share primarily 
due to the surplus on joint venture property valuations. 

Underlying earnings per share calculation 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010

2009/10 
pence 

2008/091 
pence 

Basic earnings per share
Adjustments (net of tax) for:
  Profit on sale of properties

Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing element
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry 

Underlying basic earnings per share

32.1 

16.6 

(2.3) 
(6.7) 
0.6 
0.9 
(0.7)

23.9 

(2.1) 
7.1 
0.5 
(0.9) 
 ­

21.2 

1 

Restated for the change in definition of underlying profit before tax to remove the IAS 19 pension 
fi nancing element. 

Dividends 
The Board has recommended a final dividend of 10.2 pence 
per share (2008/09: 9.6 pence), which will be paid on 
16 July 2010 to shareholders on the Register of Members 
at the close of business on 21 May 2010, subject to 
approval. This will increase the full year dividend by 7.6 
per cent to 14.2 pence per share (2008/09: 13.2 pence). 

The dividend is covered 1.68 times by underlying earnings 
(2008/09: 1.61 times, restated for the change in defi nition 
of UPBT to exclude the IAS 19 pension fi nancing element), 
in line with Sainsbury’s policy of providing cover of 
between 1.50 and 1.75 times. 

The proposed final dividend was recommended by the 
Board on 12 May 2010 and, as such, has not been included 
as a liability as at 20 March 2010. 

Return on capital employed 
The pre-tax return on average capital employed continued 
to improve significantly, increasing by 85 basis points in 
the year to 11.0 per cent, around 70 basis points above the 
Company’s weighted-average cost of capital. 

Pre-tax return on capital employed 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Underlying operating profi t (£m)
Underlying share of post-tax profi t from 

joint ventures (£m)

Underlying profit before interest and tax (£m) 
Average capital employed1 (£m)

Return on average capital employed (%)

2009/10 

2008/09 

671 

616 

18 

689 
6,281 

11.0 

16 

632 
6,243 

10.1 

Year-on-year improvement

85bps 

136bps 

1  Average of opening and closing net assets before net debt. 

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Net debt and cash fl ow 
Sainsbury’s net debt as at 20 March 2010 was £1,549 million 
(March 2009: £1,671 million), a reduction of £122 million 
from the 2009 year-end position. The reduction was driven 
by the cash generated from the capital raise in June 2009 
and strong operational cash flows, including another good 
working capital performance, offset by capital expenditure 
on the acceleration of the store development programme 
and outflows for taxation, interest and dividends. The 
resolution of a number of outstanding items contributed 
to a lower tax payment than in 2008/09, and interest 
payments benefited from lower interest rates on infl ation 
linked debt as a result of a lower RPI than last year. 

Sainsbury’s expects year-end net debt to increase to 
around £1.9 billion in 2010/11, in line with its increased 
capital expenditure from the plan to deliver 15 per cent 
space growth in the two years to March 2011. 

Summary cash fl ow statement 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

2009/10 
£m 

2008/09 
£m 

Operating cash flows before changes 

in working capital 

Changes in working capital 

Cash generated from operations
Net interest paid
Corporation tax paid

Cash flow before appropriations
Purchase of non-current assets
Investment in joint ventures
Disposal of non-current assets
Proceeds from issue of shares
Receipt of new debt
Net dividends paid

Increase/(decrease) in cash and 
  cash equivalents 
Increase in debt
IAS 32 and IAS 39 adjustments and
  other movements 

Movement in net debt
Opening net debt

Closing net debt 

1,114 
92 

1,206 
(96) 
(89) 

1,021 
(1,057) 
(2) 
139 
250 
123 
(239) 

235 
(115) 

1,039 
167 

1,206 
(118) 
(160) 

928
 
(994)
 
(291)
 
390
 
15
 
165
 
(215)
 

(2) 
(157) 

2 

(9) 

122 
(1,671) 

(168) 
(1,503) 

(1,549) 

(1,671) 

Working capital 
Sainsbury’s has continued to manage working capital 
closely and cash generated from operations includes 
a further year-on-year improvement in working capital 
of £92 million. This has been achieved through tight 
management of inventories, which are up less than two 
per cent on last year, and continued improvement of 
trade cash fl ows. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Summary balance sheet 
Shareholders’ funds at 20 March 2010 were £4,966 million 
(2009: £4,376 million), an increase of £590 million. This 
is attributable to both the cash generated from the capital 
raise in June 2009 and investments in joint ventures, 
which have grown due to the increase in the value of 
the properties. Gearing, which measures net debt as 
a percentage of total equity, has reduced to 31 per cent 
(2009: 38 per cent), as a result of the reduction in net 
debt and the increase in net assets. 

On 22 June 2009, J Sainsbury plc issued 78.1 million 
ordinary shares (4.43 per cent of the Company’s issued 
share capital) at £3.10 per share via an equity placing, 
generating cash of £242 million. On 16 July 2009, 
J Sainsbury plc issued £190 million convertible bonds 
due 2014, paying a cash coupon of 4.25 per cent with 
a conversion price of £4.19 (representing a 35 per cent 
premium to the reference price of £3.10). For accounting 
purposes, the bond is split between debt (£166 million) 
and equity (£24 million). 

Summary balance sheet
at 20 March 2010

Land and buildings (freehold 

and long leasehold) 

Land and buildings 
(short leasehold)
Fixtures and fi ttings
Other non-current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Debt

Net debt

2010 
£m 

2009 
£m 

Movement 
£m 

6,059 

5,728 

559 
1,585
811 
702 
215 

520 
 1,573 
604 
689 
195 

837 
(2,386) 

(1,549) 

627 
(2,298) 

(1,671) 

331 

39 
12 
207 
13 
20 

210 
(88) 

122 

Trade and other payables
  and provisions
Retirement benefi t obligations, 

net of deferred tax 

Net assets

(3,113) 

(3,040) 

(73) 

(303) 

(222) 

4,966 

4,376 

(81) 

590 

As at 20 March 2010, Sainsbury’s estimated market value 
of properties is £9.8 billion (March 2009: £7.5 billion), 
including a 50 per cent share of properties held within the 
property joint ventures. Excluding the share of properties 
held within the property joint ventures, the estimated 
market value is circa £9.1 billion (March 2009: £6.9 billion), 
equivalent to an average yield of circa 5.1 per cent, 49 per 
cent higher than the net book value of land and buildings 
on the balance sheet. 

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Financial review continued 

Financing 
Sainsbury’s seeks to manage its financing by diversifying 
funding sources, configuring core borrowings with long-
term maturities and maintaining sufficient stand-by liquidity. 

At March 2010, Sainsbury’s had total debt and facilities 
of £3.0 billion in place. Sainsbury’s core funding of 
£2.4 billion is represented by £2.0 billion CMBS debt, 
with £1.1 billion due 2018 and £0.9 billion due 2031 with 
additional debt capacity of £0.2 billion due 2014 and 
£0.2 billion due 2015. Contingent liquidity is maintained 
via committed facilities of £0.6 billion. At 20 March 2010, 
no drawings were made against these committed facilities 
(2008/09: £nil). 

Since the refinancing exercise undertaken in 2006, the 
Group’s core funding has comprised long-term secured 
asset-backed loans supplemented by shorter-term bank 
lending. Following a review of funding requirements the 
Company does not anticipate issuing unsecured capital 
markets debt and as such the corporate rating is no longer 
needed. Accordingly, and consistent with the strategy 
followed by a number of other property-rich companies 
using secured funding platforms, Sainsbury’s has 
withdrawn its corporate family rating from Moody’s 
Investors’ Service and its corporate credit rating from 
Standard and Poor’s. 

Capital expenditure 
Core capital expenditure amounted to £886 million in the 
year (2008/09: £863 million). This included £496 million 
on new store development (2008/09: £386 million) and 
£320 million on extensions and refurbishments (2008/09: 
£385 million). During the year, a number of freehold and 
trading properties were acquired, in line with Sainsbury’s 
plans to buy such properties where it believes there are 
long-term trading and development opportunities. 

Total expenditure has been offset by the receipt of 
£131 million in relation to property disposals of stores 
which have no further development potential (2008/09: 
£393 million). Property disposals generated a profi t of 
£27 million (2008/09: £57 million). 

The Group expects 2010/11 capital expenditure of around 
£1.1 billion, to bring total expenditure to £2 billion in the 
two years to March 2011. 

Capital expenditure 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010

New store development 
Extensions and refurbishments
Other — including supply chain and IT

Core retail capital expenditure
British Land joint venture investment
Acquisition of freehold and trading properties 
Proceeds from property transactions

Net capital expenditure

2009/10 
£m 

2008/09 
£m 

496 
320 
70 

886 
 ­
160 
(131) 

915 

386 
385 
92 

863 
274 
118 
(393) 

862 

20 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
    
 
 
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Office of Fair Trading (“OFT”) 
In April 2010, the OFT announced that it had insuffi cient 
evidence to support infringement findings with regard 
to certain products that were the subject of its 2002/03 
dairy investigation, involving certain retailers and 
processors. As a result, the penalty that Sainsbury’s had 
agreed to pay in 2007/08 as part of an early resolution 
agreement will be reduced to £13 million from £26 million. 
Sainsbury’s welcome the OFT’s decision in respect of 
these products. Sainsbury’s originally settled with the OFT 
in 2007/08 because it recognised the benefit of a speedy 
settlement, despite its disappointment at being penalised 
for actions that were intended to help British farmers. 

In April 2008, the OFT started an investigation involving 
suppliers and supermarkets including Sainsbury’s on the 
basis that it had reasonable grounds to suspect co-ordination 
of retail prices. Sainsbury’s has strict guidelines for 
compliance with competition law and is co-operating 
with the OFT in these enquiries. 

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Financial review continued 

Pensions 
As at 20 March 2010, the present value of retirement 
benefit obligations less the fair value of plan assets 
was a deficit after deferred tax of £303 million (2009: 
£222 million deficit). The movement in the defi cit 
reflects a 28.0 per cent increase in the value of assets to 
£4.2 billion (2009: £3.3 billion) offset by a 28.7 per cent 
increase in funded obligations due to market movements 
in the discount rate, the inflation rate and the inclusion 
of an allowance for future increase in life expectancy of 
a minimum rate of improvement of one per cent per 
annum, in line with the triennial valuation assumption. 

The IAS 19 pension service cost included within UPBT was 
£48 million (2008/09: £50 million). Sainsbury’s expects 
this to increase to around £55 million in 2010/11. 

Retirement benefi t obligations 
at 20 March 2010

Present value of funded obligations 
Fair value of plan assets

Pension defi cit
Present value of unfunded obligations 

Retirement benefi t obligations
Deferred income tax asset 

Net retirement benefi t obligations

2010 
£m 

2009 
£m 

(4,649) 
4,237 

(3,610) 
3,310 

(412) 
(9) 

(421) 
118 

(303) 

(300) 
(9) 

(309) 
87 

(222) 

Triennial valuation 
The defi ned benefit pension schemes were subject to 
a triennial valuation at March 2009 by Towers Watson, 
the schemes’ independent actuaries, on the projected 
unit basis. On the basis of the assumptions agreed, the 
actuarial deficit at 21 March 2009 was £1,227 million, 
an increase of £784 million from the March 2006 defi cit 
of £443 million. This is primarily due to the valuation 
date coinciding with a low point in asset values. A new 
recovery plan addressing this deficit has been agreed 
with the Trustees, which utilises property assets to 
address half of the deficit and results in the post-tax 
cash flows being unchanged over the next fi ve years. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Principal risks and uncertainties 

The risk management process is closely aligned to 
accelerating our growth plan which focuses on growing 
the business through the addition of new range, space, 
channels to market and property management. Risk is 
an inherent part of doing business. The system of risk 
management used to identify the principal risks the 
Group faces and to develop and closely monitor key 
controls, is described on page 32. The management 
of the risks is based on a balance of risk and reward 
determined through careful assessment of both the 
potential likelihood and impact. Consideration is given 
to both reputational as well as financial impact, recognising 
the significant commercial value attributable to the 
Sainsbury’s brand. The principal risks identified by the 
Board and the corresponding mitigating controls are 
set out below in no order of priority. 

Business continuity and acts of terrorism 

A major incident or act of terrorism could impact on the 
Group’s ability to trade. 

In the event of a potentially disruptive incident, detailed 
plans are in place to maintain Business Continuity. These 
plans are regularly updated and tested. 

Business strategy 

If the Board adopts the wrong business strategy or does 
not implement its strategies effectively, the business may 
be negatively impacted. Strategic risk needs to be properly 
understood and managed to deliver long-term growth for 
the benefit of all stakeholders. 

A clear strategy remains in place with five key areas 
of focus: 
• Great food at fair prices; 
• Accelerating the growth of complementary non-food 

ranges and services; 

• Reaching more customers through additional channels; 
• Growing supermarket space; and 
• Active property management. 

Progress against these areas of focus and any risks to 
delivery are regularly reviewed by the Board and the 
overall strategy is reviewed at the two-day Strategy 
Conference. The Operating Board also holds regular 
sessions to discuss strategy. This activity is supported 
by a dedicated Strategy team. To ensure the strategy 
is communicated and understood, the Group engages 
with a wide range of stakeholders including shareholders, 
colleagues, customers and suppliers on a continual basis. 

Colleague engagement, retention and capability 

The Group employs around 150,000 colleagues who are 
critical to the success of our business. Maintaining good 
relations with colleagues and investing in their training 
and development is essential to the effi ciency and 
sustainability of the Group’s operations. 

The Group’s employment policies and remuneration 
and benefits packages are regularly reviewed and are 
designed to be competitive with other companies, as well 
as providing colleagues with fulfilling career opportunities. 
Colleague surveys, performance reviews, communications 
with trade unions and regular communication of business 
activities are some of the methods the Group uses to 
understand and respond to colleagues’ needs. Processes 
are also in place to identify talent and actively manage 
succession planning throughout the business. 

Economic and market risks 

The impact of the economic downturn continues to 
drive demand for value from customers. Challenges to 
household disposable income, competitor pricing positions 
and product costs can affect the performance of the Group 
in terms of both sales and costs. 

Focus continues on delivering quality products with 
‘universal appeal’, at a range of price points ensuring 
value for all our customers. This is achieved through the 
continuous review of our key customer metrics, active 
management of price positions, development of sales 
propositions and increased promotion and marketing 
activity. While external cost pressures including oil-related 
costs, commodity pricing and business rates affect our 
business, the Group continues to work hard to mitigate the 
impact of these cost pressures on customers and on our 
overall profitability through the delivery of cost savings. 

Environment and sustainability 

The key risk facing the Group in this area relates to 
reducing the environmental impact of the business with 
a focus on reducing packaging and new ways of reducing 
waste and energy usage across stores, depots and offi ces. 

A number of initiatives are in place, which are being led 
by the Environmental Action team and the Corporate 
Responsibility Steering Group to reduce our environmental 
impact and to meet our customers’ requirements in this 
area. Further details are included in the Corporate 
Responsibility review on pages 11 to 15. 

22 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Principal risks and uncertainties continued 

Financial strategy and treasury risk 

Pension risk 

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The Group operates a number of pension arrangements 
which includes two defi ned benefit schemes. These 
schemes are subject to risks in relation to their liabilities 
as a result of changes in life expectancy, infl ation and 
future salary increases, and to risks regarding the 
value of investments and the returns derived from 
such investments. 

An investment strategy is in place which has been 
developed by the pension trustees, in consultation 
with the Company, to mitigate the volatility of liabilities, 
to diversify investment risk, and to manage cash. 

Product safety 

The quality and safety of our products is of the highest 
importance and any failure in standards would signifi cantly 
affect the confidence of our customers. 

There are stringent controls in place to ensure product 
safety and integrity. Food hygiene practices are taken 
very seriously and are monitored regularly to ensure 
compliance with standards. All aspects of product safety 
are governed through a Product Safety Committee. All 
suppliers are expected to conform to the Group’s code of 
conduct for Socially Responsible Sourcing which launched 
in 1998 and covers fair terms of trading, protection of 
children, worker health and safety, equal opportunities, 
freedom of association, freedom of employment, hours 
of work and wages. 

Regulatory environment 

The Group’s operations are subject to a broad spectrum 
of regulatory requirements particularly in relation to 
planning, competition and environmental issues, 
employment, pensions and tax laws and regulations 
over the Group’s products and services. 

There is an established governance process in place to 
monitor regulatory developments and to ensure that all 
existing regulations are complied with. Regular reviews 
are completed across the estate to ensure compliance 
and that training needs are addressed as required. 

The main financial risks are the availability of short- and 
long-term funding to meet business needs and fl uctuations 
in interest and foreign currency rates, which continue to 
be impacted by the turbulence in the fi nancial markets. 

The central treasury function is responsible for managing 
the Group’s liquid resources, funding requirements, and 
interest rate and currency exposures and the associated 
risks as set out in note 28 of the Annual Report and 
Financial Statements 2010. Additional funding was secured 
through a capital raise in the summer of 2009 to support 
the business’ space expansion plans. The treasury function 
has clear policies and operating procedures which are 
regularly reviewed and audited. 

Fraud 

The Group has strong control framework in respect of 
potential fraud or other dishonest behaviour, which is 
regularly reviewed by internal audit. A set of policies 
are in place to provide colleagues with clear guidance 
on behaviour. In addition, there are ‘whistle blowing’ 
procedures in place to enable colleagues and suppliers 
to raise concerns about possible improprieties on a 
confidential basis. Internal audit undertakes detailed 
investigations and highlights its findings to the 
Audit Committee. 

Health and safety 

Prevention of injury or loss of life for both colleagues 
and customers is of utmost importance. 

Clear policies and procedures are in place, which are 
aligned to all relevant regulations and industry standards 
and adherence to them is regularly monitored and audited. 

IT systems and infrastructure 

The Group is reliant on its IT systems and operational 
infrastructure in order to trade efficiently. A failure 
in these systems could have a significant impact on 
our business. 

The Group has extensive controls in place to maintain the 
integrity and efficiency of its systems including detailed 
recovery plans in the event of a significant failure. New 
innovations and upgrades to systems are ongoing to 
improve both the customer experience and colleague 
efficiency. Prior to introducing system changes rigorous 
testing is completed. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J Sainsbury plc: Board of Directors
 

5 

6 

8 

9 

3 

7 

2 

10 

1 

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Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG 
Life President 

Key to Committee Members
  Remuneration Committee
  Audit Committee
  Nomination Committee 

Corporate Responsibility Committee

 Denotes Chairman of Committee 

1. David Tyler 
Chairman 

David joined the Board on 1 October 2009 
and became Chairman on 1 November 2009. 
He is Non-Executive Chairman of Logica plc 
and a Non-Executive Director of Experian plc 
and Burberry Group plc, where he also 
chairs the Remuneration Committee. He was 
previously Group Finance Director of GUS plc 
(1997-2006) and has held senior fi nancial and 
general management roles with Christie’s 
International plc (1989-96), County NatWest 
Limited (1986-89) and Unilever PLC (1974-86). 
He was also Chairman of 3i Quoted Private 
Equity plc (2007-09) and a Non-Executive 
Director of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc over 
the same period. Age 57. 

2. Justin King 
Chief Executive 

3. Darren Shapland 
Chief Financial Offi cer 

4. Mike Coupe 
Trading Director 

Appointed Chief Executive Offi cer on 
29 March 2004 and is also Chairman of 
the Operating Board. He has been a Non-
Executive Director of Staples, Inc. since 
September 2007 and was appointed to the 
board of the London Organising Committee 
of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 
in January 2009. He was formerly Director of 
Food at Marks & Spencer plc and from 1994 
to 2001 he held a number of senior positions 
at ASDA/WalMart in Trading, HR and Retail. 
Justin was previously Managing Director of 
Häagen Dazs UK and spent much of his early 
career with Mars Confectionery and Pepsi 
International. Age 48. 

Appointed Chief Financial Officer on 1 August 
2005 and is also Chairman of Sainsbury’s 
Bank plc. Darren was appointed a Non-
Executive Director of Ladbrokes plc in 
November 2009. He was formerly Group 
Finance Director of Carpetright plc (2002-05) 
and Finance Director of Superdrug Stores plc 
(2000-02). Between 1988 and 2000, Darren 
held a number of financial and operational 
management roles at Arcadia plc including 
Joint Managing Director, Arcadia Home 
Shopping; Finance Director of Arcadia 
brands; Finance Director, Top Shop/Top Man 
(Burton Group); and Director of Supply Chain 
Programme (Burton Group). Age 43. 

Appointed an Executive Director on 
1 August 2007 and has been a member 
of the Operating Board since October 2004. 
He joined Sainsbury’s from Big Food Group 
where he was a Board Director of Big Food 
Group plc and Managing Director of Iceland 
Food Stores. Mike previously worked for both 
ASDA and Tesco, where he served in a variety 
of senior management roles. He is also a 
member of the supervisory board of GSI UK. 
Age 49. 

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10. Val Gooding 
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 
11 January 2007. She was formerly Chief 
Executive of BUPA (1998-2008), which she 
joined from British Airways, and is a Non-
Executive Director of Standard Chartered 
Bank plc. Val is a member of the BBC’s 
Executive Board and the Advisory Board 
of the Warwick Business School. She is 
a Trustee of the British Museum and a 
Non-Executive Director of the Lawn 
Tennis Association. She was formerly 
a Non-Executive Director of Compass 
Group plc and BAA plc. Age 59. 

9. Gary Hughes 
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 
1 January 2005. Gary is Chief Financial 
Officer of the Gala Coral Group and a Director 
of the Scottish Exhibition Centre Limited. 
Formerly he was Chief Executive of CMP 
Information Limited – a division of United 
Business Media plc (2006-08), Group 
Finance Director of Emap plc (2000-05), 
Group Finance Director of SMG plc (1996­
2000), and Deputy Finance Director of 
Forte plc (1994-96). Prior to this Gary held 
a number of senior management positions 
with Guinness plc in the UK and in North 
America. Age 48. 

8. Bob Stack 
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 
1 January 2005. He was a Director of 
Cadbury plc until December 2008. He joined 
Cadbury Beverages in the US in 1990 and 
was first appointed to the Board of Cadbury 
Schweppes plc in May 1996 as Group Human 
Resources Director. In March 2000 he was 
appointed Chief Human Resources Offi cer 
and took on responsibility for communication 
and external affairs in addition to HR. Bob 
is Trustee and Non-Executive Director of 
Earthwatch International and also a Non-
Executive Director and Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee of IMI plc. Age 59. 

5. John McAdam 
Senior Independent Director 

6. Anna Ford 
Non-Executive Director 

7. Mary Harris 
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 
1 September 2005. He is Chairman of 
Rentokil Initial plc and United Utilities plc. 
He is also a Non-Executive Director of Rolls-
Royce Group plc and Sara Lee Corporation. 
John joined Unilever PLC as a management 
trainee in 1974 and went on to hold a number 
of senior positions in Birds Eye Walls, 
Quest and Unichema, before the sale of 
the Specialty Chemical Businesses to ICI in 
1997. He was Chief Executive of ICI plc, until 
its sale to Akzo Nobel, and was formerly a 
Non-Executive Director of Severn Trent plc 
(2000-05). Age 62. 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 2 May 
2006. She retired from the BBC in 2006, 
after 32 years in News and Current Affairs. 
Anna is a Non-Executive Director of N Brown 
Group plc and has been a Trustee of the Royal 
Botanical Gardens in Kew, London; a Fellow 
of the Royal Geographical Society; a Trustee 
of Forum for the Future; Chancellor of 
Manchester University; and an Honorary 
Bencher of Middle Temple. Age 66. 

Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 
1 August 2007. She is a member of the 
supervisory boards of TNT NV and Unibail-
Rodamco S.E. Mary previously spent much 
of her career with McKinsey & Company, 
most recently as a partner, and her previous 
work experience included working for 
PepsiCo in Greece and the UK as a sales 
and marketing executive. Age 44. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Operating Board
 

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1 

2 

3 

4

5 

6 

10

11 
11

7

8 

9

Justin King (1) 
See page 24 

Darren Shapland (2) 
See page 24 

Mike Coupe (3) 
See page 24 

Tim Fallowfi eld (4) 
Company Secretary 

Company Secretary since 2001 and is a 
member of the Operating Board. Tim joined 
from Exel plc, the global logistics company, 
where he was Company Secretary and Head 
of Legal Services (1994-2001). Prior to this 
he worked at Clifford Chance and is a 
qualifi ed solicitor. 

Luke Jensen (5) 
Managing Director Non-Food 

Luke joined Sainsbury’s and the Operating 
Board in June 2008 as Director of Strategy. 
He was appointed to the position of Managing 
Director Non-Food in 2009. In this role he is 
responsible for driving the profi table growth 
of Sainsbury’s in General Merchandise, 
Clothing and Entertainment and for the 
development of the Company’s Far East 
direct sourcing operation, Sainsbury’s Asia. 
Previous roles include Director/Partner and 
Head of the Consumer and Retail Practice of 
OC&C Strategy Consultants (2004-08) and 
Founder and Group FD/Executive Director of 
M8 Group (internet and mail order specialist 
retailer) (2002-03). 

Rob Fraser (6) 
IT Director 

Rob joined the Operating Board as IT Director 
in July 2009, bringing many years of both IT 
and retail experience to the role. Rob was 
previously Vice President, Retail, Consumer 
& Transport at CSC, and spent ten years at 
Boots where he undertook a variety of IT 
roles including Group IT Director. He was 
also a member of the Boots Executive 
Committee and has worked for Rank Xerox 
and Marks & Spencer plc. 

John Rogers (7) 
Property Director 

John joined Sainsbury’s in March 2005 
as Director of Corporate Finance before 
becoming Director of Group Finance 
(2007-08). He became Property Director 
and was appointed to the Operating Board 
in June 2008. Prior to Sainsbury’s, John 
was Group Finance Director for Hanover 
Acceptances, a diversifi ed corporation 
with wholly owned subsidiaries in the food 
manufacturing, real-estate and agri-business 
sectors. Previous roles include Senior 
Manager at Monitor Company and Manager 
at Arthur Andersen. 

Gwyn Burr (8) 
Customer Director 

Joined the Operating Board in 2004 and 
became a Director of Sainsbury’s Bank plc 
in 2007. Gwyn is responsible for Marketing, 
Own-Brand and Customer Service. She has 
over 20 years’ business experience, including 
five with Nestle Rowntree and over 13 with 
ASDA/WalMart where she held various board 
level positions. Before joining Sainsbury’s, 
Gwyn founded her own marketing 
consultancy, The Resultant Team. She is 
currently chair of the Business in the 
Community, Cause Related Marketing 
Leadership team. 

Roger Burnley (9) 
Retail and Logistics Director 

Appointed to the Operating Board in March 
2006 as Supply Chain Director and in April 
2008 he assumed the role of Retail and 
Logistics Director. Roger was previously 
Supply Chain Director at Matalan. He spent 
his early career in retail management and 
buying at B&Q before joining ASDA/WalMart, 
where he held a number of positions before 
becoming their Supply Chain Director in 2001. 

Imelda Walsh (10) 
HR Director 

HR Director since October 2001. Appointed 
to the Operating Board when formed in May 
2004. Before this she was a member of the 
Board of Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd from 
March 2003. Imelda was appointed a Director 
of Sainsbury’s Bank plc in February 2007. 
Prior to joining Sainsbury’s, she worked for 
Barclays Retail Financial Services, Coca-Cola 
and Schweppes Beverages. Author of the 
Flexible Working Review, published May 
2008, which recommended how to extend 
the right to request flexible working to 
parents of older children. 

Neil Sachdev (11) 
Commercial Director 

Joined Sainsbury’s in March 2007 as 
Commercial Director following 28 years 
at Tesco, where he worked in a range of 
different business areas including: Stores 
Board Director UK Property/Operations 
(2000-06); Supply Chain Director (1999­
2000); Director, Competition Commission 
(1998-99); Support Director (February 
1998-September 1998); and Retail Director 
(1994-98). Neil is Non-Executive Director and 
a member of the Audit and Remuneration 
Committees of Capital Shopping Centres 
Group PLC. 

26 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Directors’ report


The Directors present their report and audited fi nancial statements 
for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010. 

Principal activities 
The Company’s principal activities are grocery, related retailing and 
fi nancial services. 

Business review 
The Business Review sets out a comprehensive review of the 
development and performance of the business for the 52 weeks 
ended 20 March 2010 and future developments. The Business Review 
is set out on pages 1 to 23 of this report. All the information detailed 
in these pages is incorporated by reference into this report and is 
deemed to form part of this report. 

Corporate governance statement 
The corporate governance statement as required by the Disclosure 
and Transparency Rules 7.2.1 is set out on pages 29 to 32 and is 
incorporated by reference into this report. 

Dividends 
The Directors recommend the payment of a final dividend of 10.2 
pence per share (2009: 9.6 pence), making a total dividend for the 
year of 14.2 pence per share (2009: 13.2 pence), an increase of 7.6 per 
cent over the previous year. Subject to shareholders approving this 
recommendation at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”), the 
dividend will be paid on 16 July 2010 to shareholders on the register 
at the close of business on 21 May 2010. 

Changes to the Board 
David Tyler was appointed a Director of the Company on 1 October 
2009 and became Chairman on 1 November 2009 following the 
resignation of Philip Hampton. 

Re-election of Directors 
In accordance with the Articles of Association, David Tyler, who was 
appointed to the Board since the last AGM, will retire and seek 
election at the AGM. Val Gooding and Justin King will also retire by 
rotation and seek re-election. Full biographical details of all of the 
current Directors are set out on pages 24 and 25. 

Annual General Meeting 
The AGM will be held on Wednesday, 14 July 2010 at The Queen 
Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, 
London SW1P 3EE at 11.00am. The Chairman’s letter and the Notice 
of Meeting accompany this report, together with notes explaining 
the business to be transacted at the meeting. 

Share capital and control 
The following information is given pursuant to Section 992 of the 
2006 Companies Act. 

Except as described below in relation to the Company’s employee 
share schemes, there are no restrictions on the voting rights attaching 
to the Company’s ordinary shares or the transfer of securities in the 
Company; no person holds securities in the Company carrying special 
rights with regard to control of the Company; and the Company is not 
aware of any agreements between holders of securities that may result 
in restrictions in the transfer of securities or voting rights. Further 
details on the rights, restrictions and obligations attaching to the share 
capital of the Company, including voting rights, are contained in the 
Company’s Articles of Association. The Articles of Association may only 
be changed with the agreement of shareholders. 

Shares acquired through the Company’s employee share plans rank 
pari passu with shares in issue and have no special rights. Where, under 
the Company’s All Employee Share Ownership Plan, participants are 
beneficial owners of the shares but the trustee is the registered owner, 
the voting rights are normally exercised by the registered owner at the 
direction of the participants. The J Sainsbury Employee Benefi t Trusts 
waive their right to vote and to dividends on the shares they hold which 
are unallocated. Some of the Company’s employee share plans include 
restrictions on transfer of shares while the shares are held within the plan. 

At the AGM held in July 2009, the Company was authorised by 
shareholders to purchase its own shares, within certain limits and 
as permitted by the Articles of Association. The Company made no 
purchases of its own shares during the year and no shares were 
acquired by forfeiture or surrender or made subject to a lien or charge. 

All of the Company’s employee share plans contain provisions relating 
to a change of control. On a change of control, options and awards 
granted to employees under the Company’s share plans may vest and 
become exercisable, subject to the satisfaction of any applicable 
performance conditions at that time. 

The Company is not party to any significant agreements that would 
take effect, alter or terminate upon a change of control following 
a takeover bid. 

Ordinary shares 
Details of the changes to the ordinary issued share capital during the 
year are shown on page 75. At the date of this report, 1,861,173,065 
ordinary shares of 284/7 pence have been issued, are fully paid up and 
are listed on the London Stock Exchange. 

At the meeting, resolutions will be proposed to declare a fi nal 
dividend, to receive the Annual Report and Financial Statements 
and approve the Remuneration Report, to elect Directors and to 
re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors. In addition, 
shareholders will be asked to renew both the general authority of 
the Directors to issue shares and to authorise the Directors to issue 
shares without applying the statutory pre-emption rights. Following 
the placing of new shares and offering of convertible bonds by the 
Company in 2009, the authority to issue shares without applying 
the statutory pre-emption rights will be limited to 2.5 per cent of the 
total issued ordinary share capital of the Company in order to adhere 
to the provisions in the Pre-emption Group’s Statement of Principles. 

On 17 June 2009, the Company announced plans to raise additional 
capital via a placing of new shares and an offering of convertible bonds. 
Both parts were successfully received by the market raising £432 million 
in total. A total of 78,111,544 new ordinary shares were placed at a 
price of 310 pence per share, raising gross proceeds of approximately 
£242 million. The new ordinary shares that were issued represented 
approximately 4.4 per cent of Sainsbury’s issued ordinary share capital 
prior to the placing. The convertible bond offering raised £190 million 
and the bonds may be converted into ordinary shares at the option of 
the holder by the fifth anniversary of their issue in 2014 at an initial 
conversion price of 418.50 pence per ordinary share. The proceeds of 
the capital raising will be used to accelerate Sainsbury’s growth strategy. 

Shareholders will be asked to authorise the Company to make 
market purchases of its own shares. No such purchase has been 
made during the last financial year. Shareholders will also be asked 
to renew the Directors’ authority to operate the J Sainsbury All 
Employee Share Ownership Plan for a further ten years, adopt 
new Articles of Association to reflect changes introduced by the 
Companies (Shareholders’ Rights) Regulations  in August 2009 and 
authorise the Directors to hold general meetings at 14 clear days’ 
notice (where this flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting 
and is thought to be in the interests of shareholders as a whole). 
A resolution to renew the authority to make ‘political donations’ as 
defined by Part 14 of 2006 Companies Act, will also be proposed. 

Major interests in shares 
As at 12 May 2010, the Company had been notified by the following 
investors of their interests in 3 per cent or more of the Company’s 
shares. These interests were notified to the Company pursuant to 
Disclosure and Transparency Rule 5: 

Judith Portrait (a trustee of various 

settlements, including charitable trusts) 

Legal and General Group plc 
Lord Sainsbury of Turville* 
Qatar Holdings LLC 

% of voting rights 

4.09 
3.99 
5.85 
25.99 

* Innotech Advisers Limited, an investment company 100 per cent owned by Lord Sainsbury of 

Turville, holds 92,000,000 shares in J Sainsbury plc. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

27 

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Directors’ report continued 

Directors’ interests 
The beneficial interests of the Directors and their families in the 
shares of the Company are shown in the Remuneration Report on 
page 42. The Company’s Register of Directors’ interests contains 
full details of Directors’ interests, shareholdings and options over 
ordinary shares of the Company. 

During the year, no Director had any material interest in any 
contract of significance to the Group’s business. 

Directors’ indemnities 
The Directors are entitled to be indemnified by the Company to the 
extent permitted by law and the Company’s Articles of Association 
in respect of all losses arising out of or in connection with the execution 
of their powers, duties and responsibilities. The Company has 
executed deeds of indemnity for the benefit of each Director in respect 
of liabilities which may attach to them in their capacity as Directors of 
the Company. The Company purchased and maintained Directors’ 
and Officers’ liability insurance throughout 2009/10, which has been 
renewed for 2010/11. Neither the indemnities nor the insurance provide 
cover in the event that the Director is proved to have acted fraudulently. 

Market value of properties 
The Directors believe that the aggregate open market value of Group 
properties exceeds the net book value as set out in note 11 on page 64 
to the fi nancial statements. 

Essential contracts 
Sainsbury’s has contractual and other arrangements with numerous 
third parties in support of its business activities. None of the 
arrangements is individually considered to be essential to the 
business of Sainsbury’s. 

Policy on payment of creditors 
The policy of the Company and its principal operating companies is 
to agree terms of payment prior to commencing trade with a supplier 
and to abide by those terms on the timely submission of satisfactory 
invoices. The Company is a holding company and therefore has no 
trade creditors. Statements on the operating companies’ payment 
of suppliers are contained in their fi nancial statements. 

