Safeway (SWY)

Financial Instruments

Interest rate swaps.    The Company has, from time to time, entered into interest rate swap agreements to change its portfolio mix of fixed- and floating-rate debt to more desirable levels. Interest rate swap agreements involve the exchange with a counterparty of fixed- and floating-rate interest payments periodically over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional principal amounts. The differential to be paid or received is recognized over the life of the agreements as an adjustment to interest expense. The Company's counterparties have been major financial institutions.

Energy contracts.    The Company has entered into contracts to purchase electricity and natural gas at fixed prices for a portion of its energy needs. Safeway expects to take delivery of the electricity and natural gas in the normal course of business, and these contracts are not net settled. Since these contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception under derivatives and hedging accounting guidance, they are not marked to market. Energy purchased under these contracts is expensed as delivered.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments    Disclosures of the fair value of certain financial instruments are required, whether or not recognized in the balance sheet. The Company estimated the fair values presented below using appropriate valuation methodologies and market information available as of year end. Considerable judgment is required to develop estimates of fair value, and the estimates presented are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the Company could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair values. Additionally, the fair values were estimated at year end, and current estimates of fair value may differ significantly from the amounts presented.

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments:

Cash and equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable.    The carrying amount of these items approximates fair value.

Long-term debt, including current maturities. Market values quoted in public markets are used to estimate the fair value of publicly traded debt. To estimate the fair value of debt issues that are not quoted in public markets, the Company uses those interest rates that are currently available to it for issuance of debt with similar terms and remaining maturities as a discount rate for the remaining principal payments.

Fair Value Measurements    The accounting guidance for fair value measurements and disclosure defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands related disclosures. For financial assets and financial liabilities, this accounting guidance was effective for Safeway beginning in fiscal 2008. Beginning in fiscal 2009, Safeway adopted fair value measurements and disclosure requirements for all nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities. See Note F.

Store Lease Exit Costs and Impairment Charges    Safeway regularly reviews its stores’ operating performance and assesses the Company’s plans for certain store and plant closures. Losses related to the impairment of long-lived assets are recognized when expected future cash flows are less than the asset's carrying value. At the time a store is closed or because of changes in circumstances that indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable, the Company evaluates the carrying value of the assets in relation to its expected future cash flows. If the carrying value is greater than

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SAFEWAY INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

the future cash flows, a provision is made for the impairment of the assets to write the assets down to estimated fair value. Fair value is determined by estimating net future cash flows, discounted using a risk-adjusted rate of return. The Company calculates impairment on a store-by-store basis. These provisions are recorded as a component of operating and administrative expense.

When stores that are under long-term leases close, the Company records a liability for the future minimum lease payments and related ancillary costs, net of estimated cost recoveries that may be achieved through subletting properties or through favorable lease terminations, discounted using a risk-adjusted rate of interest. This liability is recorded at the time the store is closed. Activity included in the reserve for store lease exit costs is disclosed in Note C.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income    Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, net of applicable taxes, consisted of the following at year-end (in millions):

Stock-Based Employee Compensation    Safeway accounts for all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, as compensation cost based on the fair value on the date of grant. The Company determines fair value of such awards using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model incorporates certain assumptions, such as risk-free interest rate, expected volatility, expected dividend yield and expected life of options, in order to arrive at a fair value estimate.

Note E: Financial Instruments

Safeway manages interest rate risk through the strategic use of fixed- and variable-interest rate debt and, from time to time, interest rate swaps. The Company does not utilize financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes, nor does it utilize leveraged financial instruments.

Fair Value Hedges    In December 2009, the Company effectively converted $800 million of its 5.80% fixed-rate debt due 2012 to floating-rate debt through interest rate swap agreements. These interest rate swaps, under which the Company agrees to pay variable rates of interest, are designated as fair value hedges of fixed-rate debt. The gain or loss on the interest rate swap agreements, as well as the gain or loss on the debt being hedged, are recognized in current earnings. Safeway includes the gain or loss on the fixed-rate debt in interest expense along with the offsetting loss or gain on the related interest rate swap as follows (in millions):

The fair value and the balance sheet presentation of derivative instruments as of January 2, 2010 are as follows (in millions):

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SAFEWAY INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements