Lowe's 2014 Annual Report Download - page 17

Lowe’s is also committed to helping residents of the communities we serve by being there when we’re needed most - when a
natural disaster threatens and in the recovery that follows. In 2014, Lowe’s committed more than $2 million and mobilized
hundreds of Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers to help families recover from disasters in 12 states from the Pacific Northwest
to New York, while helping others prepare for the threat of hurricanes in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Texas.
For more information on Lowe’s partnerships and latest community improvement projects, visit
Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com.
Available Information
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those
reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are made
available free of charge through our internet website at www.Lowes.com/investor, as soon as reasonably practicable after such
documents are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The public may also
read and copy any materials the Company files with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-
800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site, www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
Item 1A - Risk Factors
We have developed a risk management process using periodic surveys, external research, planning processes, risk mapping,
analytics and other tools to identify and evaluate the operational, financial, environmental, reputational, strategic and other
risks that could adversely affect our business. For more information about our risk management process, which is administered
by our Chief Risk Officer and includes developing risk mitigation controls and procedures for the material risks we identify, see
the description included in the proxy statement for our annual meeting of shareholders (as defined in Item 10 of Part III of this
Annual Report on Form 10-K) under “Board’s Role in the Risk Management Process”.
We describe below certain risks that could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, business reputation or
business prospects. These risk factors may change from time to time and may be amended, supplemented or superseded by
updates to the risk factors contained in our future periodic reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and reports on other forms we file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements about our future results of operations or other
matters made by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, in our Annual Report to Lowe’s Shareholders and in our subsequently
filed reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as in our press releases and other public communications, are
qualified by the risks described below.
You should read these Risk Factors in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations" in Item 7 and our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes in Item 8. There also may be
other factors that we cannot anticipate or that are not described in this report generally because we do not currently perceive
them to be material. Those factors could cause results to differ materially from our expectations.
We may be unable to adapt our business concept in a rapidly changing retailing environment to address the changing shopping
habits and demands and demographics of our customers.
The home improvement retailing environment, like the retailing environment generally, is rapidly evolving, and adapting our
business concept to respond to our customers’ changing shopping habits and demands and their changing demographics is
critical to our future success. In addition to our traditional large format brick and mortar retail stores, many of which are
located in or near suburban communities, we are also increasing our urban market presence with smaller format stores and
investing extensively in on-line sales, content marketing and information searching technology capabilities. Failure to adapt
our business concept successfully could negatively affect our relationship with our customers, the demand for the home
improvement products and services we sell, the rate of growth of our business and our market share.
7
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