Corporate responsibility 
Sainsbury’s has a strong record in its commitment to corporate 
responsibility, which is an everyday part of how the Company does 
business. Details of the Company’s principal corporate responsibility 
initiatives and activities are set out on pages 11 to 15. The Company’s 
Corporate Responsibility Report, which will be published in June 2010 
(www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/crreport2010), provides a comprehensive 
statement on corporate responsibility and describes the Company’s 
policies and activities in relation to its five corporate responsibility 
principles; Best for Food and Health, Sourcing with Integrity, Respect 
for Our Environment, Making a Positive Difference to Our Community 
and A Great Place to Work. 

As part of ‘A Great Place to Work’ the Company has well-developed 
policies for fair and equal treatment of all colleagues, employment 
of disadvantaged persons and colleague participation. It is our policy 
that people with disabilities be given full and fair consideration for 
all vacancies. For those colleagues who become disabled during their 
employment, we endeavour to adjust their working environment, 
where possible, allowing them to maximise their potential whilst 
remaining with the Company. 

Under the banner of ‘You Can’, the Company also actively works 
with a number of organisations which seek to promote inclusion 
within the workplace. These include Local Employment Partnerships, 
The Employers’ Forum on Disability (Gold member), the Shaw Trust, 
Remploy and Mencap. The Company has also focused on the broader 
skills agenda and has set ambitious targets for enabling colleagues 
to achieve nationally recognised qualifi cations. 

The Company’s quarterly, interim and annual results are presented to all 
senior management and are communicated to all colleagues. Colleagues 
have always been encouraged to hold shares in the Company. 

28 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

Donations 
Sainsbury’s is committed to making a positive difference to the 
communities in which we operate. We support many charitable 
organisations and community projects through either donating 
cash, making in-kind donations or through colleague volunteering. 

During the year Sainsbury’s colleagues, customers and suppliers 
raised £15.7 million (2009: £17.4 million) for charities through events 
supported by the Company, including Sport Relief. Cash and in-kind 
donations totalled £1.9 million (2009: £5.7 million). The amount of 
in-kind donations, principally food donations to Fareshare, reduced 
this year but we remain Fareshare’s largest corporate partner. 

The Company made no political donations in 2010 (2009: £nil). 

Post balance sheet events 
There are no post balance sheet events. 

Financial risk management 
The financial risk management and policies of the Group are 
disclosed in note 28 on pages 81 to 85 to the fi nancial statements. 

Going concern 
The Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to 
affect its future development, performance and position are set out 
in the Business Review on pages 1 to 23. The financial position of the 
Group, its cash flows and liquidity are highlighted in the Financial 
Review on pages 16 to 21. The Group manages its fi nancing by 
diversifying funding sources, configuring core borrowings with long-
term maturities and maintaining sufficient standby liquidity. Full 
details of the Group’s financing arrangements can be found in note 20 
on pages 70 and 71 to the financial statements. In addition, notes 28 
and 29 on pages 81 to 90 to the financial statements include the 
Group’s objectives, policies and processes for managing its capital; 
its financial risk management objectives; details of its fi nancial 
instruments and hedging activities; and its exposures to credit 
risk and liquidity risk. 

The debt refinancing in March 2006 removed the Group’s reliance on 
unsecured credit markets for medium and long-term finance and the 
Group’s fi rst signifi cant re-financing exposure is not until 2018. 

As a consequence, the Directors believe that the Group is well placed 
to manage its business risks successfully despite the current 
challenging economic outlook. The Directors have a reasonable 
expectation that the Company has sufficient resources to continue 
in operation for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue 
to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the fi nancial statements 
which are shown on pages 45 to 102. 

Disclosure of information to auditors 
Each of the Directors has confirmed that, so far as he/she is aware, 
there is no relevant audit information of which the auditors are 
unaware. Each Director has taken all steps that he/she ought to have 
taken as a Director in order to make himself/herself aware of any 
relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are 
aware of that information. 

Auditors 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have expressed their willingness to be 
reappointed as auditors of the Company. Upon the recommendation 
of the Audit Committee, resolutions to reappoint them as auditors 
and to authorise the Directors to determine their remuneration will 
be proposed at the AGM. 

By order of the Board 
Tim Fallowfi eld 
Company Secretary, 12 May 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of corporate governance
 

Compliance 
The following sections explain how the Company applies the main 
principles of Section 1 of the UK Combined Code on Corporate 
Governance June 2008 (the “Code”). The Board is committed to 
strong governance practices and, during the year, the Company 
has complied with all the provisions of the Code. 

The Board 
The Board has been chaired by David Tyler since 1 November 2009 
following the resignation of Philip Hampton. It consists of three 
Executive Directors and six Non-Executive Directors in addition to 
the Chairman. Dr John McAdam is the Senior Independent Director. 
The Directors’ biographical details are set out on pages 24 and 25. 

The Board is scheduled to meet eight times during the year, including 
a two-day strategy conference. The Chairman and Non-Executive 
Directors met during the year without the Executive Directors being 
present, and the Non-Executive Directors also met during the year 
without the Executive Directors or the Chairman being present. 

The Chairman 
David Tyler joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 October 
2009 and assumed the role of Chairman on 1 November 2009. The 
Nomination Committee led the recruitment process as described 
in more detail below. His biographical details are set out on page 24 
and establish his broad range of experience that makes him ideal 
for the chairman role. At the time of his appointment he confi rmed 
his independence and also that he had sufficient time to meet his 
responsibilities to the Company, particularly as he had just stood 
down as a non-executive director of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc. 
Since his appointment he has had an extensive induction process, 
including meetings with key investors. 

Division of responsibilities 
There is a clear division of responsibilities between the Chairman and 
the Chief Executive which is set out in writing and has been approved 
by the Board. The Chairman is responsible for leadership of the 
Board, ensuring its effectiveness and setting its agenda. He ensures 
effective communication with shareholders and that the Board is 
aware of the views of major shareholders. He facilitates both the 
contribution of the Non-Executive Directors and constructive 
relations between the Executive and Non-Executive Directors. The 
Chief Executive is responsible for the day-to-day management of the 
Company, and executing the strategy, once agreed by the Board. He 
creates a framework of strategy, values, organisation and objectives 
to ensure the successful delivery of results, and allocates decision 
making and responsibilities accordingly. He takes a leading role, with 
the Chairman, in the relationship with all external agencies and in 
promoting Sainsbury’s. 

Independence/Non-Executive Directors 
The Non-Executive Directors bring wide and varied commercial 
experience to Board and Committee deliberations. They are appointed 
for an initial three-year term, subject to election by shareholders at 
the first AGM after their appointment, after which their appointment 
may be extended for a second term, subject to mutual agreement and 
shareholder approval. 

The Chairman satisfied the independence criteria of the Code on his 
appointment and all the Non-Executive Directors are considered to 
be independent according to the provisions of the Code. The Board 
is satisfied that the independence of the Directors who have executive 
or non-executive roles with other companies is not compromised and 
that they all have sufficient time available to devote to the Company. 

The Companies Act provides that directors must avoid a situation 
where they have, or can have, a direct or indirect interest that 
conflicts, or possibly may conflict, with a company’s interests. 
Directors of public companies may authorise conflicts and potential 
conflicts, where appropriate, if a company’s articles of association 
permit. Shareholders approved the appropriate amendments to the 
Company’s Articles at the 2008 AGM. The Board has established 
procedures for the disclosure by Directors of any such confl icts, 
and also for the consideration and authorisation of these confl icts 
by the Board. In accordance with the Act, the Board considered and 
authorised each Director’s reported potential conflicts of interest 
during the year. Whenever a Director takes on additional external 
responsibilities, the Board considers any potential conflicts that may 
arise and whether the Director continues to have sufficient time to 
fulfill his or her role as a Director of the Company. The Board will 
continue to monitor and review potential conflicts of interest on 
a regular basis. 

The Board’s role 
The Board has a number of key responsibilities and formally reserved 
powers. It regularly considers strategic issues, key projects and 
major investments and monitors performance against delivery of 
the agreed key targets. It approves the corporate plan and the annual 
budget. Its objective is to create maximum value for shareholders 
over the long term. 

During the year the Board received updates on the investor relations 
programme and feedback from major shareholders. It reviewed the 
funding of the Group’s pension plans and broader pension matters. 
The Board fully considered and approved the placing of new shares 
and the offering of convertible bonds which successfully raised 
£432 million to accelerate Sainsbury’s growth strategy (see page 27 
of the Directors’ Report and notes 20 on page 70 and 23 on page 75 
to the financial statements for more information relating to the capital 
raising and the Company’s share capital structure). 

The Board reviews the Company’s principal risks on an annual basis 
in addition to receiving regular updates on risk management and 
internal controls from the Chairman of the Audit Committee. It also 
receives an annual update on health and safety and product safety, 
and relevant controls and governance, and any specific issues on 
these and other matters which might affect the Company’s reputation 
are reported to the Board as they occur. 

The Board delegates certain responsibilities to its principal committees. 
The Audit Committee ensures the integrity of fi nancial information, 
the effectiveness of the financial controls and the internal control 
and risk management systems. The Remuneration Committee sets 
the remuneration policy for Executive Directors and determines their 
individual remuneration arrangements. The Nomination Committee 
recommends the appointment of Directors and has responsibility for 
evaluating the balance of the Board and for succession planning at 
Board level. During the year the Nomination Committee led the 
process to appoint a new chairman. The Corporate Responsibility 
(“CR”) Committee reviews key CR policies, taking into account the 
Company’s CR objectives and the overall strategic plan. Further 
details are set out overleaf. 

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Statement of corporate governance continued 

Attendance 
The table shows the attendance of Directors at scheduled Board and 
Committee meetings. The Board scheduled eight meetings during the 
year and additional ad hoc conference calls were also convened to 
deal with specific matters which required attention between 
scheduled meetings. 

Board 

Audit 
Committee 

CR 
Committee 

Nomination  Remuneration 
Committee 
Committee 

8(8) 
Mike Coupe  
8(8) 
Anna Ford 
Val Gooding  
7(8) 
Philip Hampton  5(5) 
8(8) 
Mary Harris 
Gary Hughes 
8(8) 
8(8) 
Justin King 
John McAdam  8(8) 
Darren Shapland  8(8) 
8(8) 
Bob Stack  
3(3) 
David Tyler 

-
-
-
-
4(4) 
3(4) 
-
4(4) 
-
-
-

-
2(2) 
-
-
2(2) 
-
2(2) 
-
-
-
-

-
5(5) 
5(5) 
5(5) 
5(5) 
5(5) 
-
5(5) 
-
5(5) 
-

-
4(4) 
4(4) 
-
-
-
-
-
-
4(4) 
-

(The maximum number of meetings held during the year that each Director could attend is shown 
in brackets.) 

Information and development 
The Chairman is responsible for ensuring that all Directors are 
properly briefed on issues arising at Board meetings and that they 
have full and timely access to relevant information. The quality and 
supply of information provided to the Board is reviewed as part of 
the Board evaluation exercise. 

The Company has a programme for meeting Directors’ training and 
development requirements. Newly appointed Directors who do 
not have previous public company experience at Board level are 
provided with appropriate training on their role and responsibilities. 
New Directors participate in a comprehensive and tailored induction 
programme including store and depot visits and meetings with 
members of the Operating Board, senior management and external 
advisors. The induction programme includes a full review of corporate 
responsibility. Subsequent training is available on an ongoing basis to 
meet any particular needs. During the year the Company Secretary, 
Tim Fallowfield, has provided updates to the Board on relevant 
governance matters, new legislation and on Directors’ duties and 
obligations, whilst the Audit Committee regularly considers new 
accounting developments through presentations from management 
and the external auditors. The consultants to the Remuneration 
Committee advise the Committee on relevant governance and trends 
in remuneration. The Board programme includes presentations 
from management which increase the Non-Executive Directors’ 
understanding of the business and the sector. 

During the year the Board held a Board meeting at the Northampton 
Depot and visited nearby sites related to Sainsbury’s ‘No Waste to 
Landfill’ environmental initiatives. In addition, Directors have visited 
stores and other sites as part of their continuing engagement with 
the business. 

All Directors have access to the advice and services of the Company 
Secretary. He has responsibility for ensuring that Board procedures 
are followed and for governance matters. The appointment and 
removal of the Company Secretary is one of the matters reserved 
for the Board. There is an agreed procedure by which members 
of the Board may take independent professional advice at the 
Company’s expense in the furtherance of their duties. 

Board evaluation 
The Board agreed that this year’s evaluation exercise should be 
conducted by Tim Fallowfield, the Company Secretary. Having 
agreed the key objectives with the Chairman, he prepared a detailed 
questionnaire for the Directors which followed the format of last 
year’s exercise in order to track year-on-year responses, and included 
additional questions relating to specific areas of focus. He then met 

with each Director separately for in-depth discussions about the 
Board’s role and structure, contribution to strategic planning and risk 
management, Board process and dynamics, and any emerging issues. 
The performance of the Board Committees was also reviewed. Some 
members of senior management were asked for their views. He then 
presented the findings to the Board for discussion, identifying what 
was working well and areas which could be improved or approached 
differently. The Board concluded that it was working effectively. 
The action plan from the 2009 review had been implemented and 
the Board was satisfied with the progress that it had made during 
the year. An action plan was agreed to address the themes which 
emerged from this year’s exercise; these included new Board 
processes, aspects of Board succession, and engagement with 
the wider management team and other parts of the business. 

The Senior Independent Director reviewed the Chairman‘s 
performance with the other Directors and subsequently met 
him to provide feedback. The Chairman separately reviewed 
the contribution of each of the Directors with them. 

Operating Board 
Day-to-day management of the Group is delegated to the Operating 
Board, which is chaired by Justin King. The Operating Board held 
ten scheduled meetings during the year and each Director’s 
responsibilities are set out on page 26. It has formal terms of 
reference setting out its key responsibilities. Minutes are copied 
to the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors. 

The Operating Board has delegated certain powers to the Trading 
Board, the Retail & Logistics Board, the Investment Board, the 
Product Safety and Health and Safety Committees and the Corporate 
Responsibility Steering Group, each of which has approved terms 
of reference setting out their areas of responsibility. 

Board Committees 
The Board has delegated certain responsibilities to the Nomination, 
Remuneration, Corporate Responsibility and Audit Committees. 
The Chairman of each Committee provides an in-depth report 
of each meeting of the respective Committee to the Board at the 
following Board meeting. 

Nomination Committee 
The Nomination Committee is chaired by David Tyler and comprises 
each of the Non-Executive Directors. Justin King is not a member 
of the Committee although he is invited to attend meetings. 

During the year the Committee led the recruitment process for 
a new chairman after Philip Hampton informed the Board that, 
having completed five years as Chairman, he would be stepping 
down from the Board. This process was led by by John McAdam, 
the Senior Independent Director. Search consultants, Egon Zehnder 
International, were instructed by the Committee in connection 
with this process. The Committee considered the skills, knowledge, 
background and experience required for the role, and a job 
specification was prepared. The Committee specified the time 
commitment expected of the role. Following an extensive search, 
the Committee recommended to the Board that David Tyler be 
appointed as Chairman. He was appointed to the Board on 
1 October 2009 and became Chairman from 1 November. 

The Committee holds one meeting each year where it reviews 
succession planning and senior management development. 
The Committee’s terms of reference are available on the website 
(www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/governance) and set out the Committee’s 
responsibilities. The Committee meets when necessary and in 
2009/10 met on fi ve occasions. 

Remuneration Committee 
The Committee is chaired by Bob Stack, with Anna Ford and 
Val Gooding as its other members. The Remuneration Report 
is set out on pages 33 to 42. 

30 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of corporate governance continued 

Corporate Responsibility Committee 
The Committee is chaired by Anna Ford, and Justin King and Mary 
Harris are its other members. David Tyler attends each meeting. It met 
twice during the year. Formal meetings are supported by CR strategic 
meetings hosted by Anna Ford and Justin King. Each meeting is based 
around one of the five CR principles and key external stakeholders 
are invited to attend. During the year five meetings were held, relating 
to each of the fi ve principles. 

The Corporate Responsibility Committee is supported by an internal 
corporate responsibility governance structure whereby members of 
the Operating Board have responsibility for each of our fi ve values 
and sit on our Corporate Responsibility Steering Group, which meets 
quarterly and is chaired by Justin King. Other members include: 
•  Best for Food and Health — Gwyn Burr, Customer Director 
•  Sourcing with Integrity — Mike Coupe, Trading Director 
•  Respect for our Environment — Neil Sachdev, Commercial Director 
•	 Making a Positive Difference to our Community — Roger Burnley, 

Retail and Logistics Director 

•  A Great Place to Work — Imelda Walsh, Human Resources Director. 

A summary of the Company’s corporate responsibility priorities 
and activities is set out on pages 11 to 15. This year’s Corporate 
Responsibility report will be published in June 2010. 

Audit Committee 
The Committee is chaired by Gary Hughes with John McAdam and 
Mary Harris as its other members, all of whom are independent 
Non-Executive Directors. The Board has determined that Gary Hughes 
has recent and relevant financial experience. The Chairman, Justin 
King, Darren Shapland, Karen Whitworth (Director of Group Internal 
Audit), other senior members of the Finance Division and the external 
auditors are invited to attend Committee meetings. Tim Fallowfi eld is 
secretary to the Committee. 

During the year the Committee met on four occasions, the 
agendas being organised around the Company’s reporting cycle. 
It monitored the integrity of the financial statements and any formal 
announcements relating to the Company’s fi nancial performance 
and reviewed any signifi cant financial judgements contained in them. 
The Committee has also reviewed the effectiveness of the Company’s 
financial controls and the systems of internal control and risk 
management. Where any weaknesses were identified, the detailed 
actions for resolution are closely monitored through to completion. 
The Committee regularly meets with the external auditors without 
management being present. 

The Committee also regularly reviews the Company’s funding and 
liquidity position and has considered its impact on the Company’s 
financial and operational capabilities. The Committee’s detailed 
review of the year-end position assisted the Board in giving the 
going concern statement set out on page 28. 

The Committee reviewed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (“PwC”) 
overall work plan and approved their remuneration and terms of 
engagement and considered in detail the results of the audit, PwC’s 
performance and independence and the effectiveness of the overall 
audit process. The Committee recommended PwC’s re-appointment 
as auditors to the Board and this resolution will be put to shareholders 
at the AGM. PwC have been the Company’s auditors since 1995. The 
external auditors are required to rotate the audit partner responsible 
for the Group and subsidiary audits every five years. The current audit 
partner, who has now completed five audits, therefore ceases to be 
responsible for the Sainsbury’s audit following the AGM. PwC have 
identified a successor partner who has relevant industry and FTSE100 
company experience and who has been interviewed by the Chairman, 
Chairman of the Audit Committee, the Chief Executive and the Chief 
Financial Officer. He is undertaking a programme of induction 
meetings during the Spring and Summer of 2010. 

The Committee has implemented the Company’s policy which 
restricts the engagement of PwC in relation to non-audit services. 
This was reviewed during the year and is consistent with the Auditing 
Practices Board’s Ethical Standards No. 5 – Non Audit Services. 
The policy is designed to ensure that the provision of such services 
does not have an impact on the external auditors’ independence and 
objectivity. It identifies certain types of engagement that the external 
auditors shall not undertake, including internal audit and actuarial 
services relating to the preparation of accounting estimates for the 
financial statements, and others (such as mergers and acquisitions 
advice) that can only be undertaken with appropriate authority from 
the Committee Chairman or the Committee, should fees exceed 
pre-set thresholds. The policy also recognises that there are some 
types of work, such as accounting and tax advice, where a detailed 
understanding of the Company’s business is advantageous. The 
Committee receives a report at each meeting on the non-audit 
services being provided and the cumulative total of non-audit fees. 
In the event that cumulative non-audit fees exceed the audit fee 
then all subsequent non-audit expenditure must be approved by the 
Committee Chairman. The majority of the non-audit work undertaken 
during 2009/10 related to the 2009 pension funding valuation. The 
non-audit fees for the year were £0.5 million, and the audit fee for 
the year in respect of the Group, Company and its subsidiaries and 
the fee for the interim review totalled £0.8 million. 

The Committee has regularly reviewed the Internal Audit 
department’s resources, budget, work programme, results and 
management’s implementation of its recommendations. Karen 
Whitworth has direct access to all members of the Committee 
including the Committee Chairman and David Tyler. She has 
regular meetings with all Committee members. 

The Committee reviewed the Company’s ’whistleblowing’ procedures 
to ensure that arrangements are in place to enable colleagues and 
suppliers to raise concerns about possible improprieties on a 
confidential basis. All issues raised have been investigated and 
appropriate actions taken. 

The Company has a fraud policy and a Serious Fraud Committee, 
which convenes in the event of serious incidents to oversee case 
management and ensure appropriate actions are taken. The Audit 
Committee receives an update at each meeting on all material frauds. 

The Committee receives an update at each meeting about matters 
discussed at the Sainsbury’s Bank Audit Committee and on any other 
key matters. Given the economic climate it has continued to focus 
on the Bank’s liquidity and cash flows, capital adequacy and risk 
management processes. 

In February 2010 a new Grocery Supply Code of Practice (“GSCOP”) 
became effective following the recommendation of the Competition 
Commission. Each grocery retailer to which it applies had to appoint 
a Code Compliance Officer whose duties include hearing disputes 
between suppliers and the relevant retailer. Sainsbury’s has appointed 
the Director of Group Internal Audit as its Code Compliance Offi cer. 
Sainsbury’s has taken the necessary steps to prepare for the 
implementation of the GSCOP, including a comprehensive training 
programme for relevant colleagues. The Audit Committee reviewed 
the Company’s preparations for implementation, and has certain 
reporting obligations to fulfil in the future under GSCOP. 

The Committee’s terms of reference, which are available on 
the website (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/governance), set out the 
Committee’s responsibilities. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

31 

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Statement of corporate governance continued 

Internal control 
The Board has overall responsibility for the system of internal 
controls, which is fully embedded into the operations of the Company 
and includes risk management. Certain of these responsibilities have 
been delegated to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has 
reviewed the effectiveness of the system of internal control and has 
ensured that any required remedial action has been or is being taken 
on any identified weaknesses. The system of internal controls has 
been in place throughout the year, up to the date of approval of the 
Annual Report and Financial Statements, and it accords with the 
Turnbull guidance and the Combined Code. It is designed to manage 
rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve the Company’s 
business objectives and can only provide reasonable and not absolute 
assurance against material misstatement or loss. It covers all controls 
including those in relation to financial reporting processes (including 
the preparation of consolidated accounts), operational and compliance 
controls and risk management procedures. It also includes the 
controls over Sainsbury’s interests in Sainsbury’s Bank and the 
property joint ventures. 

The processes used to assess the effectiveness of the internal control 
systems are ongoing, enabling a cumulative assessment to be made, 
and include the following: 
•  	discussion and approval by the Board of the Company’s strategic 
direction, plans and objectives and the risks to achieving them; 

•  	review and approval by the Board of budgets and forecasts, 

including both revenue and capital expenditure; 

•  	regular reviews by management of the risks to achieving objectives 

and actions being taken to mitigate them; 

•  	regular reviews by management and the Audit Committee of the 
scope and results of internal audit work across the Company and 
of the implementation of recommendations. The scope of the work 
covers all key activities of the Company and concentrates on higher 
risk areas; 

•  	reviews of the scope of the work of the external auditors by the 

Audit Committee and any significant issues arising; 

•  	regular reviews by the Board and Audit Committee of identifi ed 
fraudulent activity and any whistleblowing by colleagues or 
suppliers, and actions being taken to remedy any control 
weaknesses; 

•  	reviews by the Audit Committee of accounting policies and levels 

of delegated authority; and 

•  	consideration by the Board and by the Audit Committee of the 

major risks facing the Group and of the controls and procedures 
in place to manage them. 

Risk management 
The risk management system has been in place throughout the year 
and up to the date of approval of the Annual Report and Financial 
Statements. Accepting that risk is an inherent part of doing business, 
the system is designed to identify key risks and provide assurance that 
these risks are fully understood and managed. It is also supported 
by a risk policy and guidelines on how to apply the policy, which are 
communicated throughout the Company. The effectiveness of the 
process is reviewed twice a year by the Audit Committee which 
then reports to the Board. 

The Operating Board maintains a risk register which is regularly 
reviewed by the Committee and formally discussed with the Board. 
The register contains the key risks facing the Company and 
identifies the potential impact and likelihood of the risk at both 
a gross (pre mitigating controls) and a net (post mitigating controls) 
level. Where the net risk requires further actions, these are agreed 
with specific timelines. These actions are closely monitored until 
they are fully implemented. 

32 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

The risk management process is cascaded through each division 
and consists of: 
•  	formal identification by the management of each division of the 
key risks to achieving their business objectives and the controls 
in place to manage them. This identification exercise is achieved 
through workshops which are facilitated by Internal Audit. The 
likelihood and potential impact of each risk is evaluated and 
actions necessary to mitigate them are identified. The risks and 
the robustness of the controls mitigating them are regularly 
reviewed by the management of each division as part of their 
normal business activities; and 

•  	certification by management that they are responsible for 
managing the risks to their business objectives and that the 
internal controls are such that they provide reasonable but not 
absolute assurance that the risks in their areas of responsibility 
are appropriately identified, evaluated and managed. 

The Operating Board reviews and challenges the output from the 
divisional risk process and updates the overall Company risk register 
if deemed necessary. Internal Audit provides independent assurance 
as to the existence and effectiveness of the risk management 
activities described by management. 

Investor relations 
The Company is committed to maintaining good communications with 
investors. Normal shareholder contact is the responsibility of Justin 
King, Darren Shapland and Anna Tee, Head of Investor Relations. 
The Chairman is generally available to shareholders and meets with 
institutional and other large investors as required. 

The Company regularly meets with its large investors and institutional 
shareholders who, along with sell-side research analysts, are invited to 
presentations by the Company immediately after the announcement 
of the Company’s interim and full year results. They are also invited 
to participate in conference calls following the announcement of the 
Company’s trading statements. The content of these presentations 
and conference calls are webcast and are posted on the Company’s 
website (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/investors) so as to be available to 
all investors. 

The Board regularly receives feedback on the views of major investors 
and the Investor Relations programme. In addition, Makinson Cowell 
provide investor relations consultancy services to the Company and 
give an external analysis to the Board on the views of institutional 
investors and sell-side analysts. Non-Executive Directors also receive 
regular market reports and broker updates from the Company’s 
Investor Relations department. 

Shareholders have the opportunity to meet and question the Board at 
the AGM, which this year will be held on 14 July 2010. There will be a 
display of various aspects of the Company’s activities and Justin King 
will make a business presentation. A detailed explanation of each item 
of special business to be considered at the AGM is included with the 
Notice of Meeting which will be sent to shareholders at least 20 
working days before the meeting. All resolutions proposed at the AGM 
will be taken on a poll vote. This follows best practice guidelines and 
enables the Company to count all votes, not just those of shareholders 
who attend the meeting. 

Information on matters of particular interest to investors 
is set out on pages 104 to 106 and on the Company’s website 
(www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/investors). 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report
 

This report is made by the Board on the recommendation of the 
Remuneration Committee. The first part of the report sets out the 
remuneration policy, while the second part details the remuneration, 
pensions and share plan interests of the Directors for the 52 weeks 
to 20 March 2010. The Directors confirm that this report has been 
prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and reflects 
the provision of Schedule 8 of the Large & Medium-sized Companies 
and Groups (Accounts & Reports) Regulations 2008. 

A resolution will be put to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting 
(“AGM”) on 14 July 2010 asking them to approve this report. 

Dear Shareholder, 

Despite another year of challenging market conditions, Sainsbury’s 
has delivered continued strong performance against its targets in 
2009/10. The retail sector continues to be one of the most fast-
moving and highly competitive in the UK. However, Sainsbury’s 
stable and experienced leadership team has consistently achieved 
growth since 2005. The tables below demonstrate the level of 
achievement in sales, underlying operating margin and underlying 
profit before tax over the last five years. 

Like-for-like sales (%) 

1 Year LFL 

4.34.34.3 

2 Year LFL 

3 Year LFL 

4 Year LFL 

5 Year LFL 

9.09.09.0 

13.2 

Underlying operating margin (%) 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

19.9 

24.4 

2.242.242.24 

2.542.542.54 

3.00 

3.26 

3.36 

Underlying profit before tax (£m) 

2005/06 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

242444244 

333333999 

434 

519 

•  	There has been strong performance against Sainsbury’s bonus 
targets for 2009/10. Not only has there been strong growth in 
underlying profit before tax, but colleagues have worked hard to 
deliver record levels of customer service and product availability. 
This has led to the highest bonus pool ever – over £80 million – 
being earned this year by around 127,000 colleagues. In respect 
of the Executive Directors, their awards were 96.5 per cent of the 
maximum bonus opportunity, reflecting the Company’s excellent 
business results. A new bonus payment timetable was trialled in 
order to make awards closer to the end of the performance period 
in which they were earned. We are intending to continue with this 
approach for 2010/11. 

•  	Through the Deferred Share Award, Sainsbury’s has continued to 
ensure a strong link exists between its incentive framework and its 
five core areas of focus. The Company has performed well against 
the basket of measures set at the start of the year. The majority 
of these objectives have been met or outperformed, laying the 
foundation for strong, sustainable growth and long-term 
shareholder value. The awards that have been made reflect 
this performance. 

•  	The Making Sainsbury’s Great Again Share Plan (“MSGA”) came 
to a close at the end of 2008/09, following the full achievement 
of its stretching sales and earnings per share performance 
conditions. The final set of shares to vest was available for 
exercise in May 2009. 

•  	The first cycle of the Value Builder Share Plan, which was launched 

in 2006/07, achieved a good level of performance against its 
targets, vesting at 92.5 per cent of its maximum opportunity. One 
half of the shares to vest became exercisable in May 2009 and the 
remaining shares were exercisable in March 2010. 

•  	During the year, a number of participants took the opportunity 

to exercise vested nil-cost options to acquire further shares in the 
Company; these had been earned through the MSGA and Value 
Builder Share Plans. This principle of share ownership is further 
reinforced through the use of deferred shares. The Executive 
Directors continue to have a high level of shareholding, which 
provides close alignment with shareholders’ interests. 

The Company is now moving into a key phase of its growth strategy 
and the next three years will be critical to its delivery. The Committee 
has set incentive plan levels for 2010/11 with this context in mind, 
carefully considering the degree of performance that will be required 
and the need to secure the existing, high performing leadership team. 
The Committee will increase the Executive Directors’ Value Builder 
core awards for 2010/11 but, in return, they will now be expected to 
hold and maintain a higher level of the Company’s shares. The market 
for executive talent in the food retail sector is intensely competitive, 
and the Committee will need to remain cognisant of this commercial 
reality in the coming years. 

In addition, we have reviewed the policy in relation to the termination 
provisions for new Executive Directors’ appointments and will bring 
these arrangements in line with current best practice guidelines. 

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There will be no other material changes to our remuneration policy, 
framework, incentive plan design or performance measures 
for 2010/11. 

Building on this context, I would like to share with you some highlights 
of the remuneration policy and practice for the last year. 
•  	Despite this strong business performance, the Committee has been 
mindful of the current economic climate when reviewing salaries 
for 2010/11. No salary increase has been awarded to the Executive 
Directors and salary changes have been kept at modest levels 
elsewhere in Sainsbury’s. 

We are committed to good corporate governance and building on 
the existing strong relationships we have with our shareholders and 
institutional investors. For a number of years we have looked to 
explain the rationale behind our pay practices, and we have further 
expanded this year’s Remuneration Report with this objective in mind. 

Bob Stack 
Chairman, Remuneration Committee 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

Remuneration Committee 
The Remuneration Committee comprises Bob Stack (Remuneration 
Committee Chairman), Anna Ford and Val Gooding, all of whom are 
independent Non-Executive Directors. The Committee met four times 
in 2009/10. 

Tim Fallowfield, Company Secretary, acts as secretary to the 
Committee. David Tyler, Justin King and Imelda Walsh, HR Director, 
are invited to attend Committee meetings. The Committee considers 
their views when reviewing the remuneration of the Executive 
Directors and Operating Board Directors. They are not involved in 
discussions concerning their own remuneration. 

Philip Hampton attended all Committee meetings held during the year 
until he left the Company on 31 October 2009. 

The responsibilities of the Committee include: 
•  	determining and agreeing with the Board the broad remuneration 
policy for the Chairman, Executive Directors and the Operating 
Board Directors; 

•  	setting individual remuneration arrangements for the Chairman 

and Executive Directors; 

•  	recommending and monitoring the level and structure of 

remuneration for those members of senior management within the 
scope of the Committee, namely the Operating Board Directors and 
any other executive whose salary exceeds that of any Operating 
Board Director; and 

•  	approving the service agreements of each Executive Director, 

including termination arrangements. 

The Committee’s terms of reference are available on the Company’s 
website (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/governance). 

The Committee is authorised by the Board to appoint external 
advisers if it considers this beneficial. Over the course of the year, 
the Committee was supported by its appointed advisers, Deloitte LLP 
(“Deloitte”), whose consultants attended all Committee meetings. 
Deloitte provided the Company with unrelated advice and consultancy 
regarding information systems strategy and development, retirement 
benefit planning, grocery online strategy and across a range of direct 
and indirect taxation areas. 

Towers Watson provided comparative data which was considered 
by the Committee in setting remuneration levels. Total Shareholder 
Return (“TSR”) calculations are supplied by UBS, who provided 
broking and banking services to the Company during the year. 

Remuneration Policy 
The Committee considers that the Remuneration Policy should drive 
performance and complement the overall strategy of the Company. 
It believes that the ongoing growth and success of the Company 
during challenging market conditions is testament to this approach. 
It is committed to ensuring that the management team is rewarded 
for continuing to deliver the Company’s growth plans and long-term 
shareholder value. Therefore, the Company’s current arrangements 
incorporate performance metrics which are directly linked to the 
business strategy and specifically the five areas of focus (as described 
in the Business Review) which are directed towards generating good 
long-term growth. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

The Company’s Remuneration Policy is as follows: 

It remains the Committee’s intention that Directors’ remuneration 
should be competitive, both in terms of base salary and total 
remuneration. This approach is designed to promote the Company’s 
short and long-term successes through the securing of high calibre 
executive talent. This, in turn, is one of the key ways in which 
shareholder value can be further created and strengthened. 
•  	Basic salaries should be market competitive, determined by 

drawing on a range of factors. The Committee considers data 
that takes into account the remuneration of similar executive 
roles in similar companies, in addition to the individual’s 
experience, potential, performance, job size and scope. 
The Committee also has regard to the external business 
environment and the general level of increases applied 
across the Company. 

•  	The design and scale of pension provision and other employment 
benefits should be in line with wider market practice, placing 
a particular emphasis on the retail sector. 

• 	Incentive plans should be linked to stretching performance 

measures and targets, covering a mix of financial and non-fi nancial 
measures. The measures are reviewed and monitored to ensure 
that they do not drive unacceptable behaviours or encourage 
excessive risk taking. No incentive plan awards are pensionable. 

•  	A significant proportion of the total remuneration package is 

performance-related, aligning management’s and shareholders’ 
interests. Exceptional levels of performance will be rewarded 
with exceptional levels of total reward. 

•  	The Committee expects the Executive Directors and Operating 
Board Directors to acquire and maintain a shareholding in 
the Company sufficient to align their interests with those 
of shareholders. 

When reviewing or amending remuneration arrangements, the 
Committee considers any impact on the cost to the Company, 
employee behaviour, stakeholders (including shareholders, 
governance bodies and employees), share dilution, best practice 
corporate governance and market competitiveness, particularly 
within the retail sector. 

Components of remuneration 
At the end of 2008/09, the Committee undertook a review to assess 
the effectiveness of the Company’s Remuneration Policy. This review 
highlighted that a restructure of the incentive plan framework was 
necessary to create a stronger link to the five areas of focus. While 
the changes did not require formal shareholder approval, the views 
of the Company’s main investors and governance bodies were sought 
prior to implementation. Details of these changes were disclosed in 
the 2008/09 report. 

The main remuneration components for the Executive Directors 
and Operating Board Directors comprise basic salary, incentive plans, 
pensions and benefits. The balance between the fixed (basic salary 
and pension) and variable (annual bonus, Deferred Share Award and 
Value Builder Share Plan) elements of remuneration changes with 
performance, and the variable proportion of total remuneration 
increases significantly for increased levels of performance. 

The Committee believes that it is important to align the interests 
of both management and shareholders and therefore a signifi cant 
proportion of the Executive Directors’ remuneration is made in 
the form of shares. 

The following diagram shows the balance between the fi xed 
and variable remuneration components for 2010/11. The analysis 
assumes that target performance is achieved and it indicates that 
around 60 per cent of the package is variable. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

Fixed vs Variable Remuneration (%) 

Salary, Pension & Benefits 

Bonus 
Deferred Share Award 
Value Builder Share Plan 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Chief Executive 

Other Executive 
Directors 

The sections below describe each component of the Executive 
Directors’ remuneration packages. 

i)  Fixed remuneration 
Basic salary 
Basic salary for each Executive Director is determined by the 
Committee, taking account of a number of factors, including the 
Director’s performance, experience, responsibilities and job size 
and scope, as well as data from comparable roles in similar 
companies. The Committee also reviews Operating Board Directors’ 
salaries taking similar factors into account. The Committee considers 
salary levels in comparable companies by referring to relevant pay 
data in the UK retail sector, in companies with annual sales revenues 
over £5 billion and also in companies with a market capitalisation of 
between £3-£10 billion. This approach ensures that the best available 
benchmark for the Director’s specific position is obtained. When 
determining Executive Directors’ salaries, the Committee also has 
regard to economic factors, remuneration trends and the general 
level of salary increases awarded throughout the Company. 

The Committee reviewed the salaries of Justin King, Darren Shapland 
and Mike Coupe in March 2010 and determined that they should 
remain unchanged. This decision reflected a number of considerations 
including the external pay and inflation climate in the UK, and the 
range of awards made to management and non-management 
central colleagues. 

Pensions 
The Company’s Defi ned Benefit Pension Plan was closed to new 
members on 31 January 2002 and Justin King, Darren Shapland 
and Mike Coupe do not participate in it. In lieu of pension plan 
participation for 2009/10, Justin King received a pension 
supplement of 30 per cent of salary. Darren Shapland and Mike 
Coupe each received pension supplements of 25 per cent of salary. 

Benefi ts 
Benefits for Directors include the provision of company car benefi ts, 
life assurance, colleague discount and private medical cover. 

ii) Variable remuneration — current plans 
Annual bonus plan 
All bonus plans across the Company are aligned under a set of 
common principles. For 2009/10, Board and management plans 
retained the same key metrics based on profit and sales growth, 
product availability, plus an element for individual performance. 
Bonus awards are weighted to the achievement of profit, and it 
continues to act as the overall “gateway” measure for the plan 
reflecting the emphasis on growing profit. For Executive Directors, 
at least half of the bonus is based on profit, and the remainder 
is based on sales, product availability and the achievement of 
individual objectives. 

The profit, sales and availability targets were also shared across all 
store colleague bonus plans. Availability is measured across all stores 
on a regular basis by an independent third party, conducting random 
and unannounced store visits. Individual performance objectives 
are set annually for each Executive Director and are reviewed by 
the Committee. These objectives cover a variety of fi nancial and 
operational targets that contribute to the achievement of longer-term 
strategic goals; some of these objectives relate, either directly or 
indirectly, to the Company’s corporate values. 

The maximum cash bonus that could have been earned for 2009/10 
was 125 per cent of salary in respect of Justin King and 80 per cent 
of salary in respect of both Darren Shapland and Mike Coupe. 

In determining bonus payments for 2009/10, the Committee took into 
account performance against each of the plan’s measures in addition 
to individual objectives. 2009/10 was another strong year fi nancially 
for the Company: the profit target was exceeded, sales grew well in 
a challenging climate, and availability in stores improved. As a result, 
bonuses of 96.5 per cent of the maximum opportunity were awarded 
to the Executive Directors in respect of 2009/10. 

The 2009/10 bonus plan for store colleagues was based on the 
achievement of a corporate sales target as well as availability and 
customer service targets measured in their individual stores. No 
bonus awards are paid unless a threshold level of corporate profi t 
is met. As a result of strong store and corporate performance in 
2009/10, including record levels of customer service and availability, 
around 127,000 colleagues earned awards from a bonus pool 
totalling over £80 million. This bonus pool is the highest ever; 
in 2008/09 a bonus pool of around £60 million was shared by 
around 120,000 colleagues. 

For 2010/11, the bonus measures will remain unchanged and 
the targets will be set at a level to incentivise stretching 
year-on-year growth. 

Deferred Share Award 
Following the remuneration review, the Deferred Share Award (“DSA”) 
was introduced to replace the Deferred Annual Bonus Plan at the start 
of 2009/10. This incentive arrangement targets a diverse range of 
business critical financial and non-financial scorecard measures. 
These are intended to reward Directors for driving the short-term 
objectives that will directly lead to building the sustainable, long-term 
growth of the Company. 

The DSA covers broadly the top 40 managers in the Company, 
including Executive Directors. Share-based awards will be made 
to participants subject to performance against a basket of key 
strategic measures which will be aligned under four broad categories: 

1.  fi nancial performance 

2. returns to shareholders 

3. relative performance against peers 

4. strategic goals 

At least 50 per cent of the award will be based on the delivery of 
financial performance (e.g. profit, earnings per share and sales) and 
returns to shareholders (e.g. TSR and dividend yield). The balance will 
be based on measures which will assess the Company’s performance 
relative to its competitors (e.g. market share) as well as key strategic/ 
corporate goals, linked to the five areas of focus. In addition, no 
shares will be awarded unless the profit gateway target (as applied 
to the annual bonus plan) is achieved. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

35 

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Remuneration report continued 

Performance against the targets is measured over one fi nancial year, 
but any shares awarded will be deferred for a further two years to 
ensure that management’s interests continue to be aligned with 
those of shareholders. The shares are subject to forfeiture if the 
participant resigns or is dismissed for cause prior to their release 
date. Dividends accrue on the shares that vest in the form of 
additional shares. 

When developing the DSA for 2009/10, the Committee gave careful 
consideration to the selection of its performance measures and 
targets, as well as to the robustness of the plan design. During the 
year, the Committee also conducted an interim appraisal to gauge 
the progress of performance and the plan’s effectiveness based on 
half year results. 

The Company has performed strongly in 2009/10, and this has fl owed 
through to the basket of measures that the Committee considered for 
the purposes of making awards under the DSA. Although some of the 
specific measures and targets are commercially sensitive, the sections 
below present a selection of performance highlights within each of 
the four categories. 

Financial Performance 
•	 Underlying profit before tax improved by 17.5 per cent year-on-year 
to £610 million. Despite the dilutive effect of the 78.1 million shares 
issued as part of the capital raise in June 2009, earnings per share 
increased by 12.7 per cent to 23.9 pence. Profit before tax increased 
by 57.3 per cent to £733 million, supported by the surplus on the 
revaluation of properties within joint ventures. 

Return to Shareholders 
•	 Underpinning performance in the year was a 5.1 per cent rise in 

like-for-like sales (including VAT). This is the fifth consecutive year 
of growth and it has enabled the Company to maintain a good level of 
shareholder returns. The recommended full year dividend of 14.2p 
is 7.6 per cent higher than last year. TSR was assessed on both a 
relative and absolute basis over one, three and fi ve-year periods. 

Relative Performance 
•  The Company has a 16.1 per cent market share in the UK, up by 
0.2 per cent on last year, and therefore sales grew ahead of the 
market. Customer transactions are now averaging over 19 million 
a week – an increase of one million year-on-year. This demonstrates 
the Company’s universal appeal, which has been driven during the 
year through a competitive pricing strategy, high profi le marketing 
campaigns such as ‘Switch & Save’ and ‘Feed your Family for 
a Fiver’, and an increased range of non-food products. The 
Company received recognition for the outstanding quality of 
its offer by being voted ‘Supermarket of the Year’ at the Retail 
Industry Awards. 

Strategic Goals 
The Company’s strategy centres around five areas of focus. These 
areas are underpinned by Sainsbury’s strong heritage and brand 
which consistently set it apart from major competitors. Further details 
on the corporate objectives are contained on the inside front cover. 

•	 The Company won more Quality Food Awards than any other 

retailer in the year, including seven wins from 15 categories for 
Value products. It has also been recognised as the world’s largest 
retailer of Fairtrade by value. During the year, two key food ranges 
were relaunched: ‘Freefrom’ and ‘Be Good to Yourself’, while a 
significant number of lines were added to the ‘Basics’ range. 
•	 The Company has developed both its food and complementary 
non-food ranges, with non-food growing at a rate three times 
that of food. In particular, TU clothing has continued to be the 
star performer; the childrenswear range is now ranked seventh 
largest in the UK market by volume. Sainsbury’s Bank operating 
profit increased to £19 million, with the Bank performing strongly 
in the context of the broader economic environment. 

•	 A total of 51 Sainsbury’s Convenience stores opened during 

2009/10. This brings the total Convenience estate to 335 stores 

36 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

and the Company has plans to open 75 to 100 more in 2010/11. 
The grocery online business continues to grow rapidly with sales 
up just under 20 per cent and it now reaches nearly 90 per cent of 
UK households. During the year, the new non-food online business 
was successfully launched and now has over 8,000 products 
available nationally. 

•  The pace of property activity in the year has accelerated, with 

over 100 stores either opened or extended, adding over 1.1 million 
gross sq ft of new space in total, an increase of 6.8 per cent. The 
Company remains on track to deliver 15 per cent growth in the two 
years to March 2011. This has enabled the Company to increase its 
presence in areas in which it was previously under-represented, 
such as Scotland, Wales and South West England. The Company’s 
largest store in Northern Ireland opened during the year at 
70,000 sq ft. 

•  The market value of the Company’s freehold property portfolio has 
increased to over £9.8 billion. This is an increase of £2.3 billion on 
last year, including £0.7 billion of property value from investment 
and development activity. There are now 294 wholly-owned 
freehold and long leasehold stores, of which 85 per cent have 
development potential. Two property joint ventures have made 
good progress during the year and now contain 43 supermarkets 
in total. 

Following the year end, the Committee conducted a rigorous 
assessment of performance. Consistent with the underlying principles 
of the DSA, the Committee assessed achievements in the round, and 
also considered the manner in which these strategic goals had been 
delivered, in particular how the overall performance of the Company 
had contributed to its future, sustainable growth and success. 
The Committee agreed that for 2009/10, the plan would pay out 
at 88 per cent of the maximum level. This translates into a share 
award of 110 per cent of salary for Justin King and 70 per cent of 
salary for Darren Shapland and Mike Coupe. 

For 2010/11, shares may be awarded with a value of up to 125 per 
cent of salary for Justin King and 80 per cent of salary for Darren 
Shapland and Mike Coupe. The Committee has reviewed the DSA’s 
performance framework for 2010/11. The four performance categories 
and metrics will remain consistent with those agreed for 2009/10. 

Long-term Incentive Plan 2006 (“Value Builder Share Plan”) 
The top 1,200 managers in the Company participate in the Value 
Builder Share Plan, from the Chief Executive to supermarket store 
managers. Under the plan, a core award of shares in the Company 
is granted to all participants, calculated as a percentage of their 
salaries and scaled according to grade. As set out below, dependent 
upon performance, core awards can grow by up to four times. 
No awards vest for performance below the threshold levels. 

As in prior years, the vesting of awards is based on the performance 
of two stretching co-dependent measures: Return on Capital 
Employed (“ROCE”) and a cash flow per share measure, both of 
which are assessed over a three-year performance period. There 
is no re-testing. Both the performance measures and the targets 
are common for all participants. 

These performance measures were selected to build on the sales-led 
recovery plan and focus on creating further shareholder value. ROCE 
measures the efficiency with which new cash is invested and through 
which existing capital delivers profit, driving both cost savings and 
operational efficiencies. Cash flow per share captures the Company’s 
operational efficiency as well as its ability to generate cash for future 
investment or return to shareholders. The plan’s measures are key 
indicators of business success and therefore create a direct link 
between the interests of management and shareholders. 

No awards will vest unless threshold ROCE and cash flow per share 
targets are achieved. The performance measures are reviewed each 
year by the Committee, before a new grant is made, to ensure that 
they remain relevant and stretching. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

For the purposes of the Value Builder Share Plan, ROCE is calculated 
on a pre-tax, adjusted basis. It is based on shareholders’ proportion 
of underlying operating profit for the business, including the share 
of underlying profit arising from joint ventures. The capital employed 
figure excludes the impact of movements in the IAS 19 pension 
deficit and the one-off impact of capital spend in the year in which 
the calculation is made. 

Cash flow per share is calculated at the end of the performance period 
from two components: 
•	 The underlying cash operating profit or loss for the business before 
depreciation and amortisation (with all non-cash IAS 19 pensions 
accounting entries replaced with the actual cash contributions in 
respect of future service benefits to the Company’s defi ned benefi t 
pension scheme), less interest and taxes (adjusted to strip out the 
impact of one-off items) in the final year of the performance period. 
This reflects the Company’s improved ability to generate 
sustainable cash fl ows. 

•	 The improvement in normalised working capital over the 

performance period. This reflects the Company’s aggregate 
contribution to cash from improvements in working capital over 
the three-year period. 

These components are then added and expressed as a per share 
figure. The improvement in cash flow per share is expressed as 
a percentage of cash operating profit per share in the base year 
and is annualised. The working capital element is capped so as not 
to comprise more than one-third of the cash flow per share fi gure 
(the two components being considered on an absolute basis). 

Performance is measured at the end of the performance period. 
Vesting is calculated by applying a performance multiplier to the core 
award on a sliding scale up to four times. Straight-line vesting will be 
carried out if performance falls between two points. If the required 
threshold level of performance has been reached, 50 per cent of the 
award will be released at the end of year three. Subject to participants 
remaining in employment for a further year, the balance will then be 
released. Dividends accrue on the shares that vest in the form of 
additional shares. 

The Committee has the discretion to make adjustments to the 
calculation of the performance measures (for instance for material 
acquisitions and disposals) to ensure they remain true and fair 
reflections of performance. 

The measures were tested in May 2009 in respect of the Value 
Builder Share Plan grant made in 2006/07. A pre-tax, adjusted ROCE 
of 13.5 per cent was achieved and cash flow per share of 24.7 per cent, 
which gave rise to a performance multiplier of 3.7 out of a maximum 
four times. 

This performance outcome led to the vesting of 92.5 per cent of the 
total award for all plan participants, including the Executive Directors. 
One half of the award became exercisable in May 2009, with the 
remaining portion being exercisable in March 2010. The number of 
shares awarded from this grant cycle to Justin King, Darren Shapland 
and Mike Coupe is set out on page 41. 

In preparation for the 2010/11 Value Builder grant, the Committee 
reviewed the Executive Directors’ long-term incentive opportunity, 
to provide greater alignment with the level of performance that will 
be required to deliver the next phase of the Company’s growth 
strategy and to secure the existing high-performing team in a highly 
competitive environment. The Committee considered that 
shareholders’ interests were best served by a combination of some 
increase to awards and a review of the Executive Directors’ 
shareholding policy (which is set out on page 38). Therefore, it was 
concluded that for 2010/11, Justin King will be granted a core award 
of 55 per cent of salary; Darren Shapland and Mike Coupe will be 
granted a core award of 50 per cent of salary. 

The Committee reviewed the performance conditions and the matrix 
scale and determined that these will remain unchanged for 2010/11, as 
the targets are equally stretching and ambitious. The detail is set out 
in the table below. 

Pre-tax Adjusted 
ROCE 

15% 
14% 
13% 
12% 
11% 

3% 

1.5 
1.0 
0.5 
— 
— 

Cash flow per share percentage 
9% 

6% 

12% 

2.5 
1.5 
1.0 
0.5 
— 

3.0 
2.5 
1.5 
1.0 
0.5 

3.5 
3.0 
2.5 
1.5 
1.0 

15% 

4.0 
3.5 
3.0 
2.5 
1.5 

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iii) Variable remuneration — dormant plans 
Deferred Annual Bonus Plan 2006 
The Deferred Annual Bonus Plan previously applied to the top levels 
of management, including Executive Directors. Its purpose was to 
incentivise growth in relative TSR. However, following last year’s 
remuneration review, the Committee concluded that while the plan 
had merits (which were supported by the Committee at the time of its 
launch), these had been limited by the takeover approaches in relation 
to the Company in 2007 and by consolidation in the retail sector. 

The plan is now dormant, except for the two deferral cycles that have 
yet to end. The last deferral took place in June 2009 using the bonus 
awards earned for 2008/09, and no further deferrals will occur. 

Under the plan, a percentage of the Executive Directors’ earned 
annual bonuses was deferred into the Company’s shares for a period 
of three years. The compulsory deferral was 25 per cent of bonus for 
Justin King and 20 per cent of bonus for both Darren Shapland and 
Mike Coupe. In addition, the Executive Directors could elect to defer 
a further proportion of their annual bonus providing it did not exceed 
their compulsory deferral level. For the bonus awards relating to 
2008/09, all Executive Directors made the maximum voluntary 
deferral available under the plan. 

Up to two matched shares can be awarded for each bonus share 
deferred subject to a relative TSR performance condition, measured 
over three financial years against a bespoke UK and European retail 
comparator group, as set out on page 99. No matched shares are 
awarded for below median performance. Half of the matched shares 
may be accessed immediately following the end of the three-year 
performance period while the remainder is held over for a further 
year. Dividends or their equivalents accrue on the matched shares 
that vest. There is no performance re-testing. 

The TSR performance condition was tested after the year end in 
respect of the deferral made in 2007, which spanned the three 
financial years ending on 20 March 2010. The Company’s TSR 
performance was below median in the comparator group, to a large 
extent reflecting a bid premium in the Company’s share price at the 
start of the measurement period. No matched shares vested and 
the deferred bonus shares were released to participants shortly 
following the year end. 

J Sainsbury plc Share Plan 2005 (“Making Sainsbury’s Great Again 
Share Plan”) 
The Making Sainsbury’s Great Again Share Plan (“MSGA”) was 
launched in 2005 following extensive investor consultation. It was a 
one-off incentive arrangement designed to underpin the Company’s 
recovery plans by incentivising the delivery of challenging sales and 
profit growth targets over four financial years from 2005/06 to 
2008/09. The plan covered the Company’s top 1,000 leaders, from 
the Chief Executive to supermarket store managers. Its performance 
period ended on 21 March 2009 and therefore, participation in it has 
now ceased. Details of the plan and its performance conditions are 
provided in previous Annual Reports. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

Recent long-term incentive plan awards 

MSGA Share Plan 
awards relate to performance 2005/06 — 2008/09 

Nil-cost options exercisable 
before end of March 2010 

Accelerated vesting 
in 2008 

Maturity vesting 
in 2009 

Value Builder Share Plan 
XX
awards relate to performance 2006/07 — 2008/09 

Holding period 
for 50% of award 

Nil-cost options exercisable 
before end of March 2011 

50% vests at end of 
performance period 

Final vesting 
in 2010 

Value Builder Share Plan 
XX
awards relate to performance 2007/08 — 2009/10 

Holding period 
for 50% of award 

Nil-cost options exercisable 
before end of March 2012 

50% vests at end of 
performance period 

Final vesting 
in 2011 

Performance targets 

MGSA: 
(i)  increase sales 
by £2.5bn 
(ii) EPS growth 
exceeding 
25% p.a. 

Value Builder: 
combination of 
stretching ROCE 
and cash fl ow per 
share targets 

March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  March 2008  March 2009  March 2010  March 2011 

March 2012 

Shareholding guidelines 
The Committee introduced shareholding guidelines in 2006/07 to 
create greater alignment of the Directors’ interests with those of 
shareholders, which is a key objective within the remuneration policy. 
It has conducted a review of these guidelines and has determined 
that the level of shareholding expected of the Executive Directors 
will rise with effect from 2010/11, from 1x salary to 2.5x salary for 
the Chief Executive and from 1x salary to 1.5x salary for the other 
Executive Directors. 

The shareholding guidelines in respect of the Operating Board 
Directors will remain unchanged at 1x salary. Newly-appointed 
Directors will have five years from their appointment date in which 
to build up their shareholding. 

The table below sets out the Executive Directors’ shareholdings as 
at the year end on 20 March 2010. 

Justin King 
Darren Shapland 
Mike Coupe 

Shareholding 

1,777,764 
885,851 
743,769 

Valuation1

Percentage 
of salary 

£5,921,732 
£2,950,770 
£2,477,495 

658% 
527% 
486% 

1 

	The valuation is calculated against the closing mid-market share price on 19 March 2010 
of 333.1 pence. 

Dilution 
The Company ensures that the level of shares granted under the 
Company’s share plans and the means of satisfying such awards 
remains within best practice guidelines so that dilution from employee 
share awards does not exceed 10 per cent of the Company’s issued 
share capital for all-employee share plans and five per cent in respect 
of executive share plans in any ten-year rolling period. The Company 
monitors dilution levels on a regular basis and the Committee reviews 
these at least once a year. 

Up to 20 March 2010, an estimated 7.8 per cent of the Company’s 
issued share capital has been allocated for the purposes of its all 
employee share plans over a ten-year period, and 4.2 per cent in 
respect of its executive share plans over a fi ve-year period. 

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The plan’s four-year performance targets were tested in May 2009 
covering the period to 21 March 2009. Sales growth of over £2.7 billion 
and 27.7 per cent growth in earnings per share had been achieved, 
which exceeded the plan’s maximum targets and therefore full vesting 
occurred. In accordance with the plan’s maturity vesting provisions, 
the second fifty per cent of the maximum award was made available 
for exercise in May 2009. The first 50 per cent of awards, relating to 
the accelerated three-year targets, was first exercisable in May 2008. 

Vesting of historical awards 
Vested share awards are typically delivered to participants in the form 
of nil-cost options, providing individuals with flexibility as to the point 
at which they acquire shares. During the past year, a number of 
executives took the opportunity to exercise these vested nil-cost 
options. These nil-cost options relate to various performance cycles 
and incentive plans (MSGA Share Plan and Value Builder Share Plan). 

The diagram above summarises recent awards, including the 
performance periods to which the relevant vested nil-cost 
options relate. 

iv)All employee share plans 
In order to encourage wider employee share ownership, the Company 
provides two all employee share plans for colleagues, namely the 
Savings Related Share Option Plan (“SAYE”) and the All Employee 
Share Ownership Plan. Executive Directors may participate in these 
plans in the same way as all other colleagues. Justin King and Darren 
Shapland currently participate in both plans. Mike Coupe participates 
in SAYE. As these are all employee plans there are no performance 
conditions. The Committee approves the adoption or amendment of 
these plans and awards to Executive Directors. 

The 2004 (five-year) SAYE reached maturity on 1 March 2010. Around 
2,900 colleagues could use their savings and a tax-free bonus to buy 
Sainsbury’s shares at the 217.0 pence option price. The 2006 (three­
year) SAYE matured at the same time covering around 6,500 
colleagues who could use their savings and a tax-free bonus to buy 
Sainsbury’s shares at the 328.0 pence option price. Using the market 
price on the date of the first exercise, the value of all the shares 
subject to the maturity was in excess of £21 million. The Company 
currently has over 26,000 colleagues participating in the SAYE with 
over 54,000 individual savings contracts. 

In August 2008, the Company introduced a matching element to the 
partnership element of the All Employee Share Ownership Plan on a 
‘buy four get one free’ basis for one year. We have continued this for 
a further year. These matching shares must be held for five years to 
receive all of the relevant tax benefits and will be forfeited if the 
individual resigns from the Company within the first three years. 
Justin King and Darren Shapland have each received 115 matching 
shares during the year. 

38 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

Performance graph 
The graph below shows the TSR performance of an investment of 
£100 in J Sainsbury plc shares over the last five years compared 
with an equivalent investment in the FTSE 100 Index. This has been 
selected to provide an established and broad-based index. 

£ 

200 

150 

100 

50 

Mar 05 

Mar 06 

Mar 07 

Mar 08 

Mar 09 

Mar 10 

J Sainsbury plc
 

FTSE 100 Index
 

Service contracts 
Justin King has a service contract which can be terminated by either 
party by giving 12 months’ written notice. If his service contract is 
terminated without cause, the Company can request that he works 
his notice period or takes a period of garden leave, or can pay an 
amount in lieu of notice equal to one times basic salary for the notice 
period plus 75 per cent of basic salary in lieu of all other elements 
of remuneration, except share plans. If he is dismissed within six 
months of a change of control the above sum will become payable. 
The contract contains restrictive covenants, which continue for 
12 months after termination. 

If the service contracts of either Darren Shapland or Mike Coupe are 
terminated without cause, the maximum payment they would receive 
would be equal to one times basic salary for the 12-month notice 
period plus 50 per cent of basic salary in lieu of all other elements of 
remuneration, except share plans. They are required to mitigate their 
losses and would receive phased payments, which would be reduced 
or terminated if they secured alternative employment during the 
notice period. Their contracts also contain restrictive covenants, 
which continue for 12 months after termination. The contracts do 
not contain any specific provisions relating to change of control. 

The Committee has agreed that the termination provisions within 
future Executive Directors’ service agreements will state that any 
severance payments will be limited to one year’s salary and benefi ts, 
be made on a phased basis and be subject to mitigation. As is the 
current practice, long-term incentive awards that vest following 
a director’s employment termination will continue to be pro-rated 
for time and performance. Bonus awards will also be paid subject 
to time and performance for the financial year in which office is held. 

The Executive Directors’ service contracts became effective on the 
following dates: 

Justin King 
Darren Shapland 
Mike Coupe 

Contract

date

29 March 2004 
1 August 2005 
1 August 2007 

External appointments 
The Company’s normal practice is that Executive Directors may 
take up one public company non-executive role outside the 
Company, subject to a consideration of the role and the time 
commitment. Directors are entitled to retain the fees earned 
from such appointments. Details of the Executive Directors’ 
external fees are set out on page 40. 

Chairman 
David Tyler does not have a service contract; his letter of appointment 
became effective on 1 October 2009 and he became Chairman on 
1 November 2009. Subject to shareholder approval at the AGM, he 
has been appointed for an initial term of three years, renewable on 
a 12-month rolling basis and thereafter by mutual consent. His 
appointment may be terminated at any time upon the serving of 
six months’ written notice by either party. 

David Tyler was appointed as Chairman on a basic fee of £450,000 
per annum. He devotes such time as is necessary to perform his 
duties. He does not participate in any performance-related incentive 
plans and he does not receive any benefits except for an annual 
medical assessment and a colleague discount card. 

Non-Executive Directors 
Non-Executive Directors do not have service contracts. They are 
appointed for an initial three-year period, which may be extended for 
a further term by mutual consent. The initial appointments and any 
subsequent re-appointments are subject to election or re-election by 
shareholders. Their appointments may be terminated by the serving 
of three months’ notice by either party. 

Non-Executive Directors receive a basic annual cash fee; additional 
fees are paid to the Senior Independent Director and to the Chairmen 
of the Audit, Remuneration and Corporate Responsibility Committees. 
Non-Executive Directors do not participate in any performance- related 
incentive plans and receive no benefits other than a colleague 
discount card. 

The Non-Executive Directors’ fees were reviewed in the year by a 
sub-committee of the Board, consisting of the Chairman and one or 
more Executive Directors. They were last increased in March 2007 
and, having regard to the market rates, individual time commitment 
in the Company and the specific responsibilities of each role, the 
following took effect in September 2009: 

Basic fee: 
Senior Independent Director fee: 
Chairman of Audit Committee fee: 
Chairman of Remuneration
  Committee fee: 

from £50,000 to £55,000 
from £10,000 to £15,000 
from £10,000 to £15,000 

from £10,000 to £15,000 

The annual fee for chairing the Corporate Responsibility Committee 
remains unchanged at £10,000. 

The Non-Executive Directors’ letters of appointment became effective 
on the following dates: 

Anna Ford 
Val Gooding 
Mary Harris 
Gary Hughes 
John McAdam 
Bob Stack  

Appointment

date

2 May 2006 
11 January 2007 
1 August 2007 
1 January 2005 
1 September 2005 
1 January 2005 

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39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

The following section provides details of the remuneration, pension and share plan interests of the Directors for the 52 weeks ended 
20 March 2010 and has been audited. 

i)  Directors’ remuneration 
The remuneration of the Directors for the year was as follows: 

Cash components and benefi ts 

Justin King
Mike Coupe 
Darren Shapland
David Tyler 
Anna Ford 
Val Gooding 
Mary Harris 
Gary Hughes 
John McAdam 
Bob Stack 
Philip Hampton 

Total 2010 

Total 2009 

Note 

2,9 

7,9 

3 

4 

Salary/fees
£000 

Bonus5 
£000 

supplement6 
£000 

Benefi ts8 
£000 

Pension

and

Total

cash
benefi ts 
2010 
£000 

900 
510 
560 
211 
62 
52 
52 
65 
65 
65 
243 

2,785 

2,607 

1,085 
394 
432 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

1,911 

1,501 

270 
127 
140 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

537 

501 

2,358 
1,048 
1,148 
211 
62 
52 
52 
65 
65 
65 
244 

5,370 

103 
17 
16 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1 

137 

79 

 New
deferred 
share award1 
£000 

990 
359 
394 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

Total1 
2010 
£000 

3,348 
1,407 
1,542 
211
62 
52 
52 
65 
65 
65 
244 

1,743 

7,113 

Total 
2009 
£000 

2,048 
937 
967 
 ­
60 
50 
50 
60 
60 
60 
396 

4,688 

1 

	The new deferred share award is an award of shares with the value shown above. These shares are retained by the Company for two financial years and will not become exercisable by the participants until 
after the year end in 2012. In previous years, participants were granted matching awards under the Deferred Annual Bonus Plan which were separately disclosed in the tables of share awards (see below). 
No such grants were made in respect of 2009/10; therefore, the totals for 2009 and 2010 are not directly comparable. 

2  Highest-paid Director. 
3  Appointed to the Board 1 October 2009 and became Chairman on 1 November 2009. 
4  Resigned from the Board 1 November 2009. 
5  Includes performance bonuses earned in the period under review but paid following the end of the fi nancial year. 
6  	Justin King is not a member of the Company’s pension plans and received 30 per cent of his basic salary as a cash pension supplement. In addition to this supplement, £450 (2009: £3,000) of interest 
has been earned on a notional fund during the year from his previous membership of the Executive Stakeholder Pension Plan. Neither Darren Shapland nor Mike Coupe are members of the Company’s 
pension plans – each received 25 per cent of basic salary as a cash pension supplement. Darren Shapland was a member of the Executive Stakeholder Pension Plan until 10 August 2008. Contributions to 
the Stakeholder Plan by the Company in 2008/09 in respect of his membership were £5,650. He received a cash pension supplement equal to 25 per cent of the amount by which his salary exceeded the 
Company’s earnings cap (2008: £117,600) until that date and a supplement of 25 per cent of his basic salary thereafter. 

7  The totals for 2009 in the case of Darren Shapland do not include deductions made from basic salary for Saving Money and Reducing Tax (“SMART”) pensions. 
8  	Benefits include a combination of cash and non-cash benefits. Non-cash benefits for Darren Shapland and Mike Coupe includes private medical cover. Justin King received non-cash benefits which include 
company car benefits and private medical cover. Included within benefits for Justin King is a compensatory payment of £64,638 – this compensated him for the dividends he would have received had he 
not been prevented from exercising certain share options due to share dealing restrictions associated with the capital raising announced on 17 June 2009. 

9  	Directors are entitled to retain the fees earned from non-executive appointments outside the Company. Justin King was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Staples, Inc. on 17 September 2007. 
He received US $75,000 for his services during 2009/10 (2009: $75,000). Justin King is also a Director of Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited and a member of the London Organising 
Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Justin received £9,500 during the year for his services which was donated directly to charity. Darren Shapland was appointed a Non-Executive Director 
of Ladbrokes plc on 18 November 2009 and received £16,600 for his services during 2009/10. 

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ii) Long-term incentive plans 

J Sainsbury plc Share Plan 2005 
The table below shows the conditional awards granted under this Plan in 2005. 

Justin King 
Darren Shapland 
Mike Coupe 

Date of 
grant 

Core
share 
award 

24.03.05 
01.08.05 
24.03.05 

237,508 
102,558 
118,226 

Personal 
investment 

118,754 
70,224 
73,891 

Share
at
price
date
of
award 
pence 

293.0 
280.5 
293.0 

Number

of
options
released 
13 May 20093 

Number

of
dividend
shares
allocated 
19 May 20092 

831,278 
396,843 
443,347 

104,564 
49,917 
55,767 

1  Performance was tested against the performance targets in May 2009 and the awards vested in full.
 
2  The five-day average share price from 13 to 19 May 2009 was used to calculate the number of dividend shares to be allocated.
 
3  The performance conditions attached to the award were sales and earnings per share targets. Further information see pages 96 and 97.
 
4  The J Sainsbury plc Share Plan 2005 is a nil-cost option plan. The exercise price is nil.
 

The following table shows the options that were exercised during the year. 

Justin King

Darren Shapland 
Mike Coupe 

Number

of
options 
released 
in the 
previous year 
and held on 
21 March 2009 

Number of 
options 
released 
during the 
year 

898,243 

935,842 

— 
— 

446,760 
499,114 

Number of 
options 
exercised 
during the 
year 

898,701 
935,384 
446,760 
499,114 

Mid-market 
price on 
date of 
exercise 
pence 

322.25 
340.61 
326.00 
322.75 

Gains on 
option 
exercises 
£000 

2,896 
3,186 
1,456 
1,611 

Lapsed 
during 
the year 

Number of 
options held 
20 March 
2010 

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

Exercise 
price 
pence 

nil 
nil 
nil 
nil 

Justin King retained 943,145 shares from the two exercises above. 890,940 shares were sold and part of the proceeds were used to fund the income tax and National Insurance liabilities. Darren Shapland 
retained 263,308 shares and Mike Coupe retained 294,165 shares arising out of this release; the remainder was used to fund the income tax and National Insurance charge relating to the release. 
The share price on the release date was 335.0 pence. 

40 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

Long-term Incentive Plan 2006 
The table below shows the conditional awards granted under this Plan, which would be released if the Company achieves the performance 
targets for maximum vesting. 

Justin King 

Darren Shapland 

Mike Coupe 

Date of 
grant 

Share price at 
Maximum  date of award 
pence 

share award1 

13.07.06 
20.06.07 
28.05.08 
24.06.09 
13.07.06 
20.06.07 
28.05.08 
24.06.09 
13.07.06 
20.06.07 
28.05.08 
24.06.09 

390,424 
380,844 
630,876 
570,984 
188,480 
179,220 
296,916 
284,224 
186,384 
163,092 
281,868 
258,844 

334.0 
583.5 
352.0 
314.75 
334.0 
583.5 
352.0 
314.75 
334.0 
583.5 
352.0 
314.75 

Number 
of shares 
lapsed 

29,282 
-
-
-
14,136 
-
-
-
13,979 
-
-
-

Number

Number

of
dividend
shares 
allocated  

of
dividend
shares 
allocated 
19 May 20092  8 March 20102 

20,535 
-
-
-
9,913 
-
-
-
9,803 
-
-
-

23,193 
-
-
-
11,196 
-
-
-
11,072 
-
-
-

First 
exercise 
date 

Last 
exercise 
date 

— 

— 

— 
12.05.10  11.05.12 
11.05.11  10.05.13 
10.05.12  09.05.14 
— 
12.05.10  11.05.12 
11.05.11  10.05.13 
10.05.12  09.05.14 
— 
12.05.10  11.05.12 
11.05.11  10.05.13 
10.05.12  09.05.14 

— 

1 	 The maximum share award assumes full vesting. 
2  	The performance conditions attaching to the award are return on capital employed and growth in cash flow per share. Further information is provided on pages 97 and 98. The performance of the 

award made in July 2006 was tested and a multiplier of 3.7 was achieved. The number of shares between the maximum multiplier (4.0) and the multiplier achieved have been lapsed. Half of the achieved 
award vested in May 2009 whilst the remainder of the achieved award vested in March 2010. The number of dividend shares on the first vesting was determined by a five-day average share price from 
13 to 19 May 2009. 
The number of dividend shares on the second vesting was determined by a five-day average share price from 1 to 5 March 2010. 

3  The Long-term Incentive Plan 2006 is a nil-cost option plan. The exercise price is nil. 

The following table shows the options that were exercised during the year. 

Justin King 

Darren Shapland 

Mike Coupe 

Number 
of options 
held 
21 March 2009 

— 

— 

— 

Number of 
options 
released 
during the 
year 

201,106 
203,764 
97,085 
98,368 
96,005 
97,275 

Number of 
options 
exercised 
during the 
year 

201,106 
203,764 
97,085 
98,368 
96,005 
97,275 

Mid-market 
price on 
date of 
exercise 
pence 

322.25 
337.4 
326.0 
337.4 
322.75 
337.4 

Gains on 
option 
exercises 
£000 

Lapsed 
during 
the year 

Number of 
options held 
20 March 
2010 

Exercise 
price 
pence 

648 
687 
316 
332 
310 
328 

-
— 
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-

nil 
nil 
nil 
nil 
nil 
nil 

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Justin King retained 203,764 shares from the two exercises above. 201,106 shares were sold and part of the proceeds was used to fund the income tax and National Insurance liabilities. Darren Shapland 
retained 155,583 shares and Mike Coupe retained 153,854 shares arising out of these exercises; the remainder was used to fund the income tax and National Insurance charge relating to the releases. 
The share price on the first release date was 335.0 pence. The share price on the second release date was 337.4 pence. 

Deferred Annual Bonus Plan 
The table below shows the maximum number of shares conditionally allocated to participants and what would be released to them in the 
form of nil-cost options if the Company achieves the performance targets for maximum vesting. 

Justin King 

Darren Shapland 

Mike Coupe 

Date of 
grant 

20.06.07 
20.06.08 
24.06.09 
20.06.07 
20.06.08 
24.06.09 
20.06.07 
20.06.08 
24.06.09 

Deferred 
bonus
share 
award 

86,026 
158,042 
81,319 
29,033 
52,043 
24,030 
21,294 
18,292 
23,280 

Maximum 
matching
share 
award 

172,052 
316,084 
275,658 
58,066 
104,086 
81,460 
42,588 
36,584 
78,920 

Share
price at 
date
of
award 
pence 

First
exercise 
date 

Last
exercise 
date 

583.5  22.03.10  22.03.12 
325.75  21.03.11  21.03.13 
314.75  20.03.12  20.03.14 
583.5  22.03.10  22.03.12 
325.75  21.03.11  21.03.13 
314.75  20.03.12  20.03.14 
583.5  22.03.10  22.03.12 
325.75  21.03.11  21.03.13 
314.75  20.03.12  20.03.14 

1 

	The maximum matching share award is the maximum award that would become exercisable provided that the Company achieves first position within the comparator group of Ahold, Carrefour, Casino, 
Delhaize, DSG International, Home Retail Group, Kingfisher, Marks & Spencer, Metro, Morrisons, Next and Tesco. The Company’s relative performance is determined by reference to TSR. 

2  There were no exercises or lapses under this Plan during the year. 
3  The 2007 and 2008 deferred bonus share awards were made on a gross basis. The 2009 deferral was made using net income. 
4  Since the year end a number of the shares deferred in June 2007 have been sold to fund the participant’s income tax and National Insurance liabilities. The remainder were released to participants. 
5  The performance of the awards granted in June 2007 was tested following the year end and no matching shares have been awarded. 
6  The exercise price is nil. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remuneration report continued 

iii) Savings Related Share Option Plan (“SAYE”) 
At the end of the year, the Directors’ SAYE share options were as follows:

Number of 
options 
21 March 
2009 

6,969 
2,881 

Justin King 
Darren Shapland 

Mike Coupe 

-

Number of 
options 
granted 
during 
the year 

— 
-
3,324 
3,324 

Number of 
options 
exercised 
during 
the year 

Mid-market
price on 
date of 
exercise 
pence 

Gains on 
option 
exercise 
£000 

Number of 
options 
lapsed 
during 
the year 

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

Number of 
options 
20 March 
2010 

6,969 
2,881 
3,324 
3,324 

Exercise 
price 
pence 

Date 
from which 
exercisable 

Date 
of expiry 

231.0  01.03.11  31.08.11 
328.0  01.03.10  31.08.10 
273.0  01.03.13  31.08.13 
273.0  01.03.13  31.08.13 

The Savings Related Share Option Plan is an all employee share option plan and has no performance conditions as per HMRC Regulations. 

In the period from 22 March 2009 to 20 March 2010, the highest mid-market price of the Company’s shares was 347.8 pence and the lowest 
mid-market price was 303.3 pence. At 20 March 2010 the Company’s share price was 333.1 pence. 

iv) Directors’ interests 
The beneficial interests of the Directors and their families in the shares of the Company are shown below: 

Justin King 
Darren Shapland 
Mike Coupe 

Anna Ford 
Val Gooding 
David Tyler1 
Mary Harris 
Gary Hughes 
John McAdam 
Bob Stack3 

shares1 
21 March 2009  20 March 2010 

Ordinary

12 May 20104 

548,962  1,777,764  1,742,526 
874,014 
885,851 
422,355 
735,024 
743,769 
410,878 

1,000 
1,320 
50,000 
5,000 
21,510 
1,000 
2,800 

1,000 
1,320 
50,000 
5,000 
25,455 
1,000 
2,800 

1,000 
1,320 
50,000 
5,000 
25,455 
1,000 
2,800 

1  Ordinary shares are beneficial holdings which include the Directors’ personal holdings and those of their spouses and minor children. They also include the beneficial interests in shares which are held 

in trust under the Sainsbury’s Share Purchase Plan. Shares held by David Tyler at appointment. 

2  The totals above for Justin King, Darren Shapland and Mike Coupe include the deferred annual bonus shares were purchased under the Plan, which have to be held until the end of the performance period. 
3  Held in the form of 700 American Depository Receipts. 
4  Shares deferred in 2007 under the Deferred Annual Bonus Plan were released to participants and a number of shares sold to fund income tax and National Insurance liabilities following the year end. 

The total includes shares purchased under the Sainsbury’s Share Purchase Plan between 20 March 2010 and 11 May 2010. 

5  The Executive Directors are potential beneficiaries of the Company’s employee benefit trust, which is used to satisfy awards under the Company’s employee share plans, and they are therefore treated 

as interested in the 6.2 million shares (2009: 9.7 million) held by the Trustees. 

Approved by the Board on 12 May 2010 

Bob Stack 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee 

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42 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities
 

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report, the 
Remuneration report and the financial statements in accordance with 
applicable law and regulations. 

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the 
Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the 
preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from 
legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed on 
pages 24 and 25 confirm that, to the best of their knowledge: 
•  the Group financial statements, which have been prepared in 

accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU, give a true and fair 
view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the 
Group; and 

•  the Directors’ report contained in the Annual Report includes a fair 
review of the development and performance of the business and 
the position of the Group, together with a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties that it faces. 

By order of the Board 

Tim Fallowfi eld 
Company Secretary 

Company law requires the Directors to prepare fi nancial statements 
for each financial year. Under that law the Directors have elected to 
prepare the Company and Group financial statements in accordance 
with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) as adopted 
by the European Union. Under company law the Directors must not 
approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they 
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and 
the Group and of the profit or loss of the Group for that period. In 
preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to: 
•	 select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

consistently; 

•	 make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable 

and prudent; 

•	 state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European Union 
have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed 
and explained in the financial statements; and 

•	 prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless 
it is inappropriate to presume that the Company and the Group will 
continue in business. 

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company and the 
Group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any 
time the financial position of the Company and the Group and enable 
them to ensure that the financial statements and the Remuneration 
report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the 
Group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. They are 
also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and the 
Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and 
detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Independent Auditors’ report to the members
 
of J Sainsbury plc
 

Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 
In our opinion: 
•  the part of the Remuneration report to be audited has been 

properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006; 
and 

•  the information given in the Directors’ report for the fi nancial year 
for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with 
the fi nancial statements. 

Matters on which we are required to report by exception 
We have nothing to report in respect of the following: 

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, 
in our opinion: 
•  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Company, 
or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from 
branches not visited by us; or 

•  the Company financial statements and the part of the 

Remuneration report to be audited are not in agreement with 
the accounting records and returns; or 

•  certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law 

are not made; or 

•  we have not received all the information and explanations we 

require for our audit. 

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review: 
•  the Directors’ statement, set out on page 28, in relation to going 

concern; and 

•  the parts of the Statement of corporate governance relating to the 
Company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the June 2008 
Combined Code specified for our review. 

Robert Milburn (Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors 
London 
12 May 2010 

We have audited the financial statements of J Sainsbury plc for the 
52 weeks ended 20 March 2010 which comprise the Group income 
statement, the Group and Company Statements of comprehensive 
income, the Group and Company Balance sheets, the Group and 
Company Cash flow statements, the Group and Company Statement 
of changes in equity and the related notes. The fi nancial reporting 
framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable 
law and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) 
as adopted by the European Union and, as regards the Company 
financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions 
of the Companies Act 2006. 

Respective responsibilities of Directors and Auditors 
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ responsibilities 
set out on page 43, the Directors are responsible for the preparation 
of the Annual Report, the Remuneration report and fi nancial 
statements. The Directors are responsible for being satisfied that the 
financial statements give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to 
audit the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and 
International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards 
require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical 
Standards for Auditors. 

This report, including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for 
the Company’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of 
Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do 
not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility for any 
other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown 
or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by 
our prior consent in writing. 

Scope of the audit of the fi nancial statements 
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and 
disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable 
assurance that the financial statements are free from material 
misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an 
assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate 
to the Group’s and the Company’s circumstances and have been 
consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness 
of significant accounting estimates made by the Directors; and the 
overall presentation of the fi nancial statements. 

Opinion on fi nancial statements 
In our opinion: 
•	  the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of 
the Group’s and of the Company’s affairs as at 20 March 2010 
and of the Group’s profit and the Group’s and Company’s cash 
flows for the 52 weeks then ended; 

•	 the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in 
accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union; 
•	 the Company financial statements have been properly prepared 
in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union and 
as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies 
Act 2006; and 

•	  the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 
the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the 
Group financial statements, Article 4 of the lAS Regulation. 

Notes: 
(a)The maintenance and integrity of the J Sainsbury plc website is the responsibility of the Directors; the work carried out by the auditors does 
not involve consideration of these matters and, accordingly, the auditors accept no responsibility for any changes that may have occurred 
to the financial statements since they were initially presented on the website. 

(b)Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation 

in other jurisdictions. 

44 

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Group income statement 

for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Revenue 
Cost of sales

Gross profi t
Administrative expenses
Other income

Operating profi t 
Finance income 
Finance costs 
Share of post-tax profit/(loss) from joint ventures 

Profit before taxation

Analysed as:
  Underlying profit before tax1
  Profit on sale of properties 

Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing (charge)/credit 
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry 

Income tax expense 

Profit for the fi nancial year

Earnings per share 

Basic
Diluted
Underlying basic1
Underlying diluted1

1  The previous period is restated for the change in the definition of underlying profit before tax as described in note 3. 

Note

4 

2010
£m

2009 
£m 

19,964
(18,882)

18,911 
(17,875) 

1,082
(399)
27

710
33
(148)
138

733 

610
27
123
(15)
(24)
12

733 

1,036 
(420) 
57 

673 
52 
(148) 
(111) 

466 

519
57 
(124) 
(10) 
24 
–

466 

5

6

6

14

3

3

3

3

3

8 

(148) 

(177) 

9 

585 

289 

pence 

32.1
31.6
23.9
23.6

pence 

16.6 
16.4 
21.2 
20.9 

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Statements of comprehensive income 

for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010

Profit for the period

Other comprehensive income/(expense): 

Actuarial losses on defi ned benefit pension schemes 
  Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements 

Group 
Joint ventures1

  Cash flow hedges: effective portion of fair value movements 

Group 
Joint ventures1

Current tax on items recognised directly in other comprehensive income 
Deferred tax on items recognised directly in other comprehensive income 

8

8

Total other comprehensive income/(expense) for the period (net of tax)

Note

Group
2010
£m

585

Group
2009
£m

289

Company
2010
£m

250

Company
2009 
£m 

165 

30

(173)

(903)

43
24

(3)
 ­
16
21

(72)

(16)
(21)

 9
(11)
 ­
257

(685)

 ­

7
 ­

­
­
(1)
 ­

6

 ­

(1) 
­

­
­
­
­

(1) 

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the period

513 

(396) 

256 

164 

1  For details of the reclassification of certain offsetting foreign exchange gains and losses in the prior period, see note 2. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance sheets 

At 20 March 2010 and 21 March 2009

Non-current assets 
Property, plant and equipment 
Intangible assets
Investments in subsidiaries
Investments in joint ventures
Available-for-sale fi nancial assets
Other receivables 
Derivative fi nancial instruments 
Deferred income tax asset 

Current assets 
Inventories
Trade and other receivables 
Derivative fi nancial instruments 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Non-current assets held for sale

Total assets

Current liabilities 
Trade and other payables
Borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments 
Taxes payable 
Provisions

Net current liabilities

Non-current liabilities 
Other payables
Borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments 
Deferred income tax liability
Provisions
Retirement benefi t obligations

Net assets

Equity 
Called up share capital 
Share premium account 
Capital redemption reserve 
Other reserves
Retained earnings

Total equity

Note 

11 
12 
13
14 
15 
17 
29 
21

16 
17 
29 
26b 

18 

19 
20 
29 

22 

19 
20 
29 
21 
22 
30 

23 
23 
24 
24 
25 

42 
­
7,262 
91 
 7 
1,050 
31 
 1

8,484 

­
380 
37 
460

877 
­

877 

9,361 

(3,489) 
(43) 
(49) 
111 
(1)

Group 
2009 
£m 

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company
2009 
£m 

Group 
2010 
£m 

8,203 
144 
 -
449 
150 
36 
20 
 -

9,002 

702 
215 
43 
837 

1,797 
56 

1,853 

7,821 
160
-
288 
97 
45 
31 
-

8,442 

689
195 
59 
627 

1,570 
21

1,591 

42 
 -
7,276 
91 
24
1,115 
19 
1

8,568 

 -
566 
32 
670 

1,268 
 ­

1,268 

9,836 

10,855 

10,033 

(2,466) 
(73) 
(41) 
(200) 
(13) 

(2,488) 
(154) 
(56) 
(202) 
(19) 

(4,460) 
(3) 
(40) 
(7) 
(1) 

(2,793) 

(2,919) 

(4,511) 

(3,471) 

(940) 

(1,328) 

(3,243) 

(2,594) 

(106) 
(2,357) 
(2) 
(144) 
(66) 
(421) 

(92) 
(2,177) 
(8)
(95)
(57) 
(309)

(821) 
(323)
 -
 -
(24) 
 -

(2,037) 

 ­
­
­
(27) 
­

(3,096) 

(2,738) 

(1,168) 

(2,064) 

4,966 

4,376 

4,157 

3,826 

532 
1,033 
680 
(242) 
2,963 

4,966 

501 
909 
680 
(191) 
2,477 

4,376 

532 
1,033 
680 
26 
1,886 

4,157 

501 
909 
680 
(1) 
1,737 

3,826 

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 12 May 2010, and are signed on its behalf by: 

Justin King Chief Executive 
Darren Shapland Chief Financial Offi cer 

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Cash fl ow statements 

for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Cash flows from operating activities 
Cash generated from operations
Interest paid
Corporation tax paid

Net cash from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities 
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and other assets
Purchase of intangible assets
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment and other assets
Acquisition of and investment in subsidiaries and businesses, net of cash acquired 
Investment in joint ventures
Investment in fi nancial assets
Interest received
Dividends received

Net cash from investing activities

Cash flows from fi nancing activities 
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares
Proceeds from short-term borrowings
Repayment of short-term borrowings
Proceeds from long-term borrowings
Repayment of long-term borrowings
Repayment of capital element of obligations under finance lease payments
Interest elements of obligations under finance lease payments
Dividends paid

Net cash from fi nancing activities

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

Opening cash and cash equivalents 

Note

26 

12,13

10 

Group
2010
£m

1,206
(111)
(89)

1,006 

(1,036) 
(11) 
139 
 -
(2) 
(10) 
18 
 2

(900) 

250 
 -
(36)
235 
(74) 
(2)
(3) 
(241) 

129 

235 

599 

Group
2009
£m

Company
2010
£m

Company
2009 
£m 

1,206
(128)
(160)

918 

(966)
(10)
390
(10) 
(291)
(8) 
13 
 3 

(879) 

15 
43
 -
152 
(30) 
 -
(3)
(218) 

(41) 

(251)
(40)
 ­

(291) 

 -
 -
 -
(5)
 -
(10) 
83 
252 

320 

250 
 -
(35)
235
(21)
-
 -
(241) 

188 

203 
(57) 
(160) 

(14) 

­
­
86 
 ­
­
(8) 
70 
250 

398 

15 
35 
 ­
 ­
 ­
­
­
(218) 

(168) 

(2) 

217 

216
 

601 

452 

236
 

Closing cash and cash equivalents 

26 

834 

599 

669 

452 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Group statement of changes in equity 

for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

Called up 
share 
capital 
£m 

Share 
premium 
account 
£m 

Note 

Capital 
redemption 
and other 
reserves 
£m 

Retained 
earnings 
£m 

Total 
equity 
£m 

501 

909 

489 

2,477 

4,376 

At 22 March 2009 

Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income/(expense): 

Actuarial losses on defi ned benefit pension schemes (net of tax) 
  Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 

Group 
Joint ventures 

  Cash flow hedges: effective portion of changes in fair value (net of tax) 

Group 

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the 52 weeks 

to 20 March 2010 

Transactions with owners:
  Dividends paid 

Convertible bond — equity component 
Amortisation of convertible bond equity component 
Share-based payment (net of tax) 

  Shares issued 

Transfer to retained earnings 

  Shares vested

Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 

Profit for the period 
Other comprehensive income/(expense): 

Actuarial losses on defi ned benefit pension schemes (net of tax) 
  Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 

Group 
Joint ventures1 

  Cash flow hedges: effective portion of changes in fair value (net of tax) 

Group 
Joint ventures1 

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the 52 weeks 

to 21 March 2009 

Transactions with owners:
  Dividends paid 

Share-based payment (net of tax) 

  Shares vested 

24 

24 
24 

24 

10 

31 

23,24 

24 

23,25 

24 

24 
24 

24 
24 

10 
31 

-

-

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
22 
-
-
9 

-

-

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
113 
-
-
11 

532 

1,033 

-

585 

585 

(125) 

32 
24 

(3) 

-

-
-

-

(125)

32 
24

(3) 

(72) 

585 

513 

-
24 
(3) 
-
102 
(102) 
-
-

438 

(241) 
-
3 
44 
-
102 
12 
(19) 

(241) 
24 
-
44
237 
-
12 
1 

2,963 

4,966 

499 

896 

1,174 

2,366 

4,935 

-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-
-
2 

-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-
-
13 

-

289 

289 

(650) 

(12) 
(21) 

9 
(11) 

-

-
-

-
-

(650)

(12) 
(21)

9 
(11) 

(685) 

289 

(396) 

-
-
-
-

(218) 
40 
45 
(45) 

(218) 
40
45 
(30) 

Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

23,25 

At 21 March 2009 

501 

909 

489 

2,477 

4,376 

1  For details of the reclassification of certain offsetting foreign exchange gains and losses in the prior period, see note 2. 

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49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Company statement of changes in equity 

for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 

At 22 March 2009

Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income/(expense):
  Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the 52 weeks 

to 20 March 2010

Transactions with owners:
  Dividends paid 

Convertible bond – equity component 
Amortisation of convertible bond equity component 

  Shares issued 

Transfer to retained earnings 
Allotted in respect of share option schemes 
Utilised in respect of share option schemes 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 

Profit for the period 
Other comprehensive income/(expense):
  Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the 

52 weeks to 21 March 2009 

Transactions with owners:
  Dividends paid 

Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

At 21 March 2009 

Called up 
share 
capital 
£m 

Share 
premium 
account 
£m 

Note 

Capital 
redemption 
and other 
reserves 
£m 

Retained 
earnings 
£m 

Total 
equity 
£m 

501 

909 

679 

1,737 

3,826 

24 

10

23,24 

24

23,25

24 

10 
23,25 

-

-

-

-
-
-
22 
-
9 
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
113 
-
11 
-

532 

1,033 

-

6 

6 

-
24 
(3) 
102 
(102) 
-
-

706 

250 

250 

-

6 

250 

256 

(241) 
-
3 
-
102 
42 
(7) 

(241) 
24 
-
237 
-
62 
(7) 

1,886 

4,157 

499 

896 

680 

1,697 

3,772 

-

-

-

-
2 

501 

-

-

-

-
13 

909 

-

(1) 

(1) 

-
-

165 

165 

-

(1) 

165 

164 

(218) 
93 

(218) 
108 

679 

1,737 

3,826 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements
 

1 General information 

J Sainsbury plc is a public limited company (“Company”) incorporated 
in the United Kingdom, whose shares are publicly traded on the 
London Stock Exchange. The Company is domiciled in the United 
Kingdom and its registered address is 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT, 
United Kingdom. 

The financial year represents the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 (prior 
financial year 52 weeks to 21 March 2009). The consolidated fi nancial 
statements for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 comprise the fi nancial 
statements of the Company and its subsidiaries (“Group”) and the 
Group’s interests in joint ventures. 

The Group’s principal activities are grocery and related retailing. 

2 Accounting policies 
(a) Statement of compliance 
The Group’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance 
with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) as 
adopted by the European Union and International Financial Reporting 
Interpretations Committee (“IFRICs”) interpretations and with those 
parts of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies reporting 
under IFRSs. The Company’s financial statements have been 
prepared on the same basis and, as permitted by Section 408(3) 
of the Companies Act 2006, no income statement is presented for 
the Company. 

(b) Basis of preparation 
The financial statements are presented in sterling, rounded to the 
nearest million (£m) unless otherwise stated. They have been 
prepared under the historical cost convention, except for derivative 
financial instruments, investment properties, available-for-sale 
financial assets, share-based payments and retirement benefi t plan 
assets that have been measured at fair value. 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRSs 
requires the use of judgements, estimates and assumptions that 
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of 
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and 
expenses during the reporting period. The estimates and associated 
assumptions are based on historical experience and various other 
factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, 
the results of which form the basis of making the judgements about 
carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent 
from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. 
The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or 
areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the 
financial statements are disclosed in note 2c. 

New standards, interpretations and amendments to 
published standards 
Effective for the Group in these fi nancial statements: 
•	 Amendment to IFRS 2 ‘Share-based payment’ 

Previously IFRS 2 described the treatment of a failure to meet 
a vesting condition, but was not explicit about the accounting 
consequences of a failure to meet a condition other than a vesting 
condition. Under the Amendment, where the entity or counterparty 
can choose to meet a non-vesting condition, a failure by the entity 
or the counterparty to meet the non-vesting condition will be 
treated as a cancellation. If neither the entity nor the counterparty 
has the choice as to whether to meet a non-vesting condition, 
a failure to meet this non-vesting condition does not have any 
accounting impact. 

If a cancellation by either party occurs, the entity recognises 
the amount of expense that would have been recognised over 
the remaining vesting period. The grant date fair value should 
incorporate an estimate of the number of employees who will 
cease to contribute to the scheme otherwise than through 
termination of employment before the options vest. The 
amendment to IFRS 2 affects the Group’s Save As You Earn 
(“SAYE”) scheme. The implementation of the amendment has 
had no material impact on prior year fi nancial statements. 

•  IAS 1 (revised) ‘Presentation of fi nancial statements’ 

The revised standard requires ‘non-owner changes in equity’ 
to be presented separately from owner changes in equity. 
All ‘non-owner changes in equity’ are required to be shown 
in a performance statement. 

The Group has elected to present two statements: an income 

statement and a statement of comprehensive income. The 

financial statements have been prepared under the revised 

disclosure requirements.
 
•  IFRS 8 ‘Operating Segments’ 

IFRS 8 replaces IAS 14 ‘Segment reporting’. It requires a 
‘management approach’ under which segment information is 
presented on the same basis as that used for internal reporting 
purposes. The adoption of IFRS 8 has resulted in no change in 
the reportable segments presented. 

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the 
internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision-maker 
(“CODM”). The CODM has been identified as the Group’s Operating 
Board. Details of the Group’s Operating Board are available on 
page 26 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010. 

•  IFRIC 13 ‘Customer Loyalty Programmes’ 

IFRIC 13 requires customer loyalty credits to be accounted for as 
a separate component of the sales transaction in which they are 
granted. A portion of the fair value of the consideration received 
is allocated to the loyalty credits and deferred over the period that 
the loyalty credits are redeemed. The implementation of IFRIC 13 
has had no material impact on the fi nancial statements. 

The following new standards, interpretations and amendments to 
published standards are effective for the Group for the fi nancial year 
beginning 22 March 2009, but are not currently relevant for the 
Group or do not have a significant impact on the Group’s fi nancial 
statements, apart from additional disclosures: 
•  Revised IAS 1 ‘Presentation of financial statements’, amendments 
to IAS 1 relating to the disclosure of puttable instruments and 
obligations arising on liquidation 

•  Revised IAS 27 ‘Consolidated and separate fi nancial statements’ 
relating to the cost of an investment on first time adoption 
•  Amendments to IAS 32 ‘Financial instruments: Presentation’ 
relating to puttable instruments and obligations arising on 
liquidation 

•  Amendment to IFRS 7 ‘Financial Instruments: Disclosures’ 
•  IFRIC 14 ‘IAS 19 – The Limit on a Defi ned Benefi t Asset, 
Minimum Funding Requirements and their Interaction’ 
•  IFRIC 15 ‘Agreements for the Construction of Real Estate’ 
•  IFRIC 16 ‘Hedges of a Net Investment in a Foreign Operation’ 
•  Amendments to various IFRSs and IASs arising from 

May 2008 Annual Improvements to IFRSs 
•  IFRIC 18 ‘Transfer of Assets from Customers’ 
•  Amendment to IAS 23 ‘Borrowing Costs’ 

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

2 Accounting policies continued 

Effective for the Group for the financial year beginning 
21 March 2010: 
•	 Amendments to IFRS 2 ‘Share-based Payment’ arising from 
April 2009 Annual Improvements to IFRSs and Amendments 
relating to group cash-settled share-based payment transactions 

•	 Revised IFRS 3 ‘Business Combinations’, Comprehensive and 

consequential amendments to IAS 27 ‘Consolidated and Separate 
Financial Statements’, IAS 28 ‘Investments in Associates’ and 
IAS 31 ‘Interests in Joint Ventures’ 

•	 Amendments to IFRS 5 ‘Non-current Assets Held for Sale 

and Discontinued Operations’ arising from May 2008 Annual 
Improvements to IFRSs 

•	 Amendments to IAS 39 ‘Financial Instruments: Recognition 

and Measurement’ 

•  IFRIC 17 ‘Distributions of Non-cash Assets to Owners’ 
•  IFRIC 18 ‘Transfers of Assets from Customers’ 
•	 Amendments to various IFRSs and IASs arising from 

April 2009 Annual Improvements to IFRSs 

The Group has considered the above new standards, interpretations 
and amendments to published standards that are not yet effective 
and concluded that except for the amendment to IAS 1 ‘Presentation 
of Financial Statements’, they are either not relevant to the Group or 
that they would not have a significant impact on the Group’s fi nancial 
statements, apart from additional disclosures. 

The IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’ amendment provides 
clarification that the potential settlement of a liability by the issue of 
equity is not relevant to its classification as current or non-current. 
The convertible bond issued by the Group in 2009 will fall within the 
scope of this amendment when it is adopted in the fi nancial year 
beginning 21 March 2010. This amendment is not expected to have 
a material impact on the Group’s fi nancial statements. 

Effective for the Group for future fi nancial years: 
•  IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments – Classification and Measurement’ 
•	 Revised IAS 24 ‘Related Party Disclosures’ defi nition of 

related parties 

•	 Amendments to IFRIC 14 ‘IAS 19 – The Limit on a Defi ned Benefi t 
Asset, Minimum Funding Requirements and their Interaction’ 

•  IFRIC 19 ‘Extinguishing Financial Liabilities with Equity Instruments’ 

The accounting policies set out below and in note 3 have been applied 
consistently to all periods presented in the financial statements and 
have been applied consistently by the Group and the Company. 

Consolidation 
The Group’s financial statements include the results of the Company 
and all its subsidiaries, together with the Group’s share of the post-tax 
results of its joint ventures. 

Subsidiaries 
Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group has the power to 
govern the financial and operating policies generally accompanying 
a shareholding of more than one half of the voting rights. The results 
of subsidiaries are included in the Group income statement from the 
date of acquisition, or in the case of disposals, up to the effective 
date of disposal. Intercompany transactions and balances between 
Group companies are eliminated upon consolidation. 

The purchase method of accounting is used to account for the 
acquisition of subsidiaries by the Group. The cost of acquisition is 
measured as the fair value of the assets given, equity instruments 
issued and liabilities incurred or assumed at the date of exchange, 
plus costs directly attributable to the acquisition. Identifi able assets 
and liabilities acquired are measured at fair value at the acquisition 
date. The excess of cost over the fair value of the Group’s share of 
identifiable assets and liabilities acquired is recorded as goodwill. 

52 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

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Investments in subsidiaries are carried at cost less any impairment 
loss in the financial statements of the Company. 

Joint ventures 
Joint ventures are jointly controlled entities in which the Group has 
an interest. The Group’s share of the results of its joint ventures are 
included in the Group income statement using the equity method of 
accounting. Where the Group transacts with a joint venture, profi ts 
and losses are eliminated to the extent of the Group’s interest in the 
joint venture. Losses may provide evidence of an impairment of 
the assets transferred in which case appropriate provision is made 
for impairment. 

Investments in joint ventures are carried in the Group balance sheet 
at cost plus post-acquisition changes in the Group’s share of net 
assets of the entity, less any impairment in value. 

Investments in joint ventures are carried at cost less any impairment 
loss in the financial statements of the Company. 

Foreign currencies 
Foreign operations 
On consolidation, assets and liabilities of foreign operations are 
translated into sterling at year-end exchange rates. The results 
of foreign operations are translated into sterling at average rates 
of exchange for the year. The functional currency of the Company 
is sterling. 

Exchange differences arising from the retranslation at year-end 
exchange rates of the net investment in foreign operations, less 
exchange differences on foreign currency borrowings or forward 
contracts which are in substance part of the net investment in 
a foreign operation, are taken to equity and are reported in the 
statement of comprehensive income. 

Foreign currency transactions 
Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at 
the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets 
and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet 
date are translated at the exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign 
exchange differences arising on translation are recognised in the 
income statement. 

Revenue 
Revenue consists of sales through retail outlets and excludes Value 
Added Tax. Sales through retail outlets are shown net of the cost of 
Nectar reward points issued and redeemed, staff discounts, vouchers 
and sales made on an agency basis. Commission income is recognised 
in revenue based on the terms of the contract. 

Revenue is recognised when the significant risks and rewards of 
goods and services have been passed to the buyer and it can be 
measured reliably. 

Interest income is recognised in the income statement for all 
instruments measured at amortised cost using the effective interest 
method. This calculation takes into account interest received or paid 
and fees and commissions received or paid that are integral to the 
yield as well as incremental transaction costs. 

Fees and commissions earned by Sainsbury’s Bank, that are not 
integral to the yield, are recognised in the income statement as the 
service is provided. Where there is a risk of potential claw back, an 
appropriate element of the insurance commission receivable is 
deferred and amortised over the expected average life of the 
underlying loan. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

2 Accounting policies continued 

Cost of sales 
Cost of sales consists of all costs to the point of sale including 
warehouse and transportation costs and all the costs of operating 
retail outlets. 

within the income statement but is excluded from underlying profi t in 
order to provide a clear and consistent presentation of the underlying 
performance of Sainsbury’s ongoing business for shareholders. 
Currently the only investment properties the Group holds are those 
contained within its joint ventures with Land Securities Group PLC 
and British Land PLC. 

Supplier incentives, rebates and discounts are recognised within cost 
of sales based on the expected entitlement at the balance sheet date. 
The accrued value at the reporting date is included in prepayments 
and accrued income. 

Property, plant and equipment 
Land and buildings 
Land and buildings are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation 
and any recognised impairment loss. Properties in the course of 
construction are held at cost less any recognised impairment loss. 
Cost includes directly attributable costs and borrowing costs 
capitalised in accordance with the Group’s accounting policy. 

Fixtures, equipment and vehicles 
Fixtures, equipment and vehicles are held at cost less accumulated 
depreciation and any recognised impairment loss. 

Depreciation 
Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of the assets to their 
residual values, on a straight-line method on the following bases: 
•	 Freehold buildings and leasehold properties – 50 years, or the 

lease term if shorter 

•  Fixtures, equipment and vehicles – 3 to 15 years 
•  Freehold land is not depreciated 

Land and buildings under construction and non-current assets held 
for sale are not depreciated. 

Gains and losses on disposal are determined by comparing proceeds 
with the asset’s carrying amount and are recognised within 
operating profi t. 

Intangible assets 
Pharmacy licences 
Pharmacy licences are carried at cost less accumulated amortisation 
and any impairment loss and amortised on a straight-line basis over 
their useful economic life of 15 years within cost of sales. 

Computer software 
Computer software is carried at cost less accumulated amortisation 
and any impairment loss. Externally-acquired computer software 
and software licences are capitalised and amortised on a straight-line 
basis over their useful economic lives of five to seven years. Costs 
relating to development of computer software for internal use are 
capitalised once the recognition criteria of IAS 38 ‘Intangible Assets’ 
are met. When the software is available for its intended use, these 
costs are amortised over the estimated useful life of the software 
within administrative expenses. 

Goodwill 
Goodwill represents the excess of the fair value of the consideration 
of an acquisition over the fair value of the Group’s share of the net 
identifiable assets of the acquired subsidiary at the date of acquisition. 
Goodwill is recognised as an asset on the Group’s balance sheet in the 
year in which it arises. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually and 
again whenever indicators of impairment are detected and is carried 
at cost less accumulated impairment losses. 

Investment property 
Investment properties are those properties held for capital appreciation 
and/or to earn rental income. They are initially measured at cost, 
including related transaction costs. After initial recognition at cost, 
they are carried at their fair values based on market value determined 
by professional valuers at each reporting date. The difference 
between the fair value of an investment property at the reporting 
date and its carrying amount prior to re-measurement is included 

Impairment of non-fi nancial assets 
At each full year balance sheet date, and again whenever indicators 
of impairment are detected, the Group reviews the carrying amounts 
of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is 
any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. 
If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, which 
is the higher of its fair value less costs to sell and its value in use, 
is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss. 
Where the asset does not generate cash flows that are independent 
from other assets, the Group estimates the recoverable amount of the 
cash-generating unit (“CGU”) to which the asset belongs. For tangible 
and intangible assets excluding goodwill, the CGU is deemed to be 
each trading store. For goodwill, the CGU is deemed to be each retail 
chain of stores acquired. 

Any impairment charge is recognised in the income statement in 
the year in which it occurs. Where an impairment loss, other than an 
impairment loss on goodwill, subsequently reverses due to a change 
in the original estimate, the carrying amount of the asset is increased 
to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount. 

Capitalisation of interest 
Interest costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or 
construction of qualifying assets are capitalised to the cost of the 
asset, gross of tax relief. 

Non-current assets held for sale 
Non-current assets are classified as assets held for sale and stated 
at the lower of the carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell 
if their carrying amount is to be recovered principally through a sale 
transaction rather than through continuing use. 

Leased assets 
Leases are classified as finance leases when the terms of the lease 
transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the 
Group. All other leases are classified as operating leases. For property 
leases, the land and building elements are treated separately to 
determine the appropriate lease classifi cation. 

Finance leases 
Assets funded through finance leases are capitalised as property, 
plant and equipment and depreciated over their estimated useful 
lives or the lease term, whichever is shorter. The amount capitalised 
is the lower of the fair value of the asset or the present value of the 
minimum lease payments during the lease term at the inception of the 
lease. The resulting lease obligations are included in liabilities net of 
finance charges. Finance costs on finance leases are charged directly 
to the income statement. 

Operating leases 
Assets leased under operating leases are not recorded on the balance 
sheet. Rental payments are charged directly to the income statement. 

Lease incentives 
Lease incentives primarily include up-front cash payments or 
rent-free periods. Lease incentives are capitalised and spread over 
the period of the lease term. 

Leases with predetermined fixed rental increases 
The Group has a number of leases with predetermined fi xed rental 
increases. These rental increases are accounted for on a straight-line 
basis over the term of the lease. 

Operating lease income 
Operating lease income consists of rentals from sub-tenant 
agreements and is recognised as earned. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

2 Accounting policies continued 

Inventories 
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. 
Inventories at warehouses are valued on a fi rst-in, fi rst-out basis. 
Inventories at retail outlets are valued at calculated average cost 
prices. Cost includes all direct expenditure and other appropriate 
attributable costs incurred in bringing inventories to their present 
location and condition. 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash in hand, demand 
deposits, investments in money market funds and deposits 
and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily 
convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an 
insignificant risk of changes in value. Bank overdrafts that are 
repayable on demand and form an integral part of the Group’s 
cash management are included as a component of cash and 
cash equivalents for the purposes of the cash fl ow statement. 

Current taxation 
Current tax is accounted for on the basis of tax laws enacted or 
substantively enacted at the balance sheet date. Current tax is 
charged or credited to the income statement, except when it relates 
to items charged to equity, in which case the current tax is also dealt 
with in equity. 

Deferred taxation 
Deferred tax is accounted for on the basis of temporary differences 
arising from differences between the tax base and accounting base 
of assets and liabilities. 

Deferred tax is recognised for all temporary differences, except to 
the extent where it arises from the initial recognition of an asset or 
a liability in a transaction that is not a business combination and, at 
the time of transaction, affects neither accounting profit nor taxable 
profit. It is determined using tax rates (and laws) that have been 
enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date and 
are expected to apply when the related deferred income tax asset 
is realised or the deferred income tax liability is settled. 

Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable 
that future taxable profits will be available against which the 
temporary differences can be utilised. 

Deferred tax is charged or credited to the income statement, except 
when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which 
case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity. 

Employee benefi ts 
Pensions 
The Group operates various defi ned benefit and defi ned contribution 
pension schemes for its employees. A defi ned benefit scheme is a 
pension plan that defines an amount of pension benefit that an 
employee will receive on retirement. A defined contribution scheme 
is a pension plan under which the Group pays fi xed contributions 
into a separate entity. 

In respect of defi ned benefit pension schemes, the pension scheme 
surplus or deficit recognised in the balance sheet represents the 
difference between the fair value of the plan assets and the present 
value of the defi ned benefit obligation at the balance sheet date. 
The defi ned benefit obligation is actuarially calculated on an annual 
basis using the projected unit credit method. Plan assets are recorded 
at fair value. 

The income statement charge is split between an operating service 
cost and a financing charge, which is the net of interest cost on 
pension scheme liabilities and expected return on plan assets. 
Actuarial gains and losses are recognised in full in the period in 
which they arise, in the statement of other comprehensive income. 

Payments to defined contribution pension schemes are charged 
as an expense as they fall due. Any contributions unpaid at the 
balance sheet date are included as an accrual as at that date. 
The Group has no further payment obligations once the 
contributions have been paid. 

Long-service awards 
The costs of long-service awards are accrued over the period the 
service is provided by the employee. 

Share-based payments 
The Group provides benefits to employees (including Directors) of 
the Group in the form of equity-settled and cash-settled share-based 
payment transactions, whereby employees render services in 
exchange for shares, rights over shares or the value of those shares 
in cash terms. 

For equity-settled share-based payments the fair value of the 
employee services rendered is determined by reference to the fair 
value of the shares awarded or options granted, excluding the impact 
of any non-market vesting conditions. All share options are valued 
using an option-pricing model (Black-Scholes or Monte Carlo). This 
fair value is charged to the income statement over the vesting period 
of the share-based payment scheme, with the corresponding increase 
in equity. 

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences associated with 
investments in subsidiaries, branches, and joint ventures except 
where the Group is able to control the timing of the reversal of the 
temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference 
will not reverse in the foreseeable future. 

For cash-settled share-based payments the fair value of the employee 
services rendered is determined at each balance sheet date and the 
charge recognised through the income statement over the vesting 
period of the share-based payment scheme, with the corresponding 
increase in accruals. 

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Provisions 
Provisions are recognised when there is a present legal or 
constructive obligation as a result of past events, for which it is 
probable that an outflow of economic benefit will be required to 
settle the obligation, and where the amount of the obligation can 
be reliably estimated. 

Onerous leases 
Provisions for onerous leases, measured net of expected rental 
income, are recognised when the property leased becomes vacant 
and is no longer used in the operations of the business. Provisions 
for dilapidation costs are recognised on a lease-by-lease basis. 

Restructuring and disposal 
Provisions for restructuring costs are recognised when the Group 
has a detailed formal plan for the restructuring that has been 
communicated to affected parties. 

The value of the charge is adjusted in the income statement over the 
remainder of the vesting period to reflect expected and actual levels 
of options vesting, with the corresponding adjustments made in 
equity and accruals. 

Financial instruments 
Financial assets 
The Group classifies its financial assets in the following categories: at 
fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”), loans and receivables, and 
available-for-sale (“AFS”). Purchases and sales of ‘financial assets at 
fair value through profit or loss’ and AFS investments are recognised 
on trade date. Financial assets are initially recognised at fair value 
plus transaction costs for all financial assets not carried at fair value 
through profit or loss. 

54 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

2 Accounting policies continued 

‘Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss’ include fi nancial 
assets held for trading and those designated at fair value through 
profit or loss at inception. Derivatives are classified as held for trading 
unless they are accounted for as an effective hedging instrument. 
‘Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss’ are recorded at 
fair value, with any gains or losses recognised in the income statement 
in the period in which they arise. 

Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fi xed 
or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market. 
The Group has no intention of trading these loans and receivables. 
Subsequent to initial recognition, these assets are carried at 
amortised cost less impairment using the effective interest method. 
Income from these financial assets is calculated on an effective yield 
basis and is recognised in the income statement. 

Available-for-sale financial assets are non-derivatives that are either 
designated in this category or not classified in any of the other 
categories. They are included in non-current assets unless 
management intends to dispose of the investment within 12 months 
of the balance sheet date. Subsequent to initial recognition, these 
assets are recorded at fair value with the movements in fair value 
recognised in other comprehensive income until the fi nancial asset 
is derecognised or impaired at which time the cumulative gain or loss 
previously recognised in other comprehensive income is recognised 
in the income statement. Dividends on AFS equity instruments are 
recognised in the income statement when the entity’s right to 
receive payment is established. Interest on AFS debt instruments 
is recognised using the effective interest method. 

Financial assets are derecognised when the rights to receive cash 
flows from the financial assets have expired or where the Group has 
transferred substantially all risks and rewards of ownership. 

Trade receivables 
Trade receivables are initially recognised at fair value and subsequently 
at amortised cost using the effective interest method less provision 
for impairment. 

Financial liabilities 
Interest-bearing bank loans and overdrafts are recorded initially at 
fair value, which is generally the proceeds received, net of direct issue 
costs. Subsequently, these liabilities are held at amortised cost using 
the effective interest method. 

Finance charges, including premiums payable on settlement or 
redemption and direct issue costs are accounted for on an accrual 
basis to the income statement using the effective interest method 
and are added to the carrying amount of the instrument to the extent 
that they are not settled in the period in which they arise. 

The fair value of the liability component of a convertible bond is 
determined using the market interest rate for an equivalent non-
convertible bond. This amount is recorded as a liability on an 
amortised cost basis until extinguished on conversion or maturity 
of the bonds. The remainder of the proceeds are allocated to the 
conversion option. This is recognised and included in shareholders’ 
equity, net of income tax effects and is not subsequently re-measured. 

Issue costs are apportioned between the liability and the equity 
components of the convertible loan notes based on their carrying 
amounts at the date of issue. The portion relating to the equity 
component is charged directly against equity. 

Trade payables 
Trade payables are initially recognised at fair value and subsequently 
at amortised cost using the effective interest method. 

Impairment of fi nancial assets 
An assessment of whether there is objective evidence of impairment 
is carried out for all financial assets or groups of financial assets at 
the balance sheet date. This assessment may be of individual assets 
(‘individual impairment’) or of a portfolio of assets (‘collective 
impairment’). A financial asset or a group of financial assets is 
considered to be impaired if, and only if, there is objective evidence 
of impairment as a result of one or more events that occurred after 
the initial recognition of the asset (a ‘loss event’) and that loss event 
(or events) has an impact on the estimated future cash fl ows of 
the financial asset or group of financial assets that can be 
reliably estimated. 

For individual impairment the principal loss event is one or more 
missed payments, although other loss events can also be taken 
into account, including arrangements in place to pay less than the 
contractual payments, fraud and bankruptcy or other fi nancial 
difficulty indicators. An assessment of collective impairment will be 
made of financial assets with similar risk characteristics. For these 
assets, portfolio loss experience is used to provide objective evidence 
of impairment. 

Where there is objective evidence that an impairment loss exists on 
loans and receivables, impairment provisions are made to reduce the 
carrying value of financial assets to the present value of estimated 
future cash flows discounted at the financial asset’s original effective 
interest rate. 

For financial assets carried at amortised cost, the charge to the 
income statement reflects the movement in the level of provisions 
made, together with amounts written off net of recoveries in the year. 

In the case of equity investments classified as available-for-sale, a 
significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of the asset below 
its cost is considered in determining whether the asset is impaired. 
If any such evidence exists for available-for-sale financial assets, the 
cumulative loss is removed from equity and recognised in the income 
statement. The cumulative loss is measured as the difference between 
the acquisition cost and the current fair value, less any impairment loss 
on that financial asset previously recognised in the income statement. 

Impairment losses recognised in the income statement on equity 
instruments are not reversed. If, in a subsequent period, the fair value 
of a debt instrument classified as available-for-sale increases and the 
increase can be objectively related to an event occurring after the 
impairment loss was recognised in the income statement, the 
impairment loss is reversed through the income statement. 

Interest will continue to accrue on all financial assets, based on the 
written-down balance. Interest is calculated using the rate of interest 
used to discount the future cash flows for the purpose of measuring 
the impairment loss. To the extent that a provision may be increased 
or decreased in subsequent periods, the recognition of interest will 
be based on the latest balance net of provision. 

Fair value estimation 
The methods and assumptions applied in determining the fair values 
of financial assets and financial liabilities are disclosed in note 29. 

Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting 
The Group’s activities expose it to financial risks associated with 
movements in exchange rates and interest rates. The Group uses 
foreign exchange forward contracts and interest rate swap contracts 
to hedge these exposures. The use of financial derivatives is governed 
by the Group’s treasury policies, as approved by the Board. The Group 
does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

2 Accounting policies continued 

All derivative financial instruments are initially measured at fair 
value on the contract date and are also measured at fair value 
at subsequent reporting dates. 

Hedge relationships are classified as cash flow hedges where the 
derivative financial instruments hedge the exchange rate risk of 
future highly probable inventory purchases denominated in foreign 
currency. Changes in the fair value of derivative fi nancial instruments 
that are designated and effective as hedges of future cash fl ows are 
recognised directly in other comprehensive income and the ineffective 
portion is recognised immediately in the income statement. If the cash 
flow hedge of a firm commitment or forecasted transaction results in 
the recognition of a non-financial asset or liability, then, at the time 
the asset or liability is recognised, the associated gains or losses 
on the derivative that had previously been recognised in other 
comprehensive income are included in the initial measurement 
of the asset or liability. 

Hedge relationships are classified as fair value hedges where the 
derivative financial instruments hedge the change in the fair value 
of a financial asset or liability due to movements in interest rates. 
The changes in fair value of the hedging instrument are recognised 
in the income statement. 

The hedged item is also adjusted for changes in fair value attributable 
to the hedged risk, with the corresponding adjustment made in the 
income statement. 

To qualify for hedge accounting, the Group documents at the 
inception of the hedge, the hedging risk management strategy, the 
relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item 
or transaction and the nature of the risks being hedged. The Group 
also documents the assessment of the effectiveness of the hedging 
relationship, to show that the hedge has been and will be highly 
effective on an ongoing basis. 

Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments that 
do not qualify for hedge accounting are recognised in the income 
statement as finance income or costs as they arise. 

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging instrument 
expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or no longer qualifi es for 
hedge accounting. At that time, any cumulative gain or loss on the 
hedging instrument recognised in other comprehensive income is 
retained in equity until the forecasted transaction occurs. If a hedged 
transaction is no longer expected to occur, the net cumulative gain 
or loss recognised in other comprehensive income is transferred to 
the income statement for the period. 

Offsetting fi nancial instruments 
Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount reported 
in the balance sheet when there is a legally enforceable right to offset 
the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net 
basis, or realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. 

(c) Judgements and estimates 
The Group makes judgements and assumptions concerning the future 
that impact the application of policies and reported amounts. The 
resulting accounting estimates calculated using these judgements 
and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual 
results but are based on historical experience and expectations of 
future events. 

The judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty that 
have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the fi nancial 
statements are discussed below. 

56 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

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Goodwill impairment 
The Group is required to assess whether goodwill has suffered any 
impairment loss, based on the recoverable amount of its CGUs. 
The recoverable amounts of the CGUs have been determined based 
on value in use calculations and these calculations require the use 
of estimates in relation to future cash flows and suitable discount 
rates as disclosed in note 12. Actual outcomes could vary from 
these estimates. 

Impairment of assets 
Financial and non-financial assets are subject to impairment reviews 
based on whether current or future events and circumstances suggest 
that their recoverable amount may be less than their carrying value. 
Recoverable amount is based on a calculation of expected future cash 
flows which includes management assumptions and estimates of 
future performance. 

Post-employment benefi ts 
The Group operates various defi ned benefit schemes for its employees. 
The present value of the schemes’ liabilities recognised at the balance 
sheet date is dependent on interest rates of high quality corporate 
bonds. The net financing charge recognised in the income statement 
is dependent on the interest rate of high quality corporate bonds and 
an expectation of the weighted average returns on the assets within 
the schemes. Other key assumptions within this calculation are 
based on market conditions or estimates of future events, including 
mortality rates, as set out in note 30. 

Provisions 
Provisions have been made for onerous leases, dilapidations, 
restructuring and disposal costs. These provisions are estimates 
and the actual costs and timing of future cash flows are dependent 
on future events. Any difference between expectations and the 
actual future liability will be accounted for in the period when such 
determination is made. Detail of provisions are set out in note 22. 

Income taxes 
The Group recognises expected liabilities for tax based on an 
estimation of the likely taxes due, which requires signifi cant 
judgement as to the ultimate tax determination of certain items. 
Where the actual liability arising from these issues differs from these 
estimates, such differences will have an impact on income tax and 
deferred tax provisions in the period when such determination is 
made. Detail of the tax charge and deferred tax are set out in notes 
8 and 21 respectively. 

Reclassification of certain offsetting foreign exchange 
gains and losses 
The amounts presented for previous periods reflect the reclassifi cation 
of certain offsetting foreign exchange gains and losses on available-
for-sale (“AFS”) financial assets and the related cash flow hedges of 
Sainsbury’s Bank plc which were previously recognised in equity 
rather than in the income statement. Accordingly, for the 52 weeks 
to 21 March 2009, the losses on AFS assets have been increased and 
those on cash flow hedges reduced by £21 million. For the 52 weeks 
to 22 March 2008, the losses on AFS assets have been increased and 
those on cash flow hedges reduced by £58 million. These adjustments 
have no impact on total comprehensive income/(expense), total equity 
or net assets for either period and the amounts now recognised in the 
income statement are fully offset within the share of post-tax profi t/ 
(loss) from joint ventures. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

3 Non-GAAP performance measures 

Certain items recognised in reported profit before tax can vary significantly from year to year and therefore create volatility in reported 
earnings which does not reflect the Group’s underlying performance. The Directors believe that the ‘underlying profit before tax’ (“UPBT”) 
and ‘underlying diluted and basic earnings per share’ measures presented provide a clear and consistent presentation of the underlying 
performance of Sainsbury’s ongoing business for shareholders. As communicated at the time of the 2008/09 year-end announcement, 
the financing element of IAS 19 ‘Employee Benefits’ pensions accounting has been excluded from UPBT. Comparative amounts have been 
restated to reflect this change to the definition of UPBT. Underlying profit is not defined by IFRSs, and therefore may not be directly 
comparable with the ‘adjusted’ profit measures of other companies. The adjusted items are: 
•  Profit/loss on sale of properties; 
•	 Investment property fair value movements – these movements reflect the difference between the fair value of an investment property 

at the reporting date and its carrying amount at the previous reporting date; 

•	 Financing fair value movements – these movements are fair value gains and losses on non-derivative financial assets and liabilities carried 

at amortised cost, on derivatives relating to financing activities and on hedged items in fair value hedges; 

•  Impairment of goodwill; 
•  The financing element of IAS 19 ‘Employee Benefi ts’; and 
•  One-off items – these items are material and infrequent in nature. 

The adjustments made to reported profit before tax to arrive at underlying profit before tax are:

Underlying profit before tax
Profit on sale of properties
Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements1
IAS 19 pension fi nancing (charge)/credit
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry

Total adjustments

Profit before tax

2010 
£m 

610 
27 
123 
(15) 
(24) 
12

123 

733 

2009
£m 

519 
57 
(124) 
(10) 
24 
 ­

(53) 

466 

1 

Financing fair value movements for the financial year comprised £(12) million for the Group (2009: £(7) million) and £(3) million for the joint ventures (2009: £(3) million). 

Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry 
The Group has reversed £12 million of costs associated with the Office of Fair Trading (“OFT”) dairy inquiry, in line with the OFT’s announcement 
in April 2010. 

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

4 Segment reporting 

The Group’s businesses are organised into three operating segments: 
•  Retailing (Supermarkets and Convenience); 
•  Financial services (Sainsbury’s Bank joint venture); and 
•  Property investment (British Land joint venture and Land Securities joint venture). 

Management have determined the operating segments based on the information provided to the Operating Board (the CODM) to make 
operational decisions on the management of the Group. All material operations and assets are in the UK. The business of the Group is 
not subject to highly seasonal fluctuations although there is an increase in trading in the period leading up to Christmas. 

The Group has continued to include additional voluntary disclosure analysing the Group’s Financial Services and Property joint ventures 
into separate reportable segments. 

Revenue from operating segments is measured on a basis consistent with the income statement. All revenue is generated by the sale of goods 
and services. 

Segment results, assets and liabilities include items directly attributable to a segment as well as those that can be allocated on a reasonable 
basis. Segment capital expenditure is the total cost incurred during the period to acquire segment assets that are expected to be used for 
more than one period. 

The Operating Board assesses the performance of Retailing on the basis of profit generated by the sales and the costs directly attributable 
to that segment which are contained within underlying profit. The reconciliation provided below reconciles underlying operating profi t from 
each of the segments disclosed to profit before tax.

52 weeks to 20 March 2010 
Segment revenue 

Underlying operating profi t 
  Underlying fi nance income 
  Underlying fi nance costs 

Underlying share of post-tax profit from joint ventures

Underlying profit before tax
Profit on sale of properties 
Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing charge
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry 

Profit before tax
Income tax expense 

Profit for the fi nancial year 

Assets 
Investment in joint ventures 

Segment assets 

Segment liabilities 

Other segment items
  Capital expenditure1 
  Depreciation expense 
  Amortisation expense 

Provision for impairment of receivables 

  Share-based payments 

1  Capital expenditure consists of property, plant and equipment additions of £992 million and intangibles additions of £11 million. 

Retailing 
£m 

19,964 

671 
33 
(112) 
-

592 
27 
-
(12) 
(24) 
12 

595 

10,406 
-

10,406 

5,889 

1,003 
466 
13 
1 
42 

Financial 
services 
£m 

Property
investments 
£m 

Group
£m 

-

-
-
-
7 

7 
-
-
-
-
-

7 

-
102 

102 

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

19,964 

-
-
-
11 

11 
-
123 
(3) 
-
-

131 

-
347 

347 

-

-
-
-
-
-

671
33
(112) 
18 

610 
27 
123 
(15) 
(24) 
12 

733 
(148) 

585

10,406 
449 

10,855 

5,889 

1,003
466
13 
1
42 

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58 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

4 Segment reporting continued 

52 weeks to 21 March 2009 
Segment revenue 

Underlying operating profi t 
  Underlying fi nance income2 
  Underlying fi nance costs 

Underlying share of post-tax profit from joint ventures 

Underlying profit before tax2 
Profit on sale of properties 
Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing credit 

Profit/(loss) before tax 
Income tax expense 

Profit for the fi nancial year 

Assets 
Investment in joint ventures 

Segment assets 

Segment liabilities 

Other segment items
  Capital expenditure3 
  Depreciation expense 
  Amortisation expense 

Provision for impairment of receivables 

  Share-based payments 

Retailing 
£m 

18,911 

616 
28 
(141) 
-

503 
57 
-
(7) 
24 

577 

9,745 
1 

9,746 

5,657 

1,105 
453 
15 
1 
40 

Financial 
services 
£m 

Property 
investments 
£m 

-

-
-
-
4 

4 
-
-
-
-

4 

-
72 

72 

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
12 

12 
-
(124) 
(3) 
-

(115) 

-
215 

215 

-

-
-
-
-
-

Group 
£m 

18,911 

616
28
(141) 
16 

519 
57 
(124) 
(10) 
24 

466 
(177) 

289

9,745 
288 

10,033 

5,657 

1,105
453
15 
1
40 

2  Underlying finance income and underlying profit before tax have been restated due to the change in the definition of underlying profit before tax, see note 3. 
3  	Capital expenditure consists of property, plant and equipment additions of £1,081 million, property, plant and equipment acquired through business combinations of £4 million, 

intangibles additions of £10 million and intangibles generated through business combinations of £10 million. 

Due to the nature of its activities, the Group is not reliant on any individual major customers. 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

5 Operating profi t

Operating profit is stated after charging/(crediting) the following items: 
Employee costs (note 7)
Depreciation expense (note 11) 
Amortisation expense (note 12) 
Profit on sale of properties (note 3)
Charges relating to the impairment of receivables 
Provision for diminution in value of investment in joint venture 
Operating lease rentals  — land and buildings 

— other leases
— sublease payments received 

Foreign exchange gains 
Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry (note 3)

Group

Auditors’ remuneration 
Audit and audit related services 
Fees payable to the Company auditor for the audit of the Group and the Company fi nancial statements
Audit of the Company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation 
Audit related services pursuant to legislation  

Non-audit services 
Fees payable to the Company auditor and its associates for other services as detailed below:
  Tax services

All other services

6 Finance income and fi nance costs

Interest on bank deposits and other fi nancial assets
IAS 19 pension financing credit (note 30) 

Finance income

Borrowing costs
  Secured borrowings
  Unsecured borrowings

Obligations under fi nance leases 
Provisions — amortisation of discount (note 22) 

Interest capitalised – qualifying assets
IAS 19 pension financing charge (note 30) 
Financing fair value movements1 

Finance costs

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

2,075 
466 
13 
(27) 
1
1
388 
54 
(37) 
(6) 
(12)

2,003 
453 
15 
(57) 
 1 
 ­
344 
52 
(39) 
(10) 
 ­

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

0.2 
0.5 
0.1 

 -
0.5 

1.3 

2010 
£m 

33 
-

33

(75) 
(47) 
(3) 
(2) 

(127) 

15
(24)
(12) 

0.2 
0.5 
0.1 

0.6 
0.3

1.7 

2009
£m 

28
 
24
 

52 

(119)
(33) 
(3) 
(1)

(156) 

15 
 ­
(7) 

(148) 

(148) 

1  Fair value movements relate to fair value adjustments on non-derivative financial assets and liabilities carried at amortised cost and on derivatives relating to financing activities and hedged items 

in fair value hedges. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

7 Employee costs

Employee costs for the Group during the year amounted to: 

Wages and salaries, including bonus and termination benefi ts
Social security costs 
Pension costs — defined contribution schemes
Pension costs — defi ned benefit schemes (note 30) 
Share-based payments expense (note 31)

The average number of employees, including Directors, during the year were:
  Full-time
  Part-time

Full-time equivalent

All employees were employed in the United Kingdom for the periods presented. 

8 Income tax expense

Current tax expense
  Current year

Over provision in prior years 

Deferred tax expense 

Origination and reversal of temporary differences 
Under provision in prior years 

Total income tax expense in income statement 

Income tax expense on underlying profi t1
Tax on items below:
  Profit on sale of properties

Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing (charge)/credit

Total income tax expense in income statement 

1  Tax charge attributable to underlying profit before tax, restated for the change in the definition of underlying profit before tax, see note 3. 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

1,823 
128 
33 
49 
42 

2,075 

1,758 
121 
31 
53 
40

2,003

Number 
000’s 

Number
000’s 

47.3 
99.6 

146.9 

97.3 

49.7
98.8

148.5 

97.3 

2010 
£m 

152 
(73) 

79 

38 
31

69 

2009
£m 

171 
(25)

146 

24 
 7

31 

148 

177 

174 

151 

(15) 
(4) 
(7)

148 

21 
(2) 
 7 

177 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

8 Income tax expense continued 

The effective tax rate of 20.2 per cent (2009: 38.0 per cent) is lower than the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK. The differences are 
explained below:

Profit before taxation

Income tax at UK corporation tax rate of 28.00% (2009: 28.05%1) 
Effects of: 

Disallowed depreciation on UK properties

  Non-deductible expenses

Investment property fair value movements 
Over provision in prior years 
Share of results of joint ventures

  Other

Total income tax expense in income statement  

2010 
£m 

733 

205 

22 
 7
(34) 
(42) 
(4) 
(6)

2009
£m 

466 

131 

20
 9 
35 
(18) 
(2)
 2 

148 

177 

1  The income tax rate of 28.05% is slightly higher than the 28% statutory tax rate due to the historic rate of 30% applying between 23 March 2008 and 31 March 2008 inclusive. 

Income tax charged or credited to equity during the year is as follows: 

Share based 
payments 
£m 

Pension  AFS fair value 
movements 
scheme 
£m 
£m 

52 weeks to 20 March 2010 
Current tax recognised in equity
Deferred tax recognised in equity 

Income tax charged to equity 

52 weeks to 21 March 2009 
Current tax 
Current tax prior year adjustment 

Current tax recognised in equity 

Deferred tax 
Deferred tax prior year adjustment 

Deferred tax recognised in equity 

Income tax charged to equity 

(3) 
1 

(2) 

(3) 
3 

-

2 
(2) 

-

-

(17) 
(31) 

(48) 

-
-

-

(253) 
-

(253) 

1 
10 

11 

-
-

-

(4) 
-

(4) 

Total 
£m 

(19) 
(20) 

(39) 

(3) 
3 

-

(255) 
(2) 

(257) 

(253) 

(4) 

(257) 

The current and deferred tax in relation to the Group’s defi ned benefit pension schemes’ actuarial gains and losses and AFS fair value 
movements have been charged or credited through other comprehensive income. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

9 Earnings per share 

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of 
ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding those held by the Employee Share Ownership Plan trusts (note 25), which are treated 
as cancelled. 

For diluted earnings per share, the earnings attributable to the ordinary shareholders are adjusted by the interest on the convertible bonds 
(net of tax). The weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue is adjusted to assume conversion of all potentially dilutive ordinary 
shares. These represent share options granted to employees where the exercise price is less than the average market price of the Company’s 
ordinary shares during the year and the number of shares that would be issued if all convertible bonds are assumed to be converted. 

Underlying earnings per share is provided by excluding the effect of any profit or loss on sale of properties, investment property fair value 
movements, impairment of goodwill, financing fair value movements, IAS 19 pension financing element and one-off items that are material 
and infrequent in nature. This alternative measure of earnings per share is presented to reflect the Group’s underlying trading performance. 

All operations are continuing for the periods presented.

Weighted average number of shares in issue
Weighted average number of dilutive share options 
Weighted average number of dilutive convertible bonds 

Total number of shares for calculating diluted earnings per share 

Profit for the fi nancial year
Add: interest on convertible bonds, net of tax 

Diluted earnings for calculating diluted earnings per share 

Profit for the financial period attributable to equity holders of the parent
(Less)/add (net of tax):
  Profit on sale of properties

Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 
IAS 19 pension fi nancing charge/(credit)
One-off item: Office of Fair Trading dairy inquiry

Underlying profit after tax1
Add: interest on convertible bonds, net of tax 

Diluted underlying profit after tax1

Basic earnings
Diluted earnings
Underlying basic earnings1
Underlying diluted earnings1

2010
million

1,821.7
16.0
34.9

2009
million 

1,738.5 
24.7 
­

1,872.6 

1,763.2

£m 

585 
6

591 

£m 

585 

(42) 
(123) 
11
17 
(12)

436 
6

442 

£m 

289 
 ­

289

£m 

289 

(36) 
124 
 8 
(17) 
 ­

368 
 ­

368

pence 
per share 

pence
per share 

32.1 
31.6 
23.9 
23.6 

16.6 
16.4 
21.2 
20.9 

  Underlying profit after tax and diluted underlying profit after tax for the previous period have been restated for the change in the definition of underlying profit after tax, as described in note 3. 
1

10  Dividend

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in the year: 
Final dividend of prior fi nancial year
Interim dividend of current fi nancial year

2010 
pence 
per share 

2009 
pence 
per share 

9.60 
4.00 

9.00 
3.60 

13.60 

12.60 

2010 
£m 

167 
74 

241 

2009
£m 

155 
63

218 

After the balance sheet date, a final dividend of 10.20 pence per share (2009: 9.60 pence per share) was proposed by the Directors in respect 
of the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010, resulting in a total final proposed dividend of £189 million (2009: £167 million). The proposed fi nal dividend 
has not been included as a liability at 20 March 2010. 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

11 Property, plant and equipment 

Cost 
At 22 March 2009 
Additions 
Disposals 
Transfer to assets held for sale 

At 20 March 2010 

Accumulated depreciation and impairment 
At 22 March 2009 
Depreciation expense for the year 
Disposals 
Transfer to assets held for sale 

At 20 March 2010 

Group 
Land and 
buildings 
£m 

Group 
Fixtures and 
equipment 
£m 

Group 
Total 
£m 

Company 
Land and 
buildings 
£m 

7,454 
624 
(95) 
(56) 

7,927 

1,206 
125 
(14) 
(8) 

1,309 

4,897 
368 
(130) 
(6) 

12,351 
992 
(225) 
(62) 

5,129 

13,056 

3,324 
341 
(118) 
(3) 

3,544 

4,530 
466 
(132) 
(11) 

4,853 

45 
-
-
-

45 

3 
-
-
-

3 

Net book value at 20 March 2010 

6,618 

1,585 

8,203 

42 

Capital work-in-progress included above 

354 

94 

448 

-

Cost 
At 23 March 2008 
Additions 
Acquisition of subsidiaries 
Disposals 
Transfer to assets held for sale 

At 21 March 2009 

Accumulated depreciation and impairment 
At 23 March 2008 
Depreciation expense for the year 
Disposals 
Transfer to assets held for sale 

At 21 March 2009 

7,068 
626 
4 
(225) 
(19) 

4,677 
455 
-
(233) 
(2) 

11,745 
1,081 
4 
(458) 
(21) 

7,454 

4,897 

12,351 

1,123 
113 
(28) 
(2) 

3,198 
340 
(212) 
(2) 

4,321 
453 
(240) 
(4) 

1,206 

3,324 

4,530 

Net book value at 21 March 2009 

6,248 

1,573 

7,821 

Capital work-in-progress included above 

428 

121 

549 

117 
-
-
(72) 
-

45 

8 
1 
(6) 
-

3 

42 

-

The net book value of land and buildings comprised: 
Freehold land and building
Long leasehold
Short leasehold

Group
2010
£m

5,046
1,013
559

6,618 

Group
2009 
£m 

Company
2010
£m

Company
2009
£m 

4,777 
951 
520 

6,248 

42
-
-

42 

42 
­
­

42 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

11 Property, plant and equipment continued 

Impairment of property, plant and equipment 
In accordance with IAS 36 ‘Impairment of Assets’, the Group has determined that for the purposes of impairment testing, each store is 
a cash-generating unit (“CGU”). CGUs are tested for impairment at each reporting date if there are indications of impairment. 

The recoverable amounts for the CGUs are based on value in use which is calculated on the cash flows expected to be generated by the units 
using the latest budget and forecast data, the results of which are reviewed by the Board. The key assumptions in the value in use calculation 
are the discount rate, growth rates and expected changes in margin. Changes in income and expenditure are based on past experience and 
expectations of future changes in the market. The forecasts are extrapolated beyond five years based on estimated long-term growth rates 
of three per cent to four per cent. The discount rate is based on the Group’s pre-tax weighted average cost of capital of ten per cent (2009: 
ten per cent). 

Interest capitalised 
Interest capitalised included in additions amounted to £15 million (2009: £15 million) for the Group and £nil (2009: £nil) for the Company. 
Accumulated interest capitalised included in the cost of property, plant and equipment net of disposals amounted to £267 million (2009: 
£255 million) for the Group and £nil (2009: £nil) for the Company. The capitalisation rate used to determine the amount of borrowing costs 
eligible for capitalisation is 4.0 per cent (2009: 6.5 per cent). 

Security 
Property, plant and equipment of 129 (2009: 128) supermarket properties, with a net book value of £2,344 million (2009: £2,330 million) 
has been pledged as security for the long-term financing (note 20). 

In addition, property, plant and equipment of a further six supermarket properties, with a net book value of £70 million (2009: £71 million) 
has been pledged as security to underpin the residual value guarantee given by the Group with regards to 16 supermarket properties sold 
in March 2000 and ten supermarket properties sold in July 2000. 

Analysis of assets held under finance leases — Group

Cost
Accumulated depreciation and impairment

Net book value 

12  Intangible assets 

Cost 
At 22 March 2009 
Additions 
Disposals 

At 20 March 2010

Accumulated amortisation and impairment 
At 22 March 2009 
Amortisation expense for the year 

At 20 March 2010

Net book value at 20 March 2010 

Cost 
At 23 March 2008 
Additions 
Acquisition of subsidiaries and businesses 
Disposals 

At 21 March 2009 

Accumulated amortisation and impairment 
At 23 March 2008 
Amortisation expense for the year 
Disposals 

At 21 March 2009 

Net book value at 21 March 2009 

2010 
Land and 
buildings 
£m 

2010 
Fixtures and 
equipment 
£m 

50 
(22) 

28 

15 
(1) 

14 

2010 
Total 
£m 

65 
(23) 

42 

2009 
Land and 
buildings 
£m 

2009 
Fixtures and 
equipment 
£m 

50 
(21) 

29 

-
-

-

Goodwill 
£m 

Pharmacy 
licences 
£m 

Software 
£m 

114 
-
(14) 

100 

-
-

-

100 

114 
-
10 
(10) 

114 

-
-
-

-

114 

35 
1 
-

36 

22 
2 

24 

12 

36 
-
-
(1) 

35 

20 
3 
(1) 

22 

13 

131 
10 
-

141 

98 
11 

109 

32 

121 
10 
-
-

131 

86 
12 
-

98 

33 

2009 
Total
£m 

50
 
(21)
 

29 

Total 
£m 

280 
11 
(14) 

277 

120 
13 

133 

144 

271 
10 
10 
(11) 

280 

106 
15 
(1) 

120 

160 

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65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

12 Intangible assets continued 

The goodwill balance above relates primarily to the Group’s acquisition of Bells Stores Ltd, Jacksons Stores Ltd, JB Beaumont Ltd, SL Shaw Ltd, 
Culcheth Provision Stores Ltd, Town Centre Retail (Bicester) Ltd, SW Dewsbury Ltd and Portfolio Investments Ltd and is allocated to the 
respective cash-generating units (“CGUs”) within the retailing segment. The CGUs for this purpose are deemed to be the respective acquired 
retail chains of stores. The value of the goodwill was tested for impairment during the current financial year by means of comparing the 
recoverable amount of each CGU to the carrying value of its goodwill. 

To calculate the CGU’s value in use, Board approved cash flows for the following financial year are assumed to inflate at the long-term average 
growth rate for the UK food retail sector and are discounted at a pre-tax rate of ten per cent (2009: ten per cent) over a 25 year period. 
Changes in income and expenditure are based on past experience and expectations of future changes in the market. Based on the operating 
performance of the respective CGUs, no impairment loss was deemed necessary in the current financial year (2009: £nil). 

13 Investments in subsidiaries

Shares in subsidiaries — Company 
Beginning of year
Additions 
Disposal of subsidiaries
Provision for diminution in value of investment

End of year

The Company’s principal operating subsidiaries, all of which are directly owned by the Company, are: 

JS Insurance Ltd 
JS Information Systems Ltd 
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

7,262 
339 
(165)
(160)

7,276 

7,169 
93 
 ­
 ­

7,262 

Share of 
ordinary 
allotted 
capital and 
voting rights 

Country of 
registration or 
incorporation 

100%  Isle of Man 
England 
100% 
England 
100% 

All principal operating subsidiaries operate in the countries of their registration or incorporation, and have been consolidated up to and as at 
20 March 2010. The Company has taken advantage of the exemption in s408 of the Companies Act 2006 to disclose a list comprising solely 
of the principal subsidiaries. A full list of subsidiaries will be sent to Companies House with the next annual return. 

14 Investments in joint ventures 

At 22 March 2009 
Additions in year 
Provision for diminution in value of investment 
Share of retained profi t
  Underlying profit after tax 

Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 

Dividends received 
Movements in other comprehensive income (note 24) 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 
Additions in year 
Share of retained loss
  Underlying profit after tax 

Investment property fair value movements 
Financing fair value movements 

Dividends received 
Unrealised profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment 
Movements in other comprehensive income (note 24) 

At 21 March 2009 

66 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

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Group 
shares 
at cost 
 £m 

429 
2 
-

-
-
-

-
-
-

431 

138 
291 

-
-
-

-
-
-
-

429 

Group share 
of post- 
acquisition 
reserves 
£m 

(141) 
-
(1) 

18 
123 
(3) 

138 
(2) 
24 

18 

10 
-

16 
(124) 
(3) 

(111) 
(3) 
(5) 
(32) 

(141) 

Group 
Total 
£m 

288 
2 
(1) 

18 
123 
(3) 

138 
(2) 
24 

449 

148 
291 

16 
(124) 
(3) 

(111) 
(3) 
(5) 
(32) 

288 

Company 
shares 
at cost
£m 

91 
-
-

-
-
-

-
-
-

91 

91 
-

-
-
-

­
-
­
­

91 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

14 Investments in joint ventures continued 

The Group’s principal joint ventures were: 

The Harvest Limited Partnership (property investment — UK) 
BL Sainsbury Superstores Limited (property investment — UK) 
Sainsbury’s Bank plc (financial services — UK) 

Share of 
ordinary 
Year-end  allotted capital 

Country of 
registration or 
incorporation 

31 March 
31 March 
31 December 

50% 
50% 
50% 

England 
England 
England 

Where relevant, management accounts for the joint ventures have been used to include the results up to 20 March 2010. 

The Group’s share of the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of its principal joint ventures are detailed below:

Non-current assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Net assets

Income
Expenses
Investment property fair value movements 

Profit/(loss) after tax 

2010 
£m 

1,611 
1,824 
(2,092) 
(899) 

2009
£m 

1,398 
1,494 
(1,800) 
(809) 

444 

283 

186 
(171) 
123 

138 

239 
(226) 
(124) 

(111) 

Investments in joint ventures at 20 March 2010 include £5 million of goodwill (2009: £5 million). 

15 Available-for-sale fi nancial assets

Non–current 
Interest bearing fi nancial assets
Other fi nancial asset

Group
2010
£m

24
126

150 

Group
2009
£m

Company
2010
£m

Company
2009
£m 

 7
90 

97 

24
-

24

7 
­

 7 

The majority of available-for-sale financial assets are denominated in sterling. 

The other financial asset represents the Group’s beneficial interest in a commercial property investment pool. The fair value of the other 
financial asset is based on discounted cash flows assuming a property rental growth rate of 3.1 per cent (2009: 2.8 per cent) and a weighted 
average cost of capital of ten per cent (2009: ten per cent). There were no disposals or impairment provisions on available-for-sale fi nancial 
assets in either the current or the previous financial year (see note 28 for sensitivity analysis). 

16 Inventories

Goods held for resale

2010 
£m 

702 

2009
£m 

689 

The amount of inventories recognised as an expense and charged to cost of sales for the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010 was £15,192 million 
(2009: £14,490 million). 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

17  Receivables 

Trade and other receivables 

Non-current 
Amounts due from Group entities
Other receivables 

Prepayments and accrued income

Current 
Trade receivables 
Amounts due from Group entities
Other receivables  

Prepayments and accrued income

Group 
2010 
£m 

Group 
2009 
£m 

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company 
2009
£m 

 —
35 

35 
 1

36 

71 
 —
101 

172 
43 

215 

 ­
45 

45 
 ­

45 

49
 ­
88 

137 
58

195 

1,080 
35 

1,115 
—

1,115 

1,005 
45

1,050 
 ­

1,050 

 —
545 
21 

566 
 —

566 

 ­
369 
11

380 
 ­

380 

Non-current other receivables of £35 million (2009: £45 million) comprise £5 million of floating rate subordinated undated loan capital 
(2009: £15 million) and £30 million of floating rate subordinated dated loan capital due from Sainsbury’s Bank plc (2009: £30 million) 
(note 32). Current other receivables include £20 million of floating rate subordinated undated loan capital due from Sainsbury’s Bank plc 
(2009: £10 million) (note 32). 

Trade receivables are non-interest bearing and are on commercial terms. Current other receivables are generally non-interest bearing. 

The Group’s exposure to credit risk arising from its retail operations is minimal given that the customer base is large and unrelated and that 
the overwhelming majority of customer transactions are settled through cash or secure electronic means. New parties wishing to obtain 
credit terms with the Group are credit checked prior to invoices being raised and credit limits are determined on an individual basis. 

The Group has trade and other receivables of £5 million (2009: £5 million) that are past due but not impaired. These relate to a number of 
independent receivables for whom there is no recent history of default. These have not been provided for as there has not been a signifi cant 
change in the credit quality and the amounts are still considered recoverable. The Group does not hold any collateral over these balances. 

The ageing analysis of these trade and other receivables are as follows:

Up to 8 weeks 
Over 8 weeks 

2010
£m

5
 —

5

2009
£m 

 5 
­

 5 

Group trade and other receivables of £3 million (2009: £2 million) and Company amounts due from Group entities of £nil million (2009: 
£8 million) are impaired and provided for. The ageing of these receivables are as follows: 

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Current
Up to 8 weeks 
8 to 20 weeks 
Over 20 weeks

Movements in the provision for impairment of trade and other receivables are as follows: 

At beginning of year
Additional provision 
Release of provision 

End of year

Group 
2010 
£m 

Group 
2009 
£m 

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company 
2009
£m 

 —
—
1
 2

3

Group
2010
£m

2
 1
 —

 3

 -
 -
 -
 2

 2

—
—
—
 —

 —

 8 
 ­
 ­
 ­

 8 

Group
2009
£m

Company
2010
£m

Company 
2009
£m 

 1
 1
 ­

 2

8
 —
(8)

 —

14 
­
(6) 

 8 

68 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

17 Receivables continued 

The carrying amounts of trade and other receivables are denominated in the following currencies: 

Sterling
Euro  
US dollar

Group 
2010 
£m 

249 
1
 1

251 

Group 
2009 
£m 

240 
 -
 -

240 

Company 
2010 
£m 

1,681 
—
—

1,681 

Company 
2009
£m 

1,430 
 ­
 ­

1,430 

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade and current other receivables are limited due to the Group’s customer base being large and 
unrelated. Major counterparties are identified as follows:

Trade receivables 
Other receivables 
Related parties 

2010 
Number of 
  counterparties 

2010 
Balance 

2009 
Number of 
£m  counterparties 

2009
Balance
£m 

1 
1 
1 

9 
18 
56 

1 
1 
1 

8 
18 
56 

Significant trade receivables identified above relate to amounts receivable from credit card companies.
 

At 20 March 2010, significant other receivables identified were amounts due from the National Health Service of £18 million (2009: £18 million).
 

Related party receivables are from the Group’s joint venture, Sainsbury’s Bank plc. Loans are approved by the Investment Committee and are
 
determined by the Financial Services Authority’s capital funding requirements.
 

No major counterparty balances are considered overdue or impaired.
 

18 Non-current assets held for sale 

Non-current assets held for sale of £56 million (2009: £21 million) consist of non-current assets relating to properties held in the Retailing 
segment. Sale of these assets is expected to occur in the financial year beginning 21 March 2010. 

19 Payables 

Trade and other payables 

Current 
Trade payables
Amounts due to Group entities
Other payables
Accruals and deferred income

Non–current 
Amounts due to Group entities
Accruals and deferred income

Group 
2010 
£m 

1,782 
 —
461 
223 

2,466 

 —
106 

106 

Group 
2009 
£m 

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company 
2009
£m 

1,728
 -
508 
252

2,488 

 —
4,446 
14 
 —

4,460 

 ­
3,479 
10 
 ­

3,489 

 ­
92

92 

821 
 —

821 

2,037 
 ­

2,037 

The Group’s policy on payment of creditors is to agree terms of payment prior to commencing trade with a supplier and to abide by those terms 
on the timely submission of satisfactory invoices. 

Deferred income relates to the accounting for leases with fixed rental increases and lease incentives on a straight-line basis over the term 
of the lease. 

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69 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

20 Borrowings

Secured loans 

Loan due 2018 
Loan due 2031 
Unsecured loans
  Bank overdrafts
  Bank loan 

Term loans due 2015 
Convertible bond due 2014 

  Loan notes 
Finance lease obligations 

Total borrowings 

Bank overdrafts
Bank loan 
Term loan due 2015 
Convertible bond due 2014 

Total borrowings 

Group 
2010 
Within 
one year  
£m 

Group 
2010 
After 
 one year  
£m 

Group 
2010  
Total 
£m 

Group 
2009 
Within 
one year  
£m 

Group
2009 
After 
one year  
£m 

Group
2009 
Total
£m 

38 
15 

1,074 
861 

1,112 
876 

3 
-
4 
1 
9 
3 

-
50 
142 
171 
-
59 

3 
50 
146 
172 
9 
62 

37 
33 

28 
35 
12 
-
8 
1 

1,105 
872 

1,142 
905 

-
-
150 
-
2 
48 

28
35 
162 
-
10 
49 

73 

2,357 

2,430 

154 

2,177 

2,331

Company 
2010 
Within 
one year  
£m 

Company 
2010 
After 
one year  
£m 

Company
2010 
Total 
£m

Company 
2009 
Within 
one year  
£m 

Company
2009 
After 
one year  
£m 

Company
2009 
Total
£m 

1 
-
1 
1 

3 

-
50 
102 
171 

323 

1 
50 
103 
172 

326 

8 
35 
-
-

43 

-
-
-
-

-

8 
35 
-
-

43 

Secured loans 
Secured loans are secured on 129 (2009: 128) supermarket properties (note 11) and comprise loans from two fi nance companies: 
•	  a fixed rate amortising loan with an outstanding principal value of £1,100 million (2009: £1,130 million) at a weighted average rate of 4.98 
per cent stepping up to 5.36 per cent from April 2013 with an effective interest rate of 5.21 per cent and carrying amount of £1,112 million 
(2009: £1,142 million) repayable over eight years; and 

•	  an inflation-linked amortising loan with an outstanding principal value of £850 million (2009: £872 million) at a fixed real rate of 2.36 per 
cent where principal and interest are uplifted annually by RPI subject to a cap at five per cent and floor at nil per cent with a carrying 
amount of £876 million (2009: £905 million) repayable over 21 years. 

Bank overdrafts 
Bank overdrafts are repayable on demand and bear interest at a spread above bank base rate. 

Bank loan 
In May 2009, the Group increased and rolled over a maturing bilateral £35 million bank loan into a new three-year loan of £50 million. 

Bank loans due 2015 
In January 2010, the Group restructured its existing £150 million bank loan due 2015 into a new £110 million floating rate bank loan due 
2015, leaving a £40 million loan due 2015 based on the original floating rate terms subject to a cap rate. 

Convertible bond due 2014 
In July 2009, the Group issued £190 million of unsecured convertible bonds due July 2014. The bonds pay a coupon of 4.25 per cent payable 
semi-annually. Each bond is convertible into ordinary shares of J Sainsbury plc at any time up to 9 July 2014 with an initial conversion price 
of 418.5 pence. 

The Group has entered into interest rate swaps to convert all of the £190 million convertible bond from fixed to floating rates of interest. 
These transactions have been accounted for as fair value hedges (note 29). 

The net proceeds of the convertible bond have been split into a liability component of £166 million and an equity component of £24 million. 
The equity component represents the fair value of the embedded option to convert the bond into ordinary shares of the Company. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

20 Borrowings continued

Face value of the convertible bond issued in July 2009
Equity component 

Liability component on initial recognition in July 2009
Interest expense
Interest paid
Other1

Liability component at 20 March 2010

1 

Other relates to fair value movements and fees. 

2010 
£m 

190
(24)

166
 8
(4)
 2

172

2009
£m 

 ­
 ­

 ­
 ­
 ­
 ­

 ­

Undrawn borrowing facilities 
The Group maintains three committed revolving credit facilities for standby liquidity purposes including a new £50 million three-year bilateral 
facility entered into in May 2009. In February 2010, the Group entered into a new fi ve-year €50 million bilateral term loan. At 20 March 2010, 
no advance had been made under the new bank loan. 

£400 million revolving credit facility 
£163 million revolving credit facility 
£50 million bilateral revolving credit facility 

No amounts were drawn down on the facilities at 20 March 2010 (2009: nil). 

Obligations under fi nance leases

Amounts payable under fi nance leases: 
Within 1 year
Within 2 to 5 years inclusive 
After 5 years 

Less: future fi nance charges 

Present value of lease obligations 

Disclosed as: 
Current
Non-current

Expiry of facility 

February 2012 
May 2011 
May 2012 

Minimum 
lease 
payments 
2010 
£m 

Minimum 
lease 
payments 
2009 
£m 

Present 
value of 
minimum 
lease 
payments 
2010 
£m 

Present
value of
minimum
lease
payments
2009
£m 

3
13
46 

62 

 1 
 1 
47

49 

 7
25 
177 

209 

 3 
12 
177 

192 

(147) 

(143) 

62 

49 

 3 
59 

62 

1 
48

49 

Finance leases have effective interest rates of 4.30 per cent to 9.00 per cent (2009: 4.30 per cent to 8.50 per cent). The average remaining 
lease term is 76 years (2009: 77 years). 

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71 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

21 Deferred taxation 

The movements in deferred income tax assets and liabilities during the financial year, prior to the offsetting of the balances within the same tax 
jurisdiction, are shown below. 

Group 

Deferred income tax liabilities 
At 22 March 2009 
(Charge)/credit to income statement 
Charge to equity/other comprehensive income

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008 
Credit/(charge) to income statement 
Credit to equity/other comprehensive income

At 21 March 2009 

Group 

Deferred income tax assets 
At 22 March 2009 
Credit to income statement 
Credit/(charge) to equity/other comprehensive income 

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008 
(Charge)/credit to income statement 
Credit to equity/other comprehensive income

At 21 March 2009 

Net deferred income tax liability 
At 20 March 2010 
At 21 March 2009 

Accelerated tax 
depreciation 
£m 

Fair value 
gains 
£m 

Other 
property 
£m 

Other 
£m 

Total 
£m 

(138) 
(39) 
-

(177) 

(165) 
27 
-

(138) 

(26) 
-
(10) 

(36) 

(30) 
-
4 

(26) 

(93) 
9 
-

(84) 

(68) 
(25) 
-

(93) 

(27) 
(3) 
-

(30) 

(39) 
12 
-

(27) 

Retirement 
benefi t 
obligations 
£m 

Provisions 
£m 

Share-based 
 payment 
£m 

Capital 
losses 
£m 

3 
-
-

3 

11 
(8) 
-

3 

87 
-
31 

118 

(129) 
(37) 
253 

87 

27 
(13) 
(1) 

13 

31 
(4) 
-

27 

72 
(23) 
-

49 

68 
4 
-

72 

(284) 
(33) 
(10) 

(327) 

(302) 
14 
4 

(284) 

Total 
£m 

189 
(36) 
30 

183 

(19) 
(45) 
253 

189 

£m

(144) 
(95) 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

21 Deferred taxation continued 

Company 

Deferred income tax liabilities 
At 22 March 2009 
Charge to income statement 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 
Charge to income statement 

At 21 March 2009 

Company 

Deferred income tax assets 
At 22 March 2009 
Charge to income statement 

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008 
Charge to income statement 

At 21 March 2009 

Net deferred income tax asset 
At 20 March 2010
At 21 March 2009 

Other property 
£m

(65) 
30

(35) 

(65) 
-

(65) 

Fair value 
losses
£m 

Capital losses 
£m 

1 
-

1 

1 
-

1 

65 
(30) 

35 

65 
-

65 

Total 
£m

(65) 
30

(35) 

(65) 
-

(65) 

Total 
£m 

66 
(30) 

36 

66 
-

66 

£m

 1 
1 

Deferred income tax assets have been recognised in respect of all income tax losses and other temporary differences giving rise to deferred 
income tax assets because it is probable that these assets will be recovered. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are only offset where 
there is a legally enforceable right of offset and there is an intention to settle the balances on a net basis. 

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73 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

22 Provisions 

At 22 March 2009 
Charge to income statement
  Additional provisions 

Unused amounts reversed 
Utilisation of provision 
Amortisation of discount

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008
Charge to income statement
  Additional provisions 

Unused amounts reversed 
Utilisation of provision 
Amortisation of discount

At 21 March 2009

Disclosed as: 
Current
Non-current

Group 
onerous 
leases 
£m 

Group 
restructuring 
and disposal 
provisions 
£m 

Group 
long-
service 
awards 
£m 

37 

19 
(1) 
(8) 
2 

49 

40 

11 
(8) 
(7) 
1 

37 

32 

1 
(1) 
(9) 
-

23 

26 

7 
-
(1) 
-

32 

7 

-
-
-
-

7 

7 

-
-
-
-

7 

Group 
total 
£m 

76 

20 
(2) 
(17) 
2 

79 

73 

18 
(8) 
(8) 
1 

76 

Group
2010
£m

13
66

79 

Company 
onerous 
leases 
£m 

Company 
disposal 
provision 
£m 

Company 
total 
£m 

4 

-
-
(1) 
-

3 

4 

-
-
-
-

4 

24 

-
(1) 
(1) 
-

22 

25 

-
-
(1) 
-

24 

28 

­
(1) 
(2) 
­

25 

29 

-
-
(1) 
-

28

Group
2009
£m

Company
2010
£m

Company
2009
£m 

19 
57 

76 

1
24

25 

 1 
27

28 

The onerous lease provision covers residual lease commitments of up to an average of 32 years (2009: 30 years), after allowance for existing 
or anticipated sublet rental income. 

The restructuring provisions were fully utilised in the financial year ended 20 March 2010. The disposal provisions relate to indemnities 
arising from the disposal of subsidiaries, the timing of utilisation of which is uncertain. 

Long-service awards are accrued over the period the service is provided by the employee. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

23 Called up share capital and share premium account

Group and Company 

Authorised share capital 
Ordinary shares of 284/7 pence each (2009: 284/7 pence) 
Preference B shares of 35 pence each (2009: 35 pence) 

Called up share capital 
Allotted and fully paid — ordinary shares

Share premium account 
Share premium 

The movements in the called up share capital and share premium account are set out below: 

At 22 March 2009 
Issue of shares 
Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 
Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

At 21 March 2009 

2010 
million 

2009 
million 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

2,450 
2,100 

2,450 
2,100 

700 
735 

700 
735 

1,860 

1,753 

532 

501 

1,033 

909 

Ordinary 
shares 
million 

1,753 
78 
29 

1,860 

1,747 
6 

1,753 

Ordinary 
shares 
£m 

501 
22 
9 

532 

499 
2 

501 

Share 
premium 
£m 

909 
113 
11 

1,033 

896 
13 

909 

On 22 June 2009, J Sainsbury plc issued 78.1 million ordinary shares with a nominal value of 284/7 pence each at £3.10 per share via an equity 
placing. This resulted in an increase in ordinary share capital of £22 million and share premium of £113 million net of transaction costs. 

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75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

24 Capital redemption and other reserves

Group 
Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m 

Group 
Currency 
translation 
reserve 
£m 

Group 
Acturial 
(losses)/ 
gains 
£m 

Group 
Available-for- 
sale assets 
£m 

Group 
Cash fl ow 
hedge 
reserve 
£m 

Group 
Merger 
reserve 
£m 

Group 
Convertible 
bond 
reserve 
£m 

At 22 March 2009 
Actuarial losses on defi ned benefi t pension 
schemes (net of tax) 
Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value 
movements (net of tax)
  Group

Joint ventures (note 14) 

Cash flow hedges: effective portion of fair 
value movements (net of tax)
  Group
Placing and open offer 
Transfer to retained earnings
Convertible bond – equity component 
Amortisation of convertible bond equity 

680 

(1) 

(223) 

-

-
-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-
-
-
-
-

(125) 

-
-

-
-
-
-
-

At 20 March 2010 

680 

(1) 

(348) 

At 23 March 2008 
Actuarial losses on defi ned benefi t pension 
schemes (net of tax) 
Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value 
movements (net of tax)
  Group

Joint ventures (note 14)1

Cash flow hedges: effective portion of fair value 
movements (net of tax)
  Group

Joint ventures (note 14)1

At 21 March 20091 

At 25 March 2007
B shares redemption 
Actuarial losses on defi ned benefi t pension 
schemes (net of tax) 
Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value 
movements (net of tax)
  Group

Joint ventures (note 14)1

Cash flow hedges: effective portion of fair 
value movements (net of tax)
  Group

Joint ventures (note 14)1

At 22 March 20081 

680 

(1) 

427 

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-

-
-

(650) 

-
-

-
-

680 

(1) 

(223) 

670 
10 

(1) 
-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-

-
-

37 
-

390 

-
-

-
-

680 

(1) 

427 

1  For details of the reclassification of certain offsetting foreign exchange gains and losses, see note 2. 

33 

-

32 
24 

-
-
-
-
-

89 

66 

-

(12) 
(21) 

-
-

33 

107 
-

-

(31) 
(10) 

-
-

66 

-

-

-
-

(3) 
-
-
-
-

(3) 

2 

-

-
-

9 
(11) 

-

-
-

-

-
-

2 
-

2 

-

-

-
-

-
102 
(102) 
-
-

-

-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-
-

-
-
-
24 
(3) 

21 

-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-

-
-

-

Group 
 total other
reserves
£m 

(191) 

(125) 

32 
24 

(3) 
102 
(102) 
24 
(3) 

(242) 

494 

(650) 

(12) 
(21) 

9 
(11) 

(191) 

143 
-

390 

(31) 
(10) 

2 
-

494 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

24 Capital redemption and other reserves continued 

At 22 March 2009 
Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 
Placing and open offer 
Transfer to retained earnings 
Convertible bond — equity component 
Amortisation of convertible bond equity

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008 
Available-for-sale financial assets: fair value movements (net of tax) 

At 21 March 2009 

Company 
Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m 

Company 
Available-for- 
sale assets 
£m 

Company 
Merger 
reserve 
£m 

Company 
Convertible 
bond reserve 
£m 

Company 
Total other 
reserves 
£m 

680 
-
-
-
-
-

680 

680 
-

680 

(1) 
6 
-
-
-
-

5 

-
(1) 

(1) 

-
-
102 
(102) 
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
24 
(3) 

21 

-
-

-

(1) 
6 
102 
(102) 
24 
(3) 

26 

-
(1) 

(1) 

Capital redemption reserve represents the redemption of B shares. Shareholders approved a £680 million return of share capital, by way 
of a B share scheme, at the Company’s Extraordinary General Meeting on 12 July 2004. 1,943,173,266 B shares were issued on 19 July 2004. 
Shareholders owning 320,050,073 B shares elected to receive the initial dividend payment of 35 pence each and these shares were 
subsequently converted to deferred shares. The remaining shares were redeemed at a later date for 35 pence each. The fi nal redemption 
date for B Shares was 18 July 2007 and all transactions relating to the B shares have now been completed. 

Currency translation reserve represents the foreign exchange differences on the translation of the net assets of the Group’s foreign 
operations from their functional currency to the presentation currency of the parent. 

Actuarial gains and losses reserve represents the actuarial gains and losses on the defi ned benefit pension schemes operated by the Group. 

Available-for-sale assets reserve represents the fair value gains and losses on the available-for-sale financial assets held by the Group. 

Cash flow hedge reserve represents the cumulative effective fair value gains and losses on cash flow hedges in the Group. 

The merger reserve was created in June 2009, when J Sainsbury plc issued 78.1 million ordinary shares with a nominal value of 284/7 pence 
each per share. This resulted in an increase in ordinary share capital of £22 million, share premium of £113 million net of transaction costs 
and the creation of £102 million in the merger reserve. The transfer to retained earnings resulted from the operation of section 612 of the 
Companies Act 2006 with regard to the issue of shares by J Sainsbury plc in exchange for shares in J Sainsbury Jersey (Finance) Limited 
and the subsequent redemption of redeemable preference shares of that company for cash. 

The convertible bond reserve represents the equity component of the £190 million convertible bond issued in July 2009. 

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77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

25 Retained earnings 

At 22 March 2009 
Profit for the year 
Dividends paid 
Share-based payment (net of tax) 
Shares vested 
Allotted in respect of share option schemes 
Utilised in respect of share option schemes 
Amortisation of convertible bond equity 
Transfer from merger reserve 

At 20 March 2010

At 23 March 2008 
Profit for the year 
Dividends paid 
Share-based payment 
Shares vested 
Allotted in respect of share option schemes 

At 21 March 2009 

Group 
Own shares 
£m 

Group 
Profit and 
loss account 
£m 

Group 
Total retained 
earnings 
£m 

Company 
Retained 
earnings 
£m 

1,737 
250 
(241) 
-
-
42 
(7) 
3 
102 

2,511 
585 
(241) 
44 
-
(19) 
-
3 
102 

2,477 
585 
(241) 
44 
12 
(19) 
-
3 
102 

2,985 

2,963 

1,886 

2,445 
289 
(218) 
40 
-
(45) 

2,366 
289 
(218) 
40 
45 
(45) 

1,697 
165 
(218) 
-
-
93 

2,511 

2,477 

1,737 

(34) 
-
-
-
12 
-
-
-
-

(22) 

(79) 
-
-
-
45 
-

(34) 

Own shares held by Employee Share Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) trusts 
The Group owned 6,162,927 (2009: 9,650,780) of its ordinary shares of 284/7 pence nominal value each. At 20 March 2010, the total nominal 
value of the own shares was £2 million (2009: £3 million). 

As at 20 March 2010 none of the own shares are held by an ESOP trust on behalf of certain Directors and senior employees under the Group’s 
Performance Share Plan (2009: none). All shares (2009: all shares) are held by an ESOP trust for the Executive Share Plans. The ESOP trusts 
waive the rights to the dividends receivable in respect of the shareholder under the above schemes. 

The cost of the own shares is deducted from equity in the Group financial statements. The market value of the own shares at 20 March 2010 
was £21 million (2009: £30 million). 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

26 Notes to the cash fl ow statements 

a) Reconciliation of operating profit to cash generated from operations

Operating profi t/(loss)
Adjustments for
  Depreciation expense
  Amortisation expense
  Profit on sale of properties

Foreign exchange differences
Share-based payments expense
  Retirement benefi t obligations1

Provision for diminution in value of investment
Liquidation of subsidiaries

Operating cash flows before changes in working capital 
Changes in working capital  
Increase in inventories
Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables  
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables
Increase/(decrease) in provisions and other liabilities

Cash generated from operations

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company
2009
£m 

(210) 

(18) 

Group 
2010 
£m 

710 

466 
13 
(27) 
(6) 
42 
(85) 
 1
 ­

Group 
2009 
£m 

673 

453
15
(57)
(10)
40
(75)
 ­
­

 ­
 ­
 ­
 ­
 ­
 ­
160
26

1,114 

1,039 

(24) 

(13) 
1 
101 
 3

(8)
23 
148 
 4 

1,206 

1,206 

 ­
(173) 
(51) 
(3)

(251) 

1
­
(21) 
­
­
­
 ­
 ­

(38) 

­
(60) 
301 
 ­

203 

1 

The adjustment for retirement benefit obligations reflects the difference between the service charge of £49 million (2009: £53 million) for the defi ned benefit schemes and the cash contributions 
of £134 million made by the Group to the defi ned benefit schemes (2009: £128 million). 

b) Cash and cash equivalents 
For the purposes of the cash flow statements, cash and cash equivalents comprise the following:

Cash and cash equivalents 
Bank overdrafts (note 20) 

Group
2010
£m

837
(3)

834 

Group
2009
£m

627
(28)

599 

Company
2010
£m

Company
2009
£m 

670
(1)

669 

460 
(8)

452 

c) Non-cash transactions 
The principal non-cash transactions are the repayment of borrowings and proceeds from new borrowings of £110 million arising from the debt 
restructuring described in note 20, for which amounts were settled net by offset with the counterparty banks. 

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79 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

27 Analysis of net debt

Non-current assets 
Interest bearing available-for-sale fi nancial assets
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Current assets 
Cash and cash equivalents  
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Current liabilities 
Bank overdrafts
Borrowings
Finance leases 
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Non-current liabilities 
Borrowings
Finance leases 
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Total net debt

2010 
£m 

24
20 

44 

837 
43 

880 

(3) 
(67) 
(3) 
(41) 

(114) 

2009
£m 

 7 
31

38 

627 
59

686 

(28) 
(125) 
(1) 
(56)

(210) 

(2,298) 
(59) 
(2) 

(2,129) 
(48) 
(8)

(2,359) 

(2,185) 

(1,549) 

(1,671) 

Net debt incorporates the Group’s borrowings (including accrued interest), bank overdrafts, interest bearing available-for-sale fi nancial assets, 
fair value of derivatives and obligations under finance leases, less cash and cash equivalents. 

Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net debt

Net debt at beginning of the year 
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 
Increase in interest bearing available-for-sale assets1
Net increase in borrowings1
Net (increase)/decrease in derivatives1
Net repayment of obligations under fi nance leases 
Fair value movements 
Other non-cash movements 

Net debt at the end of the year

1  Excluding fair value movements. 

2010 
£m 

(1,671) 
235 
10
(72) 
(23)
2
(9)
(21) 

2009
£m 

(1,503) 
(2) 
 8 
(177) 
 6 
 ­
 2 
(5) 

(1,549) 

(1,671) 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

28 Financial risk management 

The Group’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks including liquidity, credit and market risk. 

Funding and financial risk management are managed by a central treasury department in accordance with policies and guidelines approved by 
the Board of Directors. The risk management policies are designed to minimise potential adverse effects on the Group’s fi nancial performance 
by identifying the various exposures and setting appropriate risk limits and controls. The Finance Committee of the Board of Directors has 
responsibility for approving specifi c financial transactions. The Treasury Committee, chaired by the Chief Financial Officer, regularly reviews 
risk positions and monitors performance. The Group Audit Committee oversees management compliance with risk management policies and 
reviews the adequacy of the risk management framework in relation to the risks faced by the Group. The Group Audit Committee is assisted 
by Group Internal Audit who review the Group’s risk management controls and procedures on a regular basis. 

The Group only uses derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures arising in respect of underlying business requirements and not for 
any speculative purpose. 

Treasury operations in respect of Sainsbury’s Bank are managed separately through Lloyds Banking Group, the Group’s joint venture partner. 

Liquidity risk 
The Group’s operational cash flow is largely stable and predictable, reflecting the low business risk profile of the food retail sector. Cash fl ow 
forecasts are produced regularly to assist management in identifying future liquidity requirements. 

The Group’s liquidity policy requires committed funding is maintained to cover cash flow requirements over an 18-month time horizon. 
The Group complies with this policy by structuring core debt with long-term maturities, pre-funding future cash flow and maintaining 
a portfolio of standby credit facilities. 

The principal elements of the Group’s core funding comprise two long-term loans of £1,100 million due 2018 and £850 million due 2031 secured 
over property assets held in two subsidiary companies. In addition the Group has two unsecured bank loans totalling £150 million due 2015 and 
£190 million of convertible bonds due 2014 outstanding. 

Short-term and seasonal funding is sourced from the wholesale inter-bank money market where interest is charged at various spreads 
above LIBOR. 

For standby purposes the Group maintains two syndicated committed revolving credit facilities of £400 million due February 2012 and £163 
million due May 2011 and a £50 million bilateral committed revolving credit facility due May 2012. Interest on drawings under these facilities 
is charged at various margins over LIBOR. There are £nil drawings under the committed facilities as at 20 March 2010 (2009: £nil drawings). 

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81 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

28 Financial risk management continued 

The table below analyses the Group’s financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance 
sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the tables are the contractual undiscounted cash flows or an estimate 
in respect of floating interest rate liabilities. 

Group 

At 20 March 2010 
Secured loans 

Secured loan due 2018 
Secured loan due 20311 

Unsecured loans 
  Notional overdraft 
  Bank loan2 

Bank loans due 20152 
Convertible bond due 2014 

  Loan notes2 
Obligations under fi nance leases 
Trade and other payables 

At 21 March 2009 
Secured loans 

Secured loan due 2018 
Secured loan due 20311 

Unsecured loans
  Notional overdraft 
  Bank loan2 

Bank loans due 20152 

  Loan notes2 
Obligations under fi nance leases 
Trade and other payables 

Company 

At 20 March 2010 
Notional overdraft 
Bank loan2 
Bank loan due 20152 
Convertible bond due 2014 
Amounts due to Group entities2 
Other payables 

At 21 March 2009 
Notional overdraft 
Bank loan2 
Amounts due to Group entities2 
Other payables 

Less than 
one year 
£m 

One to 
two years 
£m 

Two to 
fi ve years 
£m 

More than 
fi ve years 
£m 

85 
54 

3 
3 
7 
8 
9 
7 
2,463 

85 
53 

28 
35 
13 
8 
3 
2,487 

85 
56 

-
3 
7 
8 
-
7 
-

85 
54 

-
-
12 
2 
3 
-

331 
177 

-
51 
23 
210 
-
18 
-

984 
1,226 

-
-
156 
-
-
177 
-

224 
170 

1,221 
1,239 

-
-
37 
-
9 
-

-
-
175
-
177 
-

Less than 
one year 
£m 

One to 
two years 
£m 

Two to 
fi ve years 
£m 

More than 
fi ve years 
£m 

1 
3 
2 
8 
4,496 
14 

8 
35 
3,540 
10 

-
3 
2 
8 
41 
-

-
-
1,139 
-

-
51 
7 
210 
129 
-

-
-
118 
-

-
-
111 
-
940 
-

-
-
952 
-

Assumptions: 
1  Cash flows relating to debt linked to inflation rates have been calculated using a RPI of 3.7 per cent for the year ended March 2011 and 3 per cent for future years. 
2  Cash flows relating to debt bearing a floating interest rate have been calculated using prevailing interest rates at 20 March 2010 and 21 March 2009. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

28 Financial risk management continued 

The table below analyses the Group’s net settled derivative financial instruments into relevant maturity groupings based on the period 
remaining from the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the tables are the net contractual 
undiscounted cash fl ows. 

At 20 March 2010 
Commodity contracts

Infl ow 

Interest rate swaps in a hedging relationship

Infl ow1 

Other interest rate swaps:

Infl ow1 

At 21 March 2009 
Commodity contracts
  Outfl ow 
Interest rate swaps in a hedging relationship

Infl ow1 

Other interest rate swaps:

Infl ow1/(outfl ow) 

Less than 
one year 
£m 

One to 
two years 
£m 

Two to 
fi ve years 
£m 

More than 
fi ve years 
£m 

2 

4 

2 

(7) 

2 

2 

-

4 

2 

-

2 

2 

-

8 

7 

-

7 

4 

-

9 

3 

-

11 

(6) 

Assumption: 
1 

	The swap rate which matches the remaining term of the interest rate swap at 20 March 2010 has been used to calculate the floating rate cash flows over the life of the interest rate swaps shown 
above (2009: 21 March 2009). 

The Group holds commodity contracts at fair values prevailing at the reporting dates. At 20 March 2010, £2 million relating to these fi nancial 
instruments has been recognised in other comprehensive income (2009: £(5) million). 

The table below analyses the Group’s gross settled derivative financial instruments into relevant maturity groupings based on the period 
remaining from the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the tables are the contractual undiscounted 
cash fl ows. 

At 20 March 2010 
Forward foreign exchange contracts — cash fl ow hedges
  Outfl ow 
Infl ow 

At 21 March 2009 
Forward foreign exchange contracts — cash fl ow hedges
  Outfl ow 
Infl ow 

Less than 
one year 
£m 

One to 
two years 
£m 

Two to 
fi ve years 
£m 

More than 
fi ve years 
£m 

(245) 
252 

(32) 
33 

(120) 
142 

(22) 
22 

-
-

-
-

­
­

­
­

The Group holds foreign exchange forward contracts, for which the infl ow figures in the table above have been calculated by translating 
the foreign currency forward commitments at spot exchange rates prevailing at the reporting dates. At 20 March 2010, £7 million relating 
to these financial instruments has been recognised in other comprehensive income (2009: £17 million). 

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83 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

28 Financial risk management continued 

Credit risk 
The Group’s exposures to credit risk arise from holdings of cash and cash equivalents, derivative financial assets, deposits with banks, 
investments in marketable securities and trade receivables (note 17). 

The Group deposits surplus funds with approved banks on the wholesale inter-bank money markets or with money market funds as pooled 
investments. Under the Group’s credit policy investments are limited to counter parties with minimum credit ratings of A1 from Standard 
& Poor’s and P1 from Moody’s Investors Service or, in the case of sterling liquidity funds, AAA from both rating agencies. 

The table below analyses the Group’s cash and cash equivalents by credit exposure excluding bank balances, store cash and cash in transit: 

Counterparty

Financial institutions — Money Market Funds 
Financial institutions — Money Market Deposits 
Financial institutions — Money Market Deposits 

Rating 

AAAm/Aaa 
A1+/P1 
A1/P1 

2010 
£m 

599 
40 
20

2009 
£m 

410 
28 
 ­

During the year there were no breaches of deposit limits and management does not expect any losses from non-performance of 
deposit counterparties. 

Interest rate swaps, foreign exchange contracts and commodity contracts are used by the Group to hedge interest rate, currency and fuel 
exposures. The table below analyses the fair value of the Group’s derivative financial assets by credit exposure. 

Counterparty 

Interest rate swaps 
Interest rate swaps 
FX forward contracts 
FX forward contracts 
Commodity contracts 
Commodity contracts 

Short term 
rating 

A1+/P1
A1/P1 
A1+/P1
A1/P1
A1+/P1
A1/P1

2010 
£m 

 1
50 
 4
 5 
 1
 2

2009 
£m 

 ­
56 
 4 
18 
 ­
 ­

Market risk 
a) Currency risk 
The Group is exposed to currency risk with respect to future inventory purchases denominated in currencies other than pound sterling, 
primarily euros and US dollars but also Hong Kong dollars, Polish zloty, Australian dollars and New Zealand dollars. The Group also has 
limited exposure in respect of recognised foreign currency assets and liabilities. 

The Group’s currency risk management policy limits the impact of movements in exchange rates on Group income by requiring anticipated 
foreign currency cash flows in US dollars and euros to be hedged. The future cash flows, which may be either contracted or un-contracted, 
are hedged on a layered basis between 80 per cent and 20 per cent using forward contracts. 

The Group has limited exposure to currency risk on balances held on foreign currency denominated bank accounts, which may arise due to 
short-term timing differences on maturing hedges and underlying supplier payments. 

A 20 per cent change in the value of the US dollar versus sterling at the balance sheet date with all other variables held constant would have 
increased or decreased post-tax profit or loss for the year by £2 million (2009: £2 million), as a result of gains or losses on translation of US 
dollar cash balances and US dollar denominated trade payables and receivables. 

A 20 per cent change in the value of euro versus sterling at the balance sheet date with all other variables held constant would have increased 
or decreased post-tax profit or loss for the year by £1 million (2009: £1 million), as a result of gains or losses on translation of euro cash balances 
and euro denominated trade payables and receivables. 

Movements of this magnitude in the other currencies noted above would have an immaterial impact on both the income statement and equity. 

b) Interest rate risk 
The Group is exposed to interest rate risk on borrowings and deposits. Interest rate policy seeks to minimise the cost and volatility of the 
Group’s interest expense by maintaining a diversified portfolio of fixed rate, floating rate and infl ation-linked liabilities. 

i) Fair value sensitivity for fixed rate instruments 
The Group holds £1,290 million of fixed rate debt (2009: £1,130 million), of which £401 million (2009: £211 million) has been swapped into 
floating rate debt using interest rate swaps. The remaining £889 million (2009: £919 million) portion of fixed rate debt is recorded at amortised 
cost and a change in interest rates at the reporting date would not affect the income statement. 

For the year, the fair value movement in the interest rate swaps has resulted in a credit to the income statement of nil (2009: £35 million). 
The fair value movement in the underlying fixed rate debt has resulted in a charge to the income statement of £2 million (2009: £35 million) 
which represents the ineffectiveness on the hedging relationship. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

28 Financial risk management continued 

ii) Cash flow sensitivity for variable rate instruments 
The Group holds £745 million of floating rate borrowings (2009: £541 million), comprising £536 million of floating rate swaps (2009: £346 
million) and £209 million of floating rate debt (2009: £195 million). An increase of 100 basis points in the floating rate at the balance sheet date 
would have decreased post-tax profit by £5 million (2009: £3 million) and a decrease of 100 basis points in the floating rate at the balance sheet 
date would have increased post-tax profit by £3 million (2009: £3 million). Where a decrease in interest rates of 100 basis points would refl ect 
a negative floating rate the assumed rate is nil. 

The Group also holds £734 million of interest bearing assets (2009: £478 million). An increase of 100 basis points in the floating rate at the 
balance sheet date would have increased post-tax profit by £5 million (2009: £3 million) and a decrease of 100 basis points in the fl oating rate 
at the balance sheet date would have decreased post-tax profit by £3 million (2009: £3 million). Where a decrease in interest rates of 100 basis 
points would reflect a negative floating rate the assumed rate is nil. 

iii) Cash flow sensitivity for inflation-linked variable instruments 
The Group holds £850 million of inflation-linked debt (2009: £872 million) which is recorded at amortised cost. An increase of 100 basis points 
in the RPI at the balance sheet date would have increased post-tax profit by £6 million and a decrease of 100 basis points in the RPI at the 
balance sheet date would have decreased post-tax profit by £1 million (an increase or a decrease of 100 basis points in the RPI 2009: £6 million). 
Where a decrease in RPI of 100 basis points would reflect a negative rate, the assumed rate is nil. 

iv) Fair value sensitivity for available-for-sale assets 
Included within available-for-sale financial assets is £126 million (2009: £90 million) relating to the Group’s beneficial interest in a property 
investment pool. The net present value of the Group’s interest in the various freehold reversions owned by the property investment pool 
has been derived by assuming a property growth rate of 3.1 cent per annum (2009: 2.8 per cent) and a discount rate of ten per cent (2009: 
ten per cent), (see note 15). 

A change of 0.5 per cent in the assumed rate of property rental growth to 2.6 per cent and 3.6 per cent, holding other assumptions constant, 
would result in values for this asset of £116 million (2009: £81 million) and £136 million (2009: £98 million) respectively. A change of one per 
cent in the discount rate to nine per cent and 11 per cent, holding other assumptions constant, would result in values of £143 million (2009: 
£103 million) and £112 million (2009: £79 million) respectively. 

Commodity risk 
The Group is exposed to commodity price risk with respect to its own use consumption of electricity, gas and fuel. 

The Group’s Energy Price Risk Committee limits the impact of movements in commodity prices on Group income by requiring forecast 
purchases of power and fuel be hedged. 

The Group uses financial derivatives to hedge fuel exposures on a layered basis using contracts for difference. A 20 per cent change in the 
fair value of the commodity price at the balance sheet date would have increased or decreased the cash flow equity reserve by £3 million 
(2009: £2 million). 

The Group hedges electricity and gas exposures with forward purchases under flexible purchasing arrangements with the relevant suppliers. 

Capital risk management 
The Board’s policy is to maintain a strong capital structure consistent with the size and nature of the Group. 

The Board monitors a range of financial metrics including return on capital and gearing to measure the efficiency of the Group’s capital 
structure, the returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders. 

The Board has a policy to maintain the underlying earnings cover for the ordinary dividend at a range of between 1.5 and 1.75 times. 

From time to time the Company purchases its own shares in the market for the purpose of issuing shares under the Group’s share option 
programmes. Outside of this practice the Group does not have a defined share buy-back plan. 

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85 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

29 Financial instruments

Derivative assets 
Non-current 
Contract for difference — fair value through profit or loss
Interest rate swaps — fair value hedge 
Foreign exchange forward contract — cash fl ow hedge 

Current 
Commodity and foreign exchange forward contract — cash fl ow hedge 
Interest rate swaps — fair value through profit or loss

Derivative liabilities 
Current 
Commodity and foreign exchange forward contract — cash fl ow hedge 
Interest rate swaps — fair value through profit or loss

Non-current 
Interest rate swaps — fair value through profit or loss
Commodity forward contract — fair value through profit or loss

Group 
2010 
£m 

Group 
2009 
£m 

Company 
2010 
£m 

Company
2009
£m 

 -
19 
1

20 

11 
32 

43 

(1) 
(40) 

(41) 

 -
(2)

(2) 

12
19 
 -

31 

22
37 

59 

(7)
(49) 

(56) 

(8)
 -

(8)

 -
19 
-

19 

 ­
32 

32 

 ­
(40) 

(40) 

 -
-

 -

12 
19 
­

31 

­
37

37 

­
(49)

(49) 

­
­

­

Foreign exchange forward contracts — cash fl ow hedges 
At 20 March 2010, the Group held a portfolio of foreign exchange forward contracts with a fair value of £9 million (2009: £22 million) to hedge 
its future foreign currency denominated trade purchases. The Group had purchased €115 million (2009: €55 million) and sold sterling at rates 
ranging from 1.10 to 1.18 (2009: 0.78 to 0.94) with maturities from March 2010 to March 2011 (2009: March 2009 to March 2010) and purchased 
US$273 million (2009: US$161 million) and sold sterling at rates ranging from 1.45 to 1.70 (2009: 1.40 to 2.00) with maturities from March 2010 
to June 2011 (2009: March 2009 to September 2010). 

At 20 March 2010, an unrealised gain of £7 million (2009: gain of £17 million) is included in equity in respect of the forward contracts. This gain 
will be transferred to the income statement over the next 15 months. During the year a credit to the profit or loss of £8 million was transferred 
from the cash flow hedge equity reserve and included in cost of sales (2009: credit of £31 million). 

Commodity contracts — cash fl ow hedges 
At 20 March 2010, the Group held a portfolio of commodity forward contracts with a fair value of £2 million (2009: £(7) million) to hedge 
its future own use fuel consumption over the next 12 months. 

At 20 March 2010, an unrealised gain of £2 million (2009: loss of £5 million) is included in equity in respect of these contracts. This loss 
will be transferred to the income statement over the next 12 months. 

Interest rate swaps — fair value hedge 
The Group holds a portfolio of £401 million of interest rate swaps (2009: £211 million) to hedge a portion of the fixed rate secured loan due 
in 2018 and the £190 million convertible bond due 2014. Under the terms of the swaps, the Group receives fixed interest and pays fl oating 
rate interest at a fixed spread above three-month LIBOR. The notional principal amount of the one of the interest rate swaps amortises from 
£211 million to £111 million from April 2016 to April 2018. 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

29 Financial instruments continued 

Derivative financial instruments – fair value through profit and loss 
At 20 March 2010, the Group held a portfolio of interest rate swaps at fair value through profit or loss which convert £256 million of the 
Group’s floating rate obligations into fixed rates (2009: £256 million). Under the terms of these swaps the Group pays fixed rates of interest 
and receives three-month LIBOR for periods expiring from 19 April 2018 to 19 April 2031. Included in this portfolio is a £75 million swap under 
which the counterparty has a once only option to cancel the swap or double the notional principal value of the swap on 19 July 2010 and 
thereafter a recurring option to cancel the swap on quarterly dates through to August 2030. 

The Group holds a portfolio of non-designated interest rate swaps which convert £391 million of fixed rate borrowings into fl oating rates 
(2009: £391 million). Under the terms of the swap the Group receives fixed rates of interest and pays interest at various spreads above 
three-month LIBOR until 19 April 2018. 

Interest rate risk 
Financial instruments where interest is re-priced at intervals of one year or less are classified as floating rate. Interest on fi nancial instruments 
classified as fixed rate is fixed until maturity of the instrument. 

Foreign currency risk 
The Group has net euro denominated trade creditors of £11 million (2009: £9 million) and US dollar denominated trade creditors of £11 million 
(2009: £15 million). 

Fair value 
Set out below is a comparison by category of carrying amounts and fair values of all financial instruments that are carried in the fi nancial 
statements at other than fair values. The fair value of financial assets and liabilities are based on prices that are available from the market on 
which the instruments are traded where available. The fair values of all other financial assets and liabilities have been calculated by discounting 
expected future cash flows at prevailing interest rates. The fair values of short-term deposits, receivables, overdrafts, payables and loans of 
a maturity of less than one year are assumed to approximate to their book values, and are excluded from the analysis below. 

2010 
Financial assets 
Amounts due from Group entities
Other receivables 

Financial liabilities 
Amounts due to Group entities
Secured loans1
Convertible bond2 
Bank loans due 2015 
Bank loan 
Obligations under fi nance leases 

2009 
Financial assets 
Amounts due from Group entities 
Other receivables 

Financial liabilities 
Amounts due to Group entities 
Secured loans1 
Bank loans due 2015 
Loan notes 
Obligations under fi nance leases 

Includes £211 million accounted for as a fair value hedge (2009: £211 million). 

1 
2  Includes £190 million accounted for as a fair value hedge. 

Group 
Carrying 
amount 
£m 

Group 
Fair value 
£m 

Company 
Carrying 
amount 
£m 

Company 
Fair value 
£m 

-
55 

-
55 

1,080 
55 

1,170 
55 

-

(1,988) 
(172) 
(146) 
(50) 
(59) 

-

(2,208) 
(175) 
(161) 
(50) 
(59) 

(821) 
-
(172) 
(103) 
(50) 
-

(881) 
-
(175) 
(103) 
(50) 
-

-
55 

-
55 

1,005 
55 

1,110 
55 

-

(2,047) 
(162) 
(10) 
(48) 

-

(2,037) 

(2,087) 

(2,224) 
(191) 
(10) 
(48) 

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

29 Financial instruments continued 

Fair value measurements recognised in the statement of fi nancial position 
The following table provides an analysis of financial instruments that are recognised subsequent to initial recognition at fair value, 
grouped into Levels 1 to 3 based on the degree to which the fair value is observable: 
•  Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; 
•	 Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable 

for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and 

•	 Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability that are not 

based on observable market data (unobservable inputs). 

Group 

Available-for-sale fi nancial assets 
Interest bearing fi nancial assets 
Other fi nancial assets 

Financial assets at FVTPL 
Derivative fi nancial assets	 

Financial liabilities at FVTPL 
Derivative fi nancial liabilities	 

Company 

Available-for-sale fi nancial assets 
Interest bearing fi nancial assets	 

Financial assets at FVTPL 
Derivative fi nancial assets	 

Financial liabilities at FVTPL 
Derivative fi nancial liabilities	 

There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the year. 

Reconciliation of Level 3 fair value measurements of fi nancial assets: 

Opening balance 
Total gains or losses: 
In profit or loss 
In other comprehensive income 

Closing balance

2010 
Level 1 
£m 

2010 
Level 2 
£m 

-
-

-

-

24 
-

63 

(43) 

2010 
Level 3 
£m 

-
126 

-

-

2010 
Level 1 
£m 

2010 
Level 2 
£m 

2010 
Level 3 
£m 

-

-

-

24 

51 

(40) 

-

-

-

2010 
Total 
£m 

24 
126 

63 

(43) 

2010 
Total 
£m 

24 

51 

(40) 

Other fi nancial assets 
2010
£m

90

-
36

126 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

29 Financial instruments continued 

Financial assets and liabilities by category 
Set out below is the accounting classification of each class of financial assets and liabilities as at 20 March 2010 and 21 March 2009. 

Loans and 
receivables 
£m 

Available- 
for-sale 
£m 

Fair value 
through profi t 
or loss 
£m 

Derivatives 
used for 
hedging 
£m 

Other 
fi nancial 
liabilities 
£m 

Group 

2010 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables 
Available-for-sale fi nancial assets
Trade and other payables
Current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments
  Cash fl ow hedges1

Interest rate swaps2
  Commodity contract

2009 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables 
Available-for-sale fi nancial assets
Trade and other payables
Current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments
  Cash fl ow hedges1 

Interest rate swaps2 
Contract for difference

1  Cash flow hedges are deferred through equity. 

2  Interest rate swaps used for hedging are at fair value through profit or loss. 


Company 

2010 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables 
Available-for-sale fi nancial assets
Trade and other payables
Current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Interest rate swaps1

2009 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables 
Trade and other payables
Current borrowings
Derivative fi nancial instruments 

Interest rate swaps1 
Contract for difference

1 

Interest rate swaps used for hedging are at fair value through profit or loss. 

Total 
£m 

837 
207 
150 
(2,463) 
(73) 
(2,357) 

11 
11
(2) 

-
-
-

(2,463) 
(73) 
(2,357) 

-
-
-

(4,893) 

(3,679) 

-
-
-

(2,490) 
(154) 
(2,177) 

-
-
-

627 
187 
97 
(2,490) 
(154) 
(2,177) 

15 
(1) 
12 

(4,821) 

(3,884) 

Total 
£m 

670 
1,681 
24 
(5,281) 
(3) 
(323) 

-
-
-

(5,281) 
(3) 
(323) 

837 
207 
-
-
-
-

-
-
-

-
-
150 
-
-
-

-
-
-

1,044 

150 

627 
187 
-
-
-
-

-
-
-

814 

-
-
97 
-
-
-

-
-
-

97 

-
-
-
-
-
-

-
(8) 
(2) 

(10) 

-
-
-
-
-
-

-
(20) 
12 

(8) 

-
-
-
-
-
-

11 
19 
-

30 

-
-
-
-
-
-

15 
19 
-

34 

670 
1,681 
-
-
-
-

-

2,351 

460 
1,430 
-
-

-
-

1,890 

-
-
24 
-
-
-

-

24 

-
-
-
-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-
-

(8) 

(8) 

-
-
-
-

(12) 
12 

-

-
-
-
-
-
-

19 

19 

-
-
-
-

19 
-

19 

Loans and 
receivables 
£m 

Available- 
for-sale 
£m 

Fair value 
through profi t 
or loss 
£m 

Derivatives 
used for 
hedging 
£m 

Other 
fi nancial 
liabilities 
£m 

-

11

(5,607) 

(3,221) 

-
-

(5,526) 
(43) 

460 
1,430 
(5,526) 
(43) 

-
-

7 
12 

(5,569) 

(3,660) 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

29 Financial instruments continued 

Financial instruments income, expense, gains and losses 
Set out below are the accounting classifications of income, expense, gains and losses experienced on financial instruments in the 52 weeks 
to 20 March 2010 and 21 March 2009.

At fair value through profit or loss, held for trading 
Net gains and losses 
Loans and receivables 
Net gains and losses
Interest income
Available for sale 
Net gain transferred on sale
Other fi nancial liabilities 
Net gains and losses 
Interest expense

30 Retirement benefi t obligations 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

36 

 1 
 4

 ­

15 

(5) 
 9 

­

(30) 
(110) 

(14) 
(137) 

Retirement benefit obligations relate to two funded defi ned benefit schemes, the J Sainsbury Pension and Death Benefit Scheme and the 
J Sainsbury Executive Pension Scheme and an unfunded pension liability relating to senior employees. The defi ned benefit schemes were 
closed to new employees on 31 January 2002. The assets of these schemes are held separately from the Group’s assets. 

The defi ned benefit schemes were subject to a triennial valuation carried out by Towers Watson, the schemes’ independent actuaries, 
at March 2009 on the projected unit basis. The results of this valuation are expected to be finalised by June 2010. The retirement benefi t 
obligations at 20 March 2010 have been calculated, where appropriate, on a basis consistent with this valuation. 

The unfunded pension liability is unwound when each employee reaches retirement and takes their pension from the Group payroll 
or is crystallised in the event of an employee leaving or retiring and choosing to take the provision as a one-off cash payment. 

The amounts recognised in the balance sheet are as follows:

Present value of funded obligations 
Fair value of plan assets

Present value of unfunded obligations 

Retirement benefi t obligations
Deferred income tax asset 

Net retirement benefi t obligations

2010
£m

2009
£m 

(4,649)
4,237

(3,610) 
3,310

(412)
(9)

(421)
118

(303) 

(300) 
(9) 

(309) 
87 

(222) 

The retirement benefit obligations and the associated deferred income tax balance are shown within different line items on the face of the 
balance sheet. 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

30 Retirement benefi t obligations continued 

a) Income statement 
The amounts recognised in the income statement are as follows:

Current service cost — funded schemes  
Current service cost — unfunded scheme
Past service cost

Included in employee costs (note 7)

Interest cost on pension scheme liabilities
Expected return on plan assets

Total included in finance (expense)/income (note 6)

Total income statement expense

2010 
£m 

(48) 
 ­
(1) 

(49) 

(230) 
206 

(24) 

(73) 

2009
£m 

(50) 
(1) 
(2) 

(53) 

(249) 
273 

24 

(29) 

Of the expense recognised in operating profit, £44 million (2009: £48 million) is included in cost of sales and £5 million (2009: £5 million) 
is included in administrative expenses. 

The actual return on pension scheme assets net of expenses was a gain of £921 million (2009: a loss of £876 million). 

b) Other comprehensive income 
The amounts recognised in the statement of other comprehensive income are as follows:

Net actuarial losses recognised during the year
Cumulative actuarial losses recognised

c) Valuations 
The movements in the funded retirement benefit obligations are as follows:

Beginning of year
Current service cost
Past service cost
Interest cost
Contributions by plan participants
Actuarial (losses)/gains 
Benefi ts paid

End of year

The movements in the fair value of plan assets are as follows:

Beginning of year
Expected return on plan assets
Actuarial gains/(losses)
Contributions by employer
Contributions by plan participants
Benefi ts paid

End of year

2010
£m

(173)
(482)

2009
£m 

(903) 
(309) 

2010 
£m 

(3,610) 
(48) 
(1) 
(230) 
(7) 
(888) 
135 

2009
£m 

(3,668) 
(50) 
(2) 
(249) 
(7) 
246 
120 

(4,649) 

(3,610) 

2010 
£m 

3,310 
206 
715 
134 
 7
(135) 

4,237 

2009
£m 

4,171
 
273
 
(1,149)
 
128
 
 7
 
(120)
 

3,310 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

30 Retirement benefi t obligations continued 

The major categories of plan assets as a percentage of total plan assets are as follows:

Equities
Bonds
Property
Other

d) Assumptions 
The principal actuarial assumptions used at the balance sheet date are as follows:

Discount rate
Infl ation rate
Future salary increases 
Future pension increases

2010 
 %

42
49
 2
 7

2009
 % 

39 
50 
3 
8

100 

100 

2010 
 %

2009
 % 

5.8 
3.4 
3.4 
2.2-3.4 

6.5 
2.8 
2.8 
2.0-2.8 

The discount rate is based on the annualised yield on an AA-rated sterling corporate bond index adjusted for the difference in term between 
the index and the schemes’ liabilities. 

The expected return on assets has been derived as the weighted average of the expected returns from each of the main asset classes. 
The expected return for each asset class reflects a combination of historical performance analysis, the forward-looking view of the 
financial markets (as suggested by the yield available) and the views of investment organisations.

Equities
Bonds
Property
Other

2010 
Fair 
value 
£m 

1,787 
2,074 
101 
275 

4,237 

2010 
Expected 
return 
% 

8.0 
4.9 
7.0 
4.3-7.0 

6.4 

2009 
Fair 
value 
£m 

1,279 
1,662 
105 
264 

3,310 

2009
Expected
return
% 

8.0 
5.1 
7.0 
4.0-7.0

6.3 

The combined life expectancy for both the schemes operated at the balance sheet date for a pensioner at normal retirement age (now 65 years 
for men and women) is as follows:

Male pensioner 
Female pensioner 

2010
years

22.2
23.8

2009
years 

21.7 
23.2 

The base mortality tables were derived by projecting forward the latest standard mortality tables (PA00 tables) in line with the base 1992 series 
improvements up to 2006, and then in line with medium cohort improvements from 2006 onwards, subject to a minimum rate of improvement 
from 2009 onwards of one per cent per annum. 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

30 Retirement benefi t obligations continued 

e) Sensitivities 
An increase of 0.5 per cent in the discount rate would decrease the retirement benefit obligations by £426 million. A decrease of 0.5 per cent 
in the discount rate would increase the retirement benefit obligations by £479 million. 

An increase of 0.5 per cent in the inflation rate would increase the retirement benefit obligations by £404 million. A decrease of 0.5 per cent 
in the inflation rate would decrease the retirement benefit obligations by £287 million. 

An increase of one year to the life expectancy would increase the retirement benefit obligations by £97 million. 

f) Experienced gains and losses 
The history of experience adjustments on the plans for the current and previous financial years is as follows:

Present value of retirement benefi t obligations
Fair value of plan assets
Retirement benefi t (obligations)/assets

Experience gain/(loss) on plan liabilities
Experience gain/(loss) on plan assets

2010 
£m 

(4,658) 
4,237 
(421) 

2009 
£m 

(3,619) 
3,310 
(309) 

2008 
£m 

(3,676) 
4,171 
495 

2007 
£m 

(4,401) 
4,298 
(103) 

2006
£m 

(4,368)
 
3,710
 
(658)
 

116 
715 

171 
(1,149) 

(79) 
(380) 

(236) 
89 

(27)
 
428
 

The expected contributions to defi ned benefit schemes for the next financial year beginning 21 March 2010 are £103 million (2009: £93 million). 

31 Share-based payments 

The Group recognised £42 million (2009: £40 million) of employee costs (note 7) related to share-based payment transactions made during 
the financial year. Of these, £1 million (2009: nil) were cash-settled. 

National insurance contributions are payable in respect of certain share-based payments transactions and are treated as cash-settled 
transactions. At 20 March 2010, the carrying amount of national insurance contributions payable was £5 million (2009: £13 million) of 
which £1 million (2009: £3 million) was in respect of vested grants. 

The Group operates a number of share-based payment schemes as set out below: 

a) Savings Related Share Option Scheme (“SAYE”) 
The Group operates a Savings Related Share Option Scheme, which is open to all UK employees with more than three months’ continuous service. 
This is an approved HMRC Scheme and was established in 1980. Under the SAYE scheme, participants remaining in the Group’s employment 
at the end of the three-year or five-year savings period are entitled to use their savings to purchase shares in the Company at a stated exercise 
price. Employees leaving for certain reasons are able to use their savings to purchase shares within six months of their leaving. 

At 20 March 2010, UK employees held 20,980 five-year savings contracts (2009: 21,416) in respect of options over 21.0 million shares (2009: 
22.0 million) and 33,407 three-year savings contracts (2009: 29,281) in respect of options over 20.4 million shares (2009: 18.0 million). 

A reconciliation of option movements is shown below:

Outstanding at beginning of year
Granted
Forfeited
Exercised
Expired

Outstanding at end of year

Exercisable at end of year

2010 
Number of 
options 
million 

40.0 
11.5 
(4.3) 
(5.1) 
(0.7) 

41.4 

2010 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
pence 

262 
273 
269 
235 
236 

268 

2009 
Number of 
options 
million 

35.9 
15.7 
(5.5) 
(6.1) 
-

40.0 

2009
Weighted
average
exercise
price
pence 

278 
224 
292 
233 
-

262 

3.2 

300 

2.4 

235 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

The weighted average share price during the period for options exercised over the year was 332 pence (2009: 293 pence). Details of options 
at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

Date of grant 

17 December 2003 (5 year period) 
15 December 2004 (5 year period) 
15 December 2005 (3 year period) 
15 December 2005 (5 year period) 
15 December 2006 (3 year period) 
15 December 2006 (5 year period) 
20 December 2007 (3 year period) 
20 December 2007 (5 year period) 
17 December 2008 (3 year period) 
17 December 2008 (5 year period) 
10 December 2009 (3 year period) 
10 December 2009 (5 year period) 

Date of expiry 

31 August 2009 
31 August 2010 
31 August 2009 
31 August 2011 
31 August 2010 
31 August 2012 
31 August 2011 
31 August 2013 
31 August 2012 
31 August 2014 
31 August 2013 
31 August 2015 

Exercise price 
 pence 

Options 
outstanding 
2010 
million 

Options
outstanding 
2009 
million 

241 
217 
231
231 
328 
328 
331 
331 
224 
224 
273 
273 

­
0.8 
 ­
4.1 
2.4 
2.8 
3.6 
2.9 
7.8 
5.7 
6.7
4.6

0.9 
3.7 
1.5 
4.5 
3.2 
3.1 
4.3 
3.3 
9.1 
6.4 
 ­
 ­

41.4 

40.0 

Options granted during the year were valued using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. No performance conditions were included in the 
fair value calculations. The fair value per option granted during the year and the assumptions used in the calculation are as follows:

Share price at grant date (pence) 
Exercise price (pence) 
Expected volatility 

Option life 

— 3 year period (%)
— 3 year period (%)
— 3 year period (years) 
— 5 year period (years) 

Expected dividends (expressed as dividend yield %)
Risk-free interest rate  — 3 year period (%)
— 5 year period (%)

Fair value per option  — 3 year period (pence) 
— 5 year period (pence)

2010 

341 
273 
38.3 
31.3 
3.2 
5.2 
3.7 
3.7 
4.6 
107 
107 

2009 

280 
224 
35.7 
30.4 
3.2 
5.2 
3.6 
3.8 
4.0 
86 
85 

The expected volatility is based on the standard deviation of the Group’s share price for the period immediately prior to the date of grant 
of award, over the period identical to the vesting period of the award, adjusted for management’s view of future volatility of the share price. 

b) Colleague Share Option Plan (“CSOP”) 
The Colleague Share Option Plan operates under the rules of the HMRC Approved Discretionary Share Option Scheme. Under the CSOP, 
participants are granted options to purchase shares of the Company at a stated exercise price. The exercise of options is conditional upon 
participants remaining in the employment of the Group for a three-year period after date of grant. Colleagues leaving employment for 
certain reasons have six months from their leaving date to exercise their options. 

At 20 March 2010, a total of 1,253 UK employees (2009: 10,034) participated in the plan and held options over 0.4 million shares (2009: 
3.2 million). Options are exercisable between three and ten years from the date of the grant of option. It is intended that there will be no 
further options granted under this plan. 

A reconciliation of option movements is shown below:

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Outstanding at beginning of year
Forfeited
Expired

Outstanding at end of year

Exercisable at end of year

2010 
Number of 
options 
million 

3.2 
(0.1) 
(2.7) 

0.4 

2010 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
pence 

363 
352 
378 

272 

2009 
Number of 
options 
million 

3.4 
(0.2) 
-

3.2 

2009
Weighted
average
exercise
price
pence 

363 
356 
-

363 

0.4 

272 

3.2 

363 

The weighted average share price during the period for options exercised over the year was 325 pence (2009: 372 pence). 

94 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

Details of options at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

Date of grant 

Date of expiry 

2 August 1999 
2 June 2000 

1 August 2009 
1 June 2010 

Exercise price
 pence 

378
272

Options
outstanding
2010
million 

Options
outstanding 
2009 
million 

 ­
0.4

0.4 

2.7 
0.5

3.2 

c) Executive Share Option Plan (“ESOP”) 
Under the Executive Share Option Plan, participants were granted options to purchase shares in the Company at a stated exercise price. 

The maximum annual option award was two times basic salary and the grants were agreed by the Remuneration Committee according to the
 
assessed performance and potential of participants.
 

The exercise of options is conditional upon a performance target based on the growth in the Company’s underlying earnings per share (“EPS”) 

relative to inflation over a three-year period. EPS is measured against a fixed starting point over the performance period beginning with the
 
year in which the option was granted. To the extent that the condition is not satisfied in full after three years, it will be retested on a fi xed-point
 
basis over four and then fi ve financial years. To the extent the condition is not met after fi ve financial years, the option will lapse.
 

Once the options vest, participants remaining in the Group’s employment or leaving for certain reasons, are entitled to exercise the options
 
between vesting date (normally at the end of the three-year performance period) and the option expiry date, which is ten years from date
 
of grant.
 

It is intended that there will be no further options granted under this plan.
 

A reconciliation of option movements is shown below:


Outstanding at beginning of year
Forfeited
Expired

Outstanding at end of year

Exercisable at end of year

2010 
Number of 
options 
million 

2.4 
(0.6) 
(0.3) 

1.5 

2010 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
pence 

387 
321 
378 

397 

2009 
Number of 
options 
million 

4.1 
(0.4) 
(1.3) 

2.4 

2009
Weighted
average
exercise
price
pence 

411 
356 
482 

387 

1.5 

397 

2.2 

395 

The weighted average share price during the period for options exercised over the year was 336 pence (2009: 321 pence). 

Details of options at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

Date of grant 

Date of expiry 

2 August 1999 
2 June 2000 
7 June 2001 
26 July 2001 
20 May 2004 

1 August 2009 
1 June 2010 
6 June 2011 
25 July 2011 
19 May 2014 

Exercise price
 pence 

Options
outstanding
2010
million 

Options
outstanding 
2009 
million 

378 
272 
427 
407 
275 

-
0.2
0.6 
0.7
-

1.5 

0.3 
0.2 
0.8 
0.9 
0.2

2.4 

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Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

d) All-Employee Share Ownership Plan 
(i) In June 2003, under the All-Employee Share Ownership Plan, free shares were awarded to UK employees with more than 12 months’ 
continuous service. The free shares are being held in a trust on behalf of participants and will be forfeited if participants cease to remain in the 
Group’s employment for a period of three years. Shares are released to participants within the first three years for certain reasons. After the 
three-year period, the shares continue to be held by the trust for a further holding period of two years, unless they are released to participants 
upon cessation of employment with the Group. 

A reconciliation of shares held in the trust is shown below: 

Outstanding at beginning of year
Released to participants

Outstanding at end of year

Number
of shares
2010
million 

Number 
of shares 
 2009
million 

0.4
 ­

0.4 

1.4 
(1.0) 

0.4 

(ii) From 18 September 2008, under the Sainsbury’s share purchase plan, all employees were offered the opportunity to receive one free 
matching share for every four shares purchased through the Sainsbury’s share purchase plan. Under this scheme, 229,431 matching shares 
have been awarded, of which 212,115 are outstanding at 20 March 2010 (2009: 95,258 matching shares). 

Options to acquire the award of shares were valued using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. No performance conditions were included 
in the fair value calculations. The fair value per option granted during the year and the assumptions used in the calculation are as follows:

Share price at grant date (pence) 
Exercise price (pence)  
Expected volatility (%) 
Option life (years) 
Expected dividends (expressed as dividend yield %)
Risk-free interest rate (%)  
Fair value per option (pence) 

2010 

326 
-
37.9 
3.0 
3.8 
3.6 
302 

2009 

292 
­
26.8 
3.0 
2.6 
5.7 
271 

The expected volatility is based on the standard deviation of the Group’s share price for the period immediately prior to the date of grant of 
award, over the period identical to the vesting period of the award, adjusted for management’s view of future volatility of the share price. 

e) J Sainsbury plc Share Plan 2005 
Under the J Sainsbury plc Share Plan 2005, shares were awarded to participants on the conditional basis that the performance targets were 
achieved within the four-year performance period, from the financial year beginning 27 March 2005 until the financial year ended 21 March 
2009. The levels of awards were scaled according to seniority and there was an opportunity for Executive Directors and eligible Operating 
Board members to make a personal investment of up to 50 per cent of salary in the plan. 

The awards vested if stretching sales and earnings per share targets are achieved. The relevant performance multiplier, which is on a sliding 
scale up to a maximum of five times, was to be calculated and applied to the core award of shares, as well as the personal investment shares 
i.e. shares acquired by Executive Directors and eligible Operating Board members. Further, there was an opportunity for partial vesting of up 
to half the award, if the accelerated performance targets have been met at the end of year three (i.e. financial year ending March 2008). 
No awards would vest unless threshold levels of growth in both sales and EPS are achieved. 

Once performance targets were achieved, options were granted to participants remaining in the Group’s employment or leaving for certain 
reasons to acquire the shares awarded to them, at nil cost. The options expired a year after the end of the four-year performance period. 
Dividends accrued on the shares that vest in the form of additional shares. 

In order to participate in the plan, participants agreed to surrender options granted to them under the Company’s Executive Share Option 
Plan in 2002, 2003 and 2004. 

In March 2008, the three-year accelerated performance targets were met and 50 per cent of achieved awards became exercisable. In May 
2008 a total number of 15.5 million shares were granted to employees as a result of achieving the performance target, of which 12.4 million 
options were exercised during the year ended 21 March 2009. In May 2009, the performance targets were met and the remaining 50 per cent 
of achieved awards became exercisable, so a further 16.4 million shares were granted. During the year, 19.3 million options were exercised. 
The weighted average share price during the year for options exercised was 325 pence (2009: 332 pence). 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

A reconciliation of the number of shares is shown below: 

Outstanding at beginning of year
Granted
Exercised
Expired

Outstanding at end of year

A reconciliation of the number of shares conditionally allocated is shown below: 

Outstanding at beginning of year
Forfeited
Released to participants

Outstanding at end of year

Details of shares conditionally allocated at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

Date of conditional award 

13 July 2005

Number 
of shares 
2010
million 

2.9 
16.4 
(19.3) 
 ­

 ­

Number 
of shares 
 2009
million 

-
15.5 
(12.4) 
(0.2) 

2.9 

Number
of shares
2010
million 

Number 
of shares 
 2009
million 

6.0
 ­
(6.0)

 ­

6.1 
(0.1) 
­

6.0 

Shares
conditionally
allocated
2010
million 

Shares
conditionally
allocated 
 2009 
million 

 ­

6.0 

f) Long-Term Incentive Plan 2006 
Under the Long-Term Incentive Plan 2006, shares are conditionally awarded to the top 1,000 managers in the Company, from the Chief Executive 
to the supermarket store managers. The core awards are calculated as a percentage of the participants’ salaries and scaled according to grades. 

The awards will vest if the threshold levels of two co-dependent performance conditions – Return on Capital Employed (“ROCE”) and growth in 
cash flow per share, are achieved over the three-year performance period. The core award can grow by up to four times, dependent on the level 
of performance. Straight-line vesting will apply if performance falls between two points. 

Performance will be measured at the end of the three-year performance period. If the required level of performance has been reached, 
the awards vest and 50 per cent of the award will be released. Subject to participants remaining in employment for a further year, the balance 
will then be released no later than on the fourth anniversary of the date of award. Options granted to acquire the award of shares will expire 
two years from the vesting date. Dividends will accrue on the shares that vest in the form of additional shares. 

To achieve the maximum multiplier of four, the following criteria are required to be met. 

Date of conditional award 

13 July 2006 
20 June 2007 
28 May 2008 
24 June 2009 

Percentage increase to 
achieve maximum multiplier 

Cash flow per share  
% 

Return on capital employed 
% 

18
18
15
15

14
14
15
15

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

97 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

A reconciliation of the number of shares conditionally allocated is shown below: 

Outstanding at beginning of year
Conditionally allocated 
Forfeited
Released to participants

Outstanding at end of year

Details of shares conditionally awarded at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

Date of conditional award 

13 July 2006
20 June 2007
28 May 2008
24 June 2009

Number 
of shares 
2010
million 

Number 
of shares 
 2009
million 

7.4 
3.5 
(0.3) 
(2.1)

8.5 

4.5 
3.3 
(0.4) 
 ­

7.4 

Shares 
conditionally 
allocated 
2010
million 

Shares
conditionally
allocated 
 2009 
million 

0.1 
1.8 
3.1 
3.5

8.5 

2.3 
1.9 
3.2 
 ­

7.4 

Options to acquire the award of shares were valued using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. No performance conditions were included 
in the fair value calculations. The fair value per option granted during the year and the assumptions used in the calculation are as follows:

Share price at grant date (pence) 
Exercise price (pence)  
Expected volatility (%) 
Option life (years) 
Expected dividends (expressed as dividend yield %)
Risk-free interest rate (%)  
Fair value per option (pence) 

2010 

315 
-
48.1 
4.2 
 -
3.7 
315 

2009 

346 
­
38.8 
4.2 
­
4.9 
346 

The expected volatility is based on the standard deviation of the Group’s share price for the period immediately prior to the date of grant of 
award, over the period identical to the vesting period of the award, adjusted for management’s view of future volatility of the share price. 

In March 2009, the three-year performance targets were met achieving a multiplier of 3.7. During the year, a total number of 8.3 million shares 
were granted to employees as a result of achieving the performance target and 7.9 million options were exercised. The weighted average share 
price during the year for options exercised was 330 pence. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

31 Share-based payments continued 

g) Deferred Annual Bonus Plan 
The Deferred Annual Bonus Plan applies to the top levels of management including Executive Directors and currently comprises around 
40 participants in total. The first deferral took place in June 2007, in respect of the bonus awards for the financial year ended 24 March 2007. 
The second deferral took place in June 2008, in respect of the bonus awards for the financial year ended 22 March 2008. The third and fi nal 
deferral took place in June 2009, in respect of bonus awards for the financial year ended 21 March 2009. 

The Plan measures the Company’s TSR performance over a three-year period against a bespoke UK and European retail comparator group 
comprising: Tesco, Morrisons, DSG International, Kingfisher, Home Retail Group, Marks & Spencer, Next, Ahold, Carrefour, Casino, Delhaize and 
Metro. Alliance Boots was removed from the comparator group following its de-listing. 

Up to two matched shares may be awarded for each share deferred depending on the extent to which the TSR measure is achieved. No shares 
are awarded for below median performance, and the full match will only apply where the Company achieves first place within the comparator 
group. At median position the match will be 0.5 shares for each deferred bonus share and the share match will be pro-rated at every position 
between median and fi rst place. 

To the extent that the performance condition is met at the end of the three-year performance period, the matched shares will be added to the 
deferred bonus shares. The deferred bonus shares and half of the matched shares can be accessed immediately, while the remainder will be 
held over for a further year. Dividends or their equivalents will accrue on shares that vest. 

A reconciliation of the number of shares conditionally allocated is shown below: 

Outstanding at beginning of year
Granted
Lapsed

Outstanding at end of year

Details of shares allocated at 20 March 2010 are set out below:

20 June 2007
20 June 2008
24 June 2009

Number
of shares
2010
million 

Number 
of shares 
 2009
million 

1.1
0.5
(0.1)

1.5 

0.6 
0.5 
 ­

1.1 

Shares
conditionally
allocated
2010
million 

Shares
conditionally
allocated 
 2009
million 

0.6
0.5
0.4

1.5 

0.6 
0.5 
­

1.1 

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99 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

32 Related party transactions 

Group 
a) Key management personnel 
The key management personnel of the Group comprises members of the J Sainsbury plc Board of Directors and the Operating Board. 

The key management personnel compensation is as follows:

Short-term employee benefi ts
Post-employment employee benefi ts
Share-based payments

2010
£m

17
 1
 8

26 

2009
£m 

11 
1 
10

22 

Details of transactions, in the normal course of business, with the key management personnel are provided below. The transactions occurred 
with Sainsbury’s Bank plc. For this purpose, key management personnel include Group key management personnel and members of their 
close family. 

At 22 March 2009 
Amounts advanced/(received)1 
Interest earned 
Amounts withdrawn 

At 20 March 2010 

At 23 March 2008 
Amounts advanced/(received)1 
Interest earned 
Amounts withdrawn 

At 21 March 2009

1 	 Includes existing balances of new appointments. 

Credit card 
balances 
Number 
of key 
management 
personnel 

Saving 
deposit 
accounts 
Number 
of key 
management 
personnel 

Credit 
card 
balances 
£m 

Saving 
deposit 
accounts 
£m 

5 
6 
1 
6 

5 

4 
6 
2 
6 

5 

-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-

7 
3 
9 
5 

6 

2 
5 
7 
3 

7 

(1) 
(1) 
-
1 

(1) 

(1) 
(1) 
-
1 

(1) 

b) Joint ventures 
Transactions with joint ventures 
For the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010, the Group entered into various transactions with joint ventures as set out below.

Sales of inventories 
Management services provided 
Interest income received in respect of interest bearing loans 
Dividend income received
Sale of assets
Management services received
Rental expenses paid

Year-end balances arising from transactions with joint ventures

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Receivables 
Other receivables 
Loans due from joint ventures 

Floating rate subordinated undated loan capital1
Floating rate subordinated dated loan capital2

  Other

Payables 
Loans due to joint ventures

2010 
£m 

3
14 
1
 2
 -
 -
(72) 

2009
£m 

 3
 
17
 
 3
 
 ­
34
 
(1)
 
(67)
 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

2

25 
30 
 1

 2 

25 
30
 -

(48) 

(48) 

1  The undated subordinated loan capital shall be repaid on such date as the Financial Services Authority shall agree in writing for such repayment and in any event not less than five years and one day from 
the dates of draw down. In the event of a winding-up of Sainsbury’s Bank plc, the loan is subordinated to ordinary unsecured liabilities. Interest is payable three months in arrears at LIBOR plus a margin 
of 1.0 per cent per annum for the duration of the loan. 

2  	No repayment of dated subordinated debt prior to its stated maturity may be made without the consent of the Financial Services Authority. In the event of a winding-up of Sainsbury’s Bank plc, the loan 

is subordinated to ordinary unsecured liabilities. Interest is payable three months in arrears at LIBOR plus a margin of 0.6 per cent per annum for the duration of the loan. 

100 

J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

32 Related party transactions continued 

Company 
a) Key management personnel 
The key management personnel of the Company comprises members of the J Sainsbury plc Board of Directors. The Directors do not receive 
any remuneration from the Company (2009: £nil) as their emoluments are borne by subsidiaries. The Company did not have any transactions 
with the Directors during the financial year (2009: £nil). 

b) Subsidiaries 
The Company enters into loans with its subsidiaries at both fixed and floating rates of interest on a commercial basis. Hence, the Company 
incurs interest expense and earns interest income on these loans and advances. The Company also received dividend income from its 
subsidiaries during the fi nancial year. 

Transactions with subsidiaries

Loans and advances given to, and dividend income received from subsidiaries 
Loans and advances given 
Loans and advances repaid by subsidiaries
Interest income received in respect of interest bearing loans and advances
Dividend income received

Loans and advances received from subsidiaries 
Loans and advances received
Loans and advances repaid
Interest expense paid in respect of interest bearing loans and advances

Year-end balances arising from transactions with subsidiaries

Receivables 
Loans and advances due from subsidiaries

Payables 
Loans and advances due to subsidiaries

c) Joint ventures 
Transactions with joint ventures 
For the 52 weeks to 20 March 2010, the Company entered into transactions with joint ventures as set out below.

Services and loans provided to joint ventures 
Management services received
Interest income received in respect of interest bearing loans 
Dividend income received

Year-end balances arising from transactions with joint ventures

Receivables 
Loans due from joint ventures 

Floating rate subordinated undated loan capital1
Floating rate subordinated dated loan capital2

Payables 
Loans due to joint ventures

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

310 
(103) 
126 
268 

(350) 
377 
(69) 

402 
(423) 
119 
250 

(944) 
689 
(201) 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

1,625 

1,374 

(5,267) 

(5,516) 

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

 ­
1
 2

(1) 
 3 
 ­

2010 
£m 

2009
£m 

25 
30 

25 
30 

(5) 

(5) 

1 

	The undated subordinated loan capital shall be repaid on such date as the Financial Services Authority shall agree in writing for such repayment and in any event not less than five years and one day from 
the dates of draw down. In the event of a winding-up of Sainsbury’s Bank plc, the loan is subordinated to ordinary unsecured liabilities. Interest is payable three months in arrears at LIBOR plus a margin 
of 1.0 per cent per annum for the duration of the loan. 

2  	No repayment of dated subordinated debt prior to its stated maturity may be made without the consent of the Financial Services Authority. In the event of a winding-up of Sainsbury’s Bank plc, the loan 

is subordinated to ordinary unsecured liabilities. Interest is payable three months in arrears at LIBOR plus a margin of 0.6 per cent per annum for the duration of the loan. 

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101 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the fi nancial statements continued 

33 Operating lease commitments 

The Group leases various retail stores, offices, depots and equipment under non-cancellable operating leases. The leases have varying terms, 
escalation clauses and renewal rights.

Commitments under non-cancellable operating leases payable as follows: 
Within 1 year
Within 2 to 5 years inclusive 
After 5 years 

Land and 
buildings 
2010 
£m 

Land and 
buildings 
2009 
£m 

372 
1,449 
5,343 

7,164 

348 
1,358 
5,253

6,959 

Other 
leases 
2010 
£m 

49 
74 
 4

Other
leases
2009
£m 

48 
77 
 ­

127 

125 

The Group sublets certain leased properties and the total future minimum sublease payments to be received under non-cancellable subleases 
at 20 March 2010 are £267 million (2009: £264 million). 

The Company does not have any operating lease commitments (2009: £nil). 

34 Capital commitments 

The Group has entered into contracts totalling £216 million (2009: £327 million) for future capital expenditure not provided for in the 
fi nancial statements. 

The Company does not have any capital commitments (2009: £nil). 

35 Financial commitments 

The financial commitments of Sainsbury’s Bank plc, a 50 per cent joint venture of the Group, are set out below. 

The amounts noted below indicate the volume of business outstanding at the balance sheet date in respect of the off-balance sheet 
financial instruments that commit Sainsbury’s Bank plc to extend credit to customers.

Commitments to extend credit

2010 
£m 

32.7 

2009
£m 

25.5 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Five year fi nancial record


Financial results (£m) 
Revenue1

Underlying operating profi t 
Retailing
Sainsbury’s Bank

Underlying net fi nance costs2,3
Share of post-tax profit/(loss) from joint ventures

Underlying profit before tax2,3,4

2010 

2009 

2008 

2007 

2006 

21,421 

20,383 

19,287 

18,518 

17,317 

671 
 ­

671 
(79) 
18 

610 

616 
-

616 
(113) 
16 

519 

535 
-

535 
(99) 
(2) 

434 

429 
2 

431 
(92) 
-

339 

352 
(10)

342 
(98) 
-

244 

Increase on previous year (%) 

17.5 

19.6 

28.0 

38.9 

2.5 

Underlying operating profit margin excluding Sainsbury’s Bank (%)

3.36 

3.26 

3.00 

2.54 

2.24 

Earnings per share 
Underlying basic (pence)2,4
Increase on previous year (%) 
Proposed dividend per share (pence)5

Retail statistics for UK food retailing 
Number of outlets at financial year-end excluding checkout space6 
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets 

over 55,000 sq ft sales area
40,001 — 55,000 sq ft sales area
25,001 — 40,000 sq ft sales area
15,000 — 25,000 sq ft sales area
under 15,000 sq ft sales area

Sales area excluding checkout space (000 sq ft) 
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets6

Net increase on previous year: 
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets6 (%) 

New Sainsbury’s Supermarkets openings6

Sainsbury’s Supermarkets’ sales intensity 
Excluding checkout space (including VAT)6,7 
Per square foot (£ per week) 

23.9 
12.7 
14.20 

21.2 
21.8 
13.20 

17.4 
33.8 
12.00 

13.0 
36.8 
9.75 

9.5 
21.8 
8.00 

45 
125 
156 
115 
431 

872 

34 
130 
153 
108 
367 

792 

24 
130 
161 
100 
408 

823 

20 
124 
167 
98 
379 

788 

15 
116 
177 
92 
352

752 

17,750 

16,703 

16,191 

15,715 

15,166 

6.3 

89 

3.2 

29 

3.0 

35 

3.6 

40 

1.8 

34 

20.42 

20.01 

19.69 

19.30 

18.40 

1	  Includes VAT at Sainsbury’s Supermarkets. 
2  Previous periods are restated for the change in the definition of underlying profit before tax as described in note 3. 
3  Net finance costs before financing fair value movements, IAS 19 pension financing (charge)/credit and one-off items that are material and infrequent in nature. 
4  	Profit before tax from continuing operations before any gain or loss on the sale of properties, investment property fair value movements, impairment of goodwill, financing fair value 

movements, IAS 19 pension financing (charge)/credit and one-off items that are material and infrequent in nature. 

5  Total proposed dividend in relation to the fi nancial year. 
6  Includes all convenience stores and convenience acquisitions. 
7  	The 2010 and 2009 figures have been adjusted for the effect of the VAT change from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent on 1 December 2008 to 31 December 2009 to ensure the data is presented 

on a like-for-like basis. 

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Additional shareholder information 

End of year information at 20 March 2010 

Number of shareholders: 

Number of shares in issue: 

By size of holding

500 and under 
501 to 1,000 
1,001 to 10,000 
10,001 to 100,000 
100,001 to 1,000,000 
Over 1,000,000 

By category of shareholder

Individual and other shareholders 
Insurance companies 
Banks and Nominees 
Investment Trusts 
Pension Funds 
Other Corporate Bodies 

121,423 (2009: 126,423) 

1,860,610,824 (2009: 1,753,155,824) 

  Shareholders 
 %
2010 

Shareholders 
 % 
2009 

64.60 
13.80 
20.60 
1.22 
0.33 
0.17 

67.35 
12.60 
18.58 
1.01 
0.33 
0.13 

Shares  
% 
2010 

0.48 
0.64 
3.48 
1.97 
7.40 
86.03 

Shares
%
2009 

0.55 
0.68 
3.40 
1.87 
8.52 
84.98

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

  Shareholders 
 %
2010 

Shareholders 
 % 
2009 

94.14 
0.05 
5.43 
0.03 
0.01 
0.34 

95.21 
0.03 
4.38 
0.03 
0.01 
0.34 

Shares  
% 
2010 

12.08 
0.03 
81.22 
0.23 
0.00 
6.43 

Shares
%
2009 

12.38 
0.02 
78.13 
0.01 
0.00 
9.46 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 
The Annual Report and Financial Statements is published on our 
website at www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/report2010 and has only been sent 
to those shareholders who have asked for a paper copy. Shareholders 
who have not requested a paper copy of the Annual Report have been 
notified of its availability on the website. 

A paper copy of the Annual Report is available by writing to the 
Company Secretary, J Sainsbury plc, Store Support Centre, 33 Holborn, 
London EC1N 2HT or you can email your request to investor. 
relations2@sainsburys.co.uk. 

Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) 
The AGM will be held at 11.00am on Wednesday, 14 July 2010 at The 
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, 
London SW1P 3EE. The Notice of the Meeting and the proxy card for 
the meeting are enclosed with this report. 

Company website 
J Sainsbury plc Interim and Annual Reports and results 
announcements are available via the internet on our website at 
www.j-sainsbury.co.uk. As well as providing share price data and 
financial history, the site also provides background information 
about the Company, regulatory and news releases and current 
issues. Shareholders can receive email notification of results and 
press announcements as they are released by registering on the 
page called Email news service in the Investor section of the website. 

Registrars 
For information about the AGM, shareholdings, dividends and to 
report changes to personal details, shareholders should contact: 
Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater 
Road, Bristol BS99 6ZZ. 

Telephone: 0870 702 0106 

You can view and manage your shareholding online at 
www.investorcentre.co.uk. You will require your 11 character 
Shareholder Reference Number (“SRN”) to log in. Your SRN starts 
with the letter C or G and is followed by 10 numbers. It can be found 
on share certificates and dividend tax vouchers. 

Consolidated Tax Vouchers 
Starting in July 2010, the Company will adopt the Consolidated Tax 
Voucher (”CTV”) process in relation to future dividend payments. 
This means that rather than those shareholders who currently receive 
their dividend direct into their bank account receiving a separate tax 
voucher for each dividend payment made, they will receive a CTV 
once a year, detailing all payments made throughout that year. 

The first CTVs will be despatched with the January 2011 dividend 
mailing to shareholders and will contain the tax and payment 
information for dividends paid during the tax year 2010/2011. 

Dividend Reinvestment Plan (“DRIP”) 
The Company has a DRIP, which allows shareholders to reinvest their 
cash dividends in the Company’s shares bought in the market through 
a specially arranged share dealing service. No new shares are allotted 
under this DRIP and 32,562 shareholders participate in it. Full details 
of the DRIP and its charges, together with mandate forms, are 
available from the Registrars. Alternatively, you can elect to join the 
DRIP by registering for Investor Centre at www.investorcentre.co.uk. 

Key dates for the final dividend are as follows: 

Last date for return of revocation of DRIP mandates 

25 June 2010 

DRIP shares purchased for participants 

DRIP share certificates issued 

16 July 2010 

28 July 2010 

Individual Savings Account (“ISA”) 
A corporate ISA is available from The Share Centre Ltd and offers 
a tax efficient way of holding shares in the Company. For further 
information contact: The Share Centre, PO Box 2000, Oxford Road, 
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8ZB. Telephone: 01296 414141 or 
freephone 08000 282812 and quote ‘Sainsbury’s’. 

Electronic Shareholder Communications 
The Company encourages all shareholders to receive their shareholder 
communications electronically in order to reduce our impact on 
the environment. Shareholders can register their email address at 
www.etreeuk.com/jsainsbury and for each new shareholder that 
does so, we will make a donation to the Tree for All campaign run 
by the Woodland Trust. 

104 

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Additional shareholder information continued 

Share dealing services 
To buy or sell your J Sainsbury plc ordinary shares, please visit your 
stockbroker or a High Street Bank who will usually be able to assist 
you. Alternatively, you may consider using: 

Investor Relations 
For investor enquiries please contact: Anna Tee, Head of Investor 
Relations, J Sainsbury plc, Store Support Centre, 33 Holborn, 
London EC1N 2HT. 

American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) 
The Company has a sponsored Level I ADR programme for which 
The Bank of New York Mellon acts as depositary. 

The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market 
in the US under the symbol JSYNSY, where one ADR is equal 
to four ordinary shares. 

All enquiries relating to ADRs should be addressed to: 

BNY Mellon, Shareowner Services, PO Box 358516, 
Pittsburgh PA 15252-8516 
Toll Free Telephone # for domestic callers: 1-888-BNY-ADRS 
International callers can call: +1-201-680-6825 
Email: shrrelations@bnymellon.com 

General contact details 
Share price information is available on the Company’s website, 
in the financial press and the Cityline service operated by the 
Financial Times (Telephone: 0906 003 3904). 

For general enquiries about Sainsbury’s Finance call: 0500 405 060. 

For any customer enquiries please contact our Customer Careline 
by calling: 0800 636 262. 

•  The Share Centre Ltd who offer a postal dealing service and they 
can be contacted at The Share Centre, PO Box 2000, Oxford Road, 
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8ZB. Telephone: 01296 414141 or 
freephone 08000 282812 and quote ‘Sainsbury’s’; or 

•  Computershare who offer a telephone and internet facility which 
gives shareholders the opportunity to trade at a known price. The 
telephone service is available from 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to 
Friday, excluding bank holidays, on telephone number 0870 703 
0084. The internet share dealing service gives shareholders the 
option to submit instructions to trade online and more information 
can be found by visiting www.computershare.com/dealing/uk. 

Further information and detailed terms and conditions are available 
on request by calling either provider. 

ShareGift 
If you have only a small number of shares which would cost more for 
you to sell than they are worth, you may wish to consider donating 
them to the charity ShareGift (Registered Charity 1052686) which 
specialises in accepting such shares as donations. The relevant stock 
transfer form may be obtained from Computershare Investor Services 
PLC. There are no implications for Capital Gains Tax purposes (no gain 
or loss) on gifts of shares to charity and it is also possible to obtain 
income tax relief. Further information about ShareGift may be obtained 
on 020 7930 3737 or from www.ShareGift.org 

Tax information – Capital Gains Tax (“CGT”) 
For CGT purposes, the market value of ordinary shares on 31 March 
1982 adjusted for all capital adjustments was 91.99 pence and B 
shares 10.941 pence. 

Share capital consolidation 
The original base cost of shares apportioned between ordinary shares 
of 284/7 pence and B shares is made by reference to the market value 
of each class of shares on the first day for which a market value is 
quoted after the new holding comes into existence. The market value 
for CGT purposes of any share or security quoted on the Stock 
Exchange Daily Official List is generally the lower of the two quotations 
on any day plus one quarter of the difference between the values. 

On Monday, 19 July 2004 the values were determined as follows: 

New ordinary shares 257.5 pence 
B shares 35 pence 

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105 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Additional Shareholder Information continued 

Financial calendar 2010/11 

Dividend payments 
Ordinary dividend: 

Ex-dividend date 
Record date 
Final dividend payable 
Interim dividend payable 

Other dates 

Annual General Meeting — London 

Interim results announced 

Interim report available 

Annual General Meeting — London 

Registered offi ce 
J Sainsbury plc 
33 Holborn 
London EC1N 2HT 
Registered number 185647 

Solicitors 
Linklaters 
One Silk Street 
London EC2Y 8HQ 

Auditors 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
1 Embankment Place 
London WC2N 6RH 

Stockbrokers 
UBS 
1 Finsbury Avenue 
London EC2M 2PP 

Morgan Stanley
 
25 Cabot Square

Canary Wharf
 
London E14 4QA
 

19 May 2010 
21 May 2010 
16 July 2010 
January 2011 

14 July 2010 

10 November 2010 

November 2010 

13 July 2011 

Electronic communications for shareholders 

The Company has set up a facility for shareholders to take advantage of electronic communications. 

If you would like to: 

•  view the Annual Report and Accounts on the day it is published 

•	 receive electronic notification of the availability of future shareholder information (you must register your 

email for this service) 

•  check the balance and current value of your shareholding and view your dividend history 

•  submit your vote online prior to a general meeting 

For more information, to view the terms and conditions and to register for the service, log on to 
www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/investors, click on ‘Shareholder Services’ and then follow the instructions on screen. 

Alternatively, register by visiting www-uk.computershare.com/investor. For both methods, you will require your 
11 character shareholder reference number which can be found on your share certificate or latest tax voucher. 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Glossary
 

‘Active Kids’ — Our nationwide scheme to 
help inspire school children to take more 
exercise and to eat more healthily. Launched 
in 2005, Active Kids is open to all nursery, 
primary and secondary schools as well 
as Scouts and Girl Guides in the UK. 
www.sainsburys.co.uk/activekids 

AGM — Annual General Meeting — This year 
the AGM will be held on Wednesday 14 July 
2010 at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference 
Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London SW1P 3EE 
at 11.00am. 

B shares — Preference B shares issued on 
12 July 2004 as part of the Return of Capital 
scheme in 2004/05. 

‘basics’ — Sainsbury’s entry level sub-brand 
range of products. 

‘BGTY’ — ‘Be Good to Yourself’ — 
Sainsbury’s healthier alternative sub-brand 
range of products. Products are either: 
those with less than three per cent fat or 
those with less calories, salt and saturated 
fat than standard lines. 

CMBS — Commercial Mortgage Backed 
Securities. 

Company — J Sainsbury plc. 

CC — Competition Commission — An 
independent public body which conducts 
in-depth inquiries into mergers, markets and 
the major regulated industries. The CC has 
undertaken an investigation into the supply 
of groceries by retailers in the UK. 
www.competition-commission.org.uk 

CR — Corporate responsibility — The need 
to act responsibly in managing the impact 
on a range of stakeholders: customers, 
colleagues, investors, suppliers, the 
community and the environment. 

‘Different by design’ — Sainsbury’s general 
merchandise brand which mirrors the 
premium ‘Taste the difference’ food range. 

‘Different values’ — Campaign launched 
in 2007 to emphasise the higher quality 
specifications and great value of Sainsbury’s 
own brand products. 

Dividend cover — Underlying profit after tax 
from continuing operations attributable to 
equity shareholders divided by total value 
of dividends declared during the year. 

DRIP — Dividend Reinvestment Plan — 
Allows shareholders to reinvest their cash 
dividend in shares of the Company through 
a specially arranged share dealing service. 

EBITDAR — Earnings before interest, tax, 
depreciation, amortisation and rent. 

EPS — Earnings per share — Earnings 
attributable to ordinary shareholders 
divided by the weighted average number 
of ordinary shares in issue during the year, 
excluding those held by ESOP trusts, which 
are treated as cancelled. 

Easter adjustment — To adjust for the 
timing of Easter: 2009/2010 included a Good 
Friday trading week and an Easter Sunday 
trading week. 2008/09 included an Easter 
Sunday trading week. 

MTL — Multiple traffi c lights — Nutritional 
labels which provide effective ‘at-a-glance’ 
information customers need to make 
healthier choices when shopping. Around 
5,000 Sainsbury’s products carry our Wheel 
of Health MTL label. 

ESOP trusts — Employee Share Ownership 
Plan trusts. 

OFT — Office of Fair Trading. 

Fairtrade — The Fairtrade label is an 
independent consumer label that 
guarantees a fair deal for marginalised 
workers and small scale farmers in 
developing countries. Producers receive 
a minimum price that covers the cost of 
production and an extra premium that 
is invested in the local community. 
www.fairtrade.org.uk 

Fair value — The amount for which an asset 
could be exchanged, or a liability settled, 
between knowledgeable, willing parties in 
an arm’s length transaction. 

‘freefrom’ — Sainsbury’s range of products 
guaranteed to be wheat, gluten or dairy free. 

FSA — Food Standards Agency. 
www.food.gov.uk 

FTSE4Good — The FTSE Group, an indexing 
company, runs the FTSE4Good index series 
to measure the performance of companies 
that meet CR standards, and to facilitate 
investment in those companies. 
www.ftse.com/ftse4good 

GDAs — Guideline Daily Amounts. 

Organic — Organic farming prohibits the 
use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, growth 
regulators and additives in livestock feed. 
The International Federation of Organic 
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) accredits 
national organic certifying bodies. 

Pipeline — Sites which the Group has 
an interest in developing in the future. 

ROCE — Return on Capital Employed. 

RPI — Retail Price Index. 

‘Sainsbury’s SO organic’ — Sainsbury’s 
organic sub-brand range of products. 

TSR — Total Shareholder Return — The 
growth in value of a shareholding over a 
specified period, assuming that dividends 
are reinvested to purchase additional units 
of the stock. 

‘Ttd’ — ‘Taste the difference’ — Sainsbury’s 
premium sub-brand range of products. 

‘Try something new today’ — The marketing 
campaign in support of Making Sainsbury’s 
Great Again. 

Gearing — Net debt divided by total equity. 

‘TU’ — Sainsbury’s own label clothing range. 

Group — The Company and its subsidiaries. 

IFRIC — International Financial Reporting 
Interpretations Committee. 

IFRSs — International Financial Reporting 
Standard(s). 

IGD — Institute of Grocery Distribution. 
www.igd.com 

Income statement — Formerly known as the 
profit and loss account under UK GAAP. 

ISA — Individual Savings Account. 

JV — Joint venture — A business jointly 
owned by two or more parties. 

Like-for-like sales — The measure of year 
on year same store sales growth. 

LTIP — Long-Term Incentive Plan. 

‘Mtdd’ — ‘Make the difference days’ — 
Launched in April 2007 to raise awareness 
and action around different social, 
environmental and ethical issues and 
working partnership with customers to 
make a sustained difference. 

‘TU home’ — Sainsbury’s sub-brand 
homeware range of products. 

Underlying basic earnings per share — 
Profit after tax from continuing operations 
attributable to equity holders before any 
profit or loss on the sale of properties, 
investment property fair value movements, 
impairment of goodwill, fi nancing fair 
value movements, IAS 19 pension fi nancing 
element and one-off items that are material 
and infrequent in nature, divided by the 
weighted average number of ordinary 
shares in issue during the year, excluding 
those held by the ESOP trusts, which are 
treated as cancelled. 

Underlying profit before tax — Profi t 
before tax from continuing operations 
before any profit or loss on the sale of 
properties, investment property fair value 
movements, impairment of goodwill, 
financing fair value movements, IAS 19 
pension financing element and one-off items 
that are material and infrequent in nature. 

Underlying operating profi t/(loss) — 
Underlying profit before tax from continuing 
operations before underlying net fi nance 
costs and underlying share of post-tax profi t 
or loss from joint ventures. 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010 J Sainsbury plc 

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Notes
 

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J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2010
 

Designed by sasdesign.co.uk. Printed by royle print.	 

This Report is printed on Revive Pure White Offset, a recycled 
paper containing 100% post consumer collected waste. 

The paper is FSC accredited as a recycled grade. 

The printer is certified to the environmental management 
system ISO 14001 and is also Carbon Neutral. 

The FSC Logo identifies products which 
contain wood from well managed forests 
certified in accordance with the rules of 
Forest Stewardship Council. FSC Trademark 
© 1996 Forest Stewardship Council, A.C. 

 
 
 
Jerseys with crispy bacon
 

Try boiling halved ‘Taste the Difference’ Jersey Royal potatoes for 
around 20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of 
olive oil in a pan and fry 75g of ‘Taste the Difference’ oak smoked 
back bacon, rind removed and chopped into pieces, for 3–4 minutes 
until crispy. Add 1 bunch of spring onions, sliced and 1 clove of garlic, 
peeled and sliced. Sauté until the garlic is soft and the spring onion 
has wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked, drained 
potatoes. Serve on a bed of wild rocket for a tasty dish that’s 
great alongside meat or fi sh. 

‘Taste the Difference‘ 
Jersey Royals 

‘Taste the Difference’
 oak smoked back 
bacon rashers 

For more meal ideas, visit our Try Team 
at www.sainsburys.co.uk/trynation 

cals 
175 

fat 
5.9g 

total 
sugars 
1.5g 

sat fat 
1.8g 

salt 
0.4g 

*Traffic light labelling values for one serving based on: 
125g ‘Taste the Difference’ Jersey Royal potatoes, 3g olive oil, 
19g ‘Taste the Difference’ oak smoked back bacon, 20g spring 
onion, 1g garlic, 18g rocket, using the nutrition information 
on Sainsbury’s branded products. 

Spring onions 

Garlic 

Wild rocket 

Want to know more about our year? 
www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/illustratedreview 

J Sainsbury plc, 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT.