Store Concepts

        At The Children's Place, our store concepts consist of "Apple-Maple", "Technicolor", "Tech²" and "Outlet" formats, as follows:

        Apple-Maple—These stores feature light wood floors, fixtures and trim. They are brightly lit, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows that are open and inviting. A customized grid system throughout the store's upper perimeter displays featured merchandise, marketing photographs and promotions. The average store is approximately 4,300 square feet and as of January 30, 2010, approximately 47% of our stores were of this concept.

        Technicolor—These stores have an atmosphere that is unique, bright, fun and use color to create boutique-like settings that differentiate the various departments within the store. These stores also feature more wall space than an Apple-Maple store allowing for enhanced merchandise presentation and ease of shopping. The average store is approximately 4,800 square feet and as of January 30, 2010, approximately 36% of our stores were of this concept.

        Tech²—These stores have the brand aesthetics of a Technicolor with the functionality of an Apple-Maple. The use of color to brand and create shop identifiers was maintained, while creating an open, brightly lit environment for customers. Tech² features darker ceilings and floors, along with crisp white floor-wall fixtures to ensure the product is the focal point. Tech² is a value engineered store which costs approximately 40% less to build than the Technicolor store. The average store is approximately 4,600 square feet and as of January 30, 2010, approximately 3% of our stores were of this concept. It is the Company's intention to use this format for new stores for the foreseeable future.

        Outlet—The average outlet store is approximately 7,600 square feet. As of January 30, 2010, approximately 14% of our stores were in this format. Our outlet stores are strategically placed within each market to liquidate clearance merchandise from nearby stores. Given the brand's value orientation, we also sell an assortment of full-priced merchandise in our outlet stores.

Store Expansion Program

        Prior to Fiscal 2009, our store expansion initiatives had primarily focused on malls in highly populated areas. More than 60% of our stores are located in malls and we believe that our brand is well penetrated in these venues. During Fiscal 2009, we identified growth potential in smaller to mid-sized markets in value oriented centers ("VOC"), which is a center in which the anchor is a discount retailer. We opened approximately 20 VOC stores during Fiscal 2009 and based on their initial performance, we plan to expand our presence in these types of venues. Our store expansion program for Fiscal 2010 is to open approximately 65 new stores of which the majority will be of the VOC variety. The lower build-out costs for Tech² stores as noted above combined with lower lease costs associated with VOCs provide us with a potential growth opportunity over the next few years.

Internet Sales ("e-commerce")

        Our e-commerce business has been growing at a rapid pace, and we expect it to continue to grow in Fiscal 2010. Over the past four years, e-commerce net sales have grown cumulatively over 300% from $26.9 million in fiscal 2005 to $119.5 million in Fiscal 2009. As a percentage of total net sales, it has grown from approximately 3.6% in fiscal 2005 to 7.3% in Fiscal 2009.

        Our commitment to our e-commerce business is reflected in a focus on our customer service and brand awareness strategies, as well as investments in our infrastructure. We use third party resources to fully manage the hosting of our website, while all other fulfillment services are provided in house. By outsourcing the management of our website, we are provided 24/7 support and have immediate scalability to handle increased customer orders. During Fiscal 2009, we relocated our fulfillment

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operations from a 150,000 square foot distribution center to a section of one that is 700,000 square feet, which provides the same scalability to our fulfillment services. During the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2009, we began installing a new warehouse management system that will automate portions of the fulfillment process.

        As our e-commerce business grows, we are dedicated to improving our website, better aligning our web experience with our in-store experience, and expanding our web presence outside the U.S. Our goal is to increase customer loyalty and provide our customers with a seamless experience between stores and our website.

Store Operations

        The Children's Place store operations are organized into nine regions. We employ two Zone Vice Presidents who oversee our operations and to whom regional managers report. A regional manager oversees each region and has between nine and eleven district managers reporting to them. Each district manager is responsible for approximately 10 to 13 stores. Our stores are staffed by a store management team and approximately 10 part-time sales associates, with additional part-time associates hired to support seasonal needs. Our store leadership teams spend a high percentage of their time on the store selling floors providing direction, motivation, and development to store personnel. To maximize selling productivity, our teams emphasize greeting, replenishment, presentation standards, procedures and controls. In order to motivate our store leadership, we offer a monthly incentive compensation plan that awards bonuses for achieving certain financial goals.

Seasonality

        Our business is subject to seasonal influences, with heavier concentrations of sales during the third and fourth quarters. Our first quarter results are heavily dependent upon sales during the period leading up to the Easter holiday, third quarter results are dependent upon back-to-school sales, and our fourth quarter results are dependent upon sales during the holiday season. The following table shows the quarterly distribution, as a percentage of the full year, of net sales and operating income (loss):

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        For more information regarding the seasonality of our business, refer to Item 7.—Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Quarterly Results and Seasonality.

Marketing

        We build our brand recognition by marketing our products, value message and image primarily through our direct mail program, store front windows, in-store marketing, and customer loyalty programs.

        We announce new seasonal merchandise via a targeted direct mail program in the form of a catalog. These catalogs display each new season of merchandise along with our assortment of basic styles and contain coupons as an added incentive to shop in our stores.

        We promote customer loyalty through specialized discount programs and The Children's Place private label credit card. Our discount programs allow customers additional discounts when they reach cumulative purchase thresholds. Our private label credit cards, pursuant to a merchant services agreement, are issued to our customers for use exclusively at The Children's Place stores, and credit is extended to such customers through a third-party financial institution on a non-recourse basis to us. Our private label credit card accounts for approximately 15% of our net sales.

        We believe that our marketing programs promote affinity and loyalty through specialized incentive programs and facilitate communications with our customers through the delivery of coupons and promotional materials.

Logistics

        We support the distribution of product to our stores through four strategically located warehouses throughout North America. Our leased warehouse facilities include a 525,000 square foot distribution center in South Brunswick Township, New Jersey, a 250,000 square foot distribution center in Ontario, California, and a 95,000 square foot distribution center in Ontario, Canada. In addition, we own a 700,000 square foot distribution center in Fort Payne, Alabama, which opened in August 2007 to support projected growth. On occasion, we may operate other leased facilities to support seasonal warehousing needs. As a result of the continued growth in our e-commerce business, the processing of online orders was relocated from our former 150,000 square foot online fulfillment center in Secaucus, New Jersey to our warehouse facilities in Fort Payne, Alabama in June of 2009. We terminated our lease obligations for our former fulfillment center in Secaucus, New Jersey during Fiscal 2009.

Competition

        The children's apparel and accessories retail markets are highly competitive. We compete in substantially all of our markets with GapKids, babyGap and Old Navy (each of which is a division of The Gap, Inc.); Target Corporation; The Gymboree Corporation; Justice (a division of The Dress Barn, Inc.); Babies "R" Us and Toys "R" Us (each of which is a division of Toys "R" Us, Inc.); J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; Sears (a division of Sears Holdings Corporation); Kohl's, Corp. and other department stores as well as discount stores such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; and K-Mart (a division of Sears Holdings Corporation). In addition, given our expansion into the shoe category, we now compete with stores such as Stride Rite and Payless (each a part of Collective Brands, Inc.), as well as smaller shoe retailers. We also compete with a wide variety of specialty stores, other national and regional retail chains, catalog companies and Internet retailers. One or more of our competitors are present in substantially all of the areas in which we have stores.

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Trademarks and Service Marks

        "The Children's Place," "babyPLACE," "Place," "The Place," "TCP," "PLC" and certain other marks have been registered as trademarks and/or service marks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The registration of the trademarks and the service marks may be renewed to extend the original registration period indefinitely, provided the marks are still in use. We intend to continue to use and protect our trademarks and service marks and maintain their registrations. We have also registered our trademarks in Canada and certain other countries and we are continuing to take steps to register our trademarks in other countries. We believe our trademarks and service marks have received broad recognition and are of significant value to our business.

Government Regulation

        We are subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting our business, including consumer protection and truth-in-advertising laws and regulations and zoning and occupancy ordinances that regulate retailers generally and/or govern the promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of retail stores. We also are subject to similar international laws and regulations affecting our business. We believe that we are in material compliance with these laws and regulations.

        We are committed to product quality and safety. We focus our efforts to adhere to all applicable laws and regulations affecting our business, including the provisions of the CPSA and the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act and regulations of the CPSC and various environmental laws and regulations. With the passage of the CPSIA in August 2008, which amended the CPSA, there are new requirements mandated for all children's products. These requirements relate to all metal and painted trim items and certain other raw materials and embellishments used in products for children age 12 and under. Among other things, the CPSIA introduces new regulatory limits, testing, certification, packaging, labeling and advertising and reporting requirements with respect to such products and has increased penalties for violations thereof. All of our products currently covered by the CPSIA are appropriately tested; however the CPSC has the authority to create new regulations and procedures. The cost of compliance with current requirements and any future requirements of the CPSIA, new consumer product safety laws, or changes to existing laws could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. See "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Product liability costs, related claims, and the cost of compliance with consumer product safety laws such as the CPSIA or our inability to comply with such laws could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation." for additional information.

        Most of our merchandise is manufactured by factories located outside of the United States. These products are imported and are subject to U.S. customs laws, which impose tariffs, anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imported products including textiles and apparel. We currently are not restricted by any such duties in the operation of our business. While importation of goods from some countries from which we buy our products may be subject to embargo by U.S. customs authorities if shipments exceed quota limits, we currently are not restricted by quotas in the operation of our business. In addition, custom duties and tariffs do not comprise a material portion of the cost of our products.

Employees

        As of January 30, 2010, we had approximately 25,000 employees, of whom approximately 1,400 are based at our corporate offices. We had approximately 3,000 full-time store employees and approximately 20,600 part-time and seasonal store employees. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe we have good relations with our employees.

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Internet Access to Reports

        We are a public company and are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Accordingly, we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Such reports, proxy statements and other information may be obtained by visiting the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549 or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding us and other issuers that file electronically.

        Our website address is www.childrensplace.com. We make available without charge, through our website, copies of 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 Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with or furnished to the SEC. References in this document to our website are not and should not be considered part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        We also make available our corporate governance materials, including our code of business conduct, on our website. If we make any substantive amendments to our code of business conduct or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the code to our Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer or Corporate Controller, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on that website or in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

ITEM 1A.—RISK FACTORS

        Investors in the Company should consider the following risk factors as well as the other information contained herein:

We may suffer adverse business consequences if we are unable to anticipate and respond to merchandise trends.

        The apparel industry is subject to rapidly changing fashion trends and shifting consumer preferences. Our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. Our design, manufacturing and distribution process generally takes up to one year, during which time fashion trends and consumer preferences may change. Failure to anticipate, identify or respond to these changes could adversely affect customer acceptance of our products causing lower sales, increased inventory levels and/or deteriorating margins, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may be unable to properly plan inventory purchases or manage new or existing merchandise.

        We maintain an inventory of merchandise in our stores and distribution centers, some of which we anticipate will be in high demand. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or excessive markdowns and therefore, lower than planned margins. Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our merchandise, particularly higher volume styles, or if our manufacturers fail to supply quality products in a timely manner, we may experience inventory shortages, which might result in lost sales, a negative impact on our customer relationships or diminished brand loyalty. Any of these, individually or in aggregation, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

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Changes in Comparable Retail Sales results from period to period could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

        Numerous factors affect our Comparable Retail Sales results, including, among others, merchandise assortment, retail prices, fashion trends, weather conditions, macro-economic conditions, the retail sales environment and our success in executing our business strategy. Many of our stores are located in malls, and as such, a decrease in mall traffic could have a negative effect on our sales, which in turn would reduce our Comparable Retail Sales. During Fiscal 2009, we reported a Comparable Retail Sales decrease of 2% compared to increases of 5% and 3% in Fiscal 2008 and Fiscal 2007, respectively. Our Comparable Retail Sales results have fluctuated significantly in the past and we anticipate that our Comparable Retail Sales will continue to fluctuate in the future, particularly in the current difficult economic climate, which may result in further declines in consumer spending. Moreover, Comparable Retail Sales for any particular period may decrease in the future. The investment community often follows Comparable Retail Sales results closely and fluctuations in these results may affect the price of our common stock. Accordingly, any significant variations in our Comparable Retail Sales results could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. We will be reporting Comparable Retail Sales on a quarterly basis in 2010 after having reported these on a monthly basis in previous years.

Our success depends upon the service and capabilities of our management team. Changes in management or in our organizational structure could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        Senior level management establishes the "tone at the top" by which an environment of ethical values, operating style and management philosophy is fostered. Changes in management, or inadequate management, could lead to an environment that lacks integrity, inspiration, and/or a lack of commitment by the employees.

        Over the past several years, we have experienced turnover at our senior management level, including our Chief Executive Officer, President, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Senior Vice President of Planning, Allocation and Information Technology and Senior Vice President of Marketing. While we have managed through these transitions, there can be no assurance that future transitions will not be disruptive to our business. On January 4, 2010, we hired a new Chief Executive Officer. Leadership transitions can be inherently difficult to manage and may cause disruption to our business or further turnover in our workforce or management team.

        The inability of our senior management team to maintain an adequate organizational structure and a proper "tone at the top", or the loss of services of one or more members of senior management or the inability to attract additional qualified managers or other personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our business. We are not protected by any key-man or similar life insurance for any of our executive officers.

We face significant competition in the retail industry, which could impact our ability to compete successfully against existing or future competition.

        The children's apparel retail market is highly competitive. We compete in substantially all of our markets with GapKids, babyGap and Old Navy (each of which is a division of The Gap, Inc.), Target Corporation, The Gymboree Corporation, Justice (a division of The Dress Barn, Inc.), Babies "R" Us and Toys "R" Us (each of which is a division of Toys "R" Us, Inc.), J.C. Penney Company, Inc., Sears (a division of Sears Holdings Corporation), Kohl's Corp. and other department stores as well as discount stores such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and K-Mart (a division of Sears Holdings Corporation). In addition, given our expansion into the shoe category, we now compete with well-known national retailers such as Stride Rite and Payless (each a part of Collective Brands, Inc.) as well as smaller shoe retailers. We also compete with a wide variety of specialty stores, other national and regional retail chains, catalog companies and Internet retailers. One or more of our competitors are present in

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substantially all of the areas in which we have stores. Many of our competitors are larger than us and have access to significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we have. We may not be able to continue to compete successfully against existing or future competition.

Product liability costs, related claims, and the cost of compliance with consumer product safety laws such as the CPSIA or our inability to comply with such laws could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation.

        We are subject to regulation by the CPSC and similar state and international regulatory authorities. Although we test the products sold in our stores, and on our website, concerns about product safety, including but not limited to concerns about those manufactured in China and/or developing countries, where substantially all of our merchandise is manufactured, may lead us to recall selected products, either voluntarily, or at the direction of a governmental authority. Product safety concerns, recalls, defects or errors could result in the rejection of our products by customers, damage to our reputation, lost sales, product liability litigation and increased costs, any of which could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        The CPSIA provided new standards regarding lead and other substances used in products for children of age 12 and under, including apparel and accessories. Among other things, the CPSIA introduces new regulatory limits, testing, certification, packaging, labeling and advertising and reporting requirements with respect to such products and has increased penalties for violations thereof. All of our products currently covered by the CPSIA are appropriately tested; however the CPSC has the authority to create new regulations and procedures. The cost of compliance with current requirements and any future requirements of the CPSIA, new consumer product safety laws, or changes to existing laws could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, any failure to comply with such requirements could result in significant penalties, require us to recall products and harm our reputation, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, and financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Pending legal and regulatory actions are inherent in our businesses and could adversely affect our results of operations or financial position or harm our businesses or reputation.

        We are, and in the future may be, subject to legal and regulatory actions in the ordinary course of our business. Material pending litigation and regulatory matters affecting us, and certain risks to our businesses presented by such matters, are discussed under Item 3—Legal Proceedings of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of these proceedings have been brought on behalf of various alleged classes of complainants. In certain of these matters, the plaintiffs are seeking large and/or indeterminate amounts, including punitive or exemplary damages. Substantial legal liability in these or future legal or regulatory actions could have an adverse affect on us or cause us reputational harm, which in turn could harm our business prospects.

        Our litigation and regulatory matters are subject to many uncertainties, and given their complexity and scope, their outcome cannot be predicted. Our reserves for litigation and regulatory matters may prove to be inadequate. It is possible that our results of operations or cash flows in a particular quarterly or annual period could be materially affected by an ultimate unfavorable resolution of pending litigation and regulatory matters depending, in part, upon the results of operations or cash flows for such period. In light of the unpredictability of our litigation and regulatory matters, it is also possible that in certain cases an ultimate unfavorable resolution of one or more pending litigation or regulatory matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

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Any disruption in, or changes to, our consumer credit arrangements, including our private label credit card agreement with Citibank, N.A., may adversely affect our ability to provide consumer credit and write credit insurance.

        During Fiscal 2009, our private label credit card sales approximated 14.9% of our net sales. Our current agreement with Citibank, N.A., which expires in fiscal 2011, provides financing for our customers to purchase merchandise through our private label credit card and enhances our ability to provide consumer credit. Any disruption in, change to, termination of, or inability to renew this agreement could materially limit credit availability to our customer base.

        During Fiscal year 2009, total non-private label credit sales, including major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and others, constituted approximately 33.3% of our net sales. The loss or any substantial modification of any of these arrangements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. During periods of increasing consumer credit delinquencies in the retail industry generally, financial institutions may reexamine their lending practices and procedures. There can be no assurance that increased delinquencies being experienced by providers of consumer credit generally would not cause providers of third party credit offered by us to decrease the availability of, or increase the cost of such credit.

        Additionally, credit card operations are subject to numerous federal and state laws that impose disclosure and other requirements upon the origination, servicing and enforcement of credit accounts and limitations on the maximum amount of finance charges that may be charged by a credit provider. The Credit Card Act of 2009 (the "Card Act") goes into effect during Fiscal 2010. Provisions of the Card Act include, among other changes, restrictions on interest charges and other fees that credit card providers may charge its consumers. These restrictions may result in decreased revenues for credit card providers, which may cause increases to consumer interest rates, reduce credit availability or cause increases to fees charged to retailers. The Card Act, other new regulations, or changes in existing regulations of credit arrangements could materially limit the availability of credit to our customer base.

        Any of the above risks, individually or in aggregation, could have a material adverse effect on the way we conduct business and could negatively impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We depend on our relationships with unaffiliated manufacturers, transportation companies, and independent agents. Our inability to maintain relationships with any of these entities, or the failure of any of their businesses, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

        We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities, and therefore, are dependent upon independent third parties for the manufacture of all of our products. Our products are currently manufactured to our specifications, pursuant to purchase orders, by approximately 200 independent manufacturers located primarily in Asia. In addition, in Fiscal 2009, we sourced approximately 40% of our merchandise from China and approximately 15% each from Vietnam and Subsaharan, Africa. We did not source more than 15% from any other country or region. We have no exclusive or long-term contracts with our manufacturers and compete with other companies for manufacturing facilities. We purchased approximately 14% of our products in Fiscal 2009 through a Hong Kong-based trading company, with whom we have no formal written agreement, using negotiated purchase orders. We also purchased approximately 27% of our products in Fiscal 2009 through the support of a single agent in Taiwan, which has an exclusive arrangement with us, but is not obligated to sell exclusively to us. Although we believe that we have established close relationships with our trading company, independent agents and principal manufacturers, the inability to maintain such relationships or to find additional sources to support our current needs and future growth could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        Our merchandise is shipped directly from manufacturers through third parties to our distribution and fulfillment centers and to our stores. Our operating results depend in large part on the orderly

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operation of our receiving and distribution process, which depends on manufacturers' adherence to shipping schedules and our effective management of our distribution facilities and capacity. Furthermore, it is possible that events beyond our control, such as a terrorist act, military action, strike, natural disaster or other disruption, could result in delays in delivery of merchandise to our stores. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        If our trading company, independent agents, principal manufacturers or freight operators experience negative financial consequences, the inability to use these sources or find additional financially stable sources to support our current manufacturing and distribution needs and future growth in a timely manner could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        Any of the above risks, individually or in aggregation, could negatively impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Because we purchase our products internationally, our business is sensitive to risks associated with international business.

        Our merchandise is purchased from foreign suppliers, of which China is the single largest representing approximately 40% of our imported merchandise. As a result, we are subject to the various risks of doing business in foreign markets and importing merchandise from abroad, such as:

•

foreign governmental regulations;



•

financial or political instability;



•

pressure from non-governmental organizations;



•

new legislation relating to import quotas or other restrictions that may limit the import of our merchandise;



•

imposition of duties, taxes, and other charges on imports;



•

fluctuation in the value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies;



•

significant delays in the delivery of cargo due to port security considerations;



•

disruption of imports by labor disputes and local business practices;



•

increased cost of transportation; and



•

failure of an unaffiliated manufacturer to comply with labor laws or ethical labor practices.

        In an attempt to mitigate the above risks within any one country, we maintain relationships with many manufacturers in various countries. However, we still import approximately 40% of our merchandise from China. In recent years, there has been much media scrutiny and well-publicized failures of the safety of a wide range of imported products manufactured in China. A continuation of such publicity or similar problems may lead consumers to avoid such goods. We cannot predict the effect that this, or the other factors noted above, in another country from which we import products could have on our business arrangements with foreign manufacturing sources. If any of these factors rendered the conduct of business in a particular country undesirable or impractical, or if our current foreign manufacturing sources ceased doing business with us for any reason, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Because certain of our subsidiaries operate outside of the United States, some of our revenues, product costs and other expenses are subject to foreign economic and currency risks.

        We have store operations in Canada and buying operations in various locations in Asia, primarily Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to address in a timely manner the risks of conducting operations in countries outside of the U.S., such as governmental requirements over merchandise importation, employment, taxation and multi-lingual requirements. Our

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failure to address such risks in a timely manner or at all could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

        The currency market has seen significant volatility in the value of the U.S. Dollar against other foreign currencies. While our business is primarily conducted in U.S. dollars, we purchase substantially all of our products overseas, and we generate significant revenues in Canada. Cost increases caused by currency exchange rate fluctuations could make our products less competitive or have an adverse effect on our profitability. Currency exchange rate fluctuations could also disrupt the business of the third party manufacturers that produce our products by making their purchases of raw materials more expensive and more difficult to finance.

        Approximately 12% of our consolidated net sales and 11% of our operating expenses are transacted in foreign currencies. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates impact the amount of our reported sales and expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, we have foreign currency denominated receivables and payables that, to date, have not been hedged against foreign currency fluctuations. When settled, these receivables and payables could result in significant transaction gains or losses.

        We require our independent manufacturers to operate in compliance with applicable laws and our internal requirements. Our purchasing guidelines promote ethical business practices and we monitor compliance with them; however we do not control these manufacturers or their labor practices. Any violation of labor or other laws by one of the independent manufacturers we use or any divergence of an independent manufacturer's labor practices from standards generally accepted as ethical in the United States and Canada could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may not be able to identify, evaluate or successfully execute business strategies.

        We are continuously seeking new ways to further our brand recognition, expand our geographical coverage, and improve our operational processes. We have a store expansion program and a plan to expand our internet presence outside of the U.S. If we fail to allocate proper resources to these projects, if we fail to properly execute our plans, or if we fail to identify alternative strategies, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We depend on generating sufficient cash flows, together with our existing cash balances and availability under our credit facility to fund our ongoing operations, capital expenditures and debt service requirements.

        Our ability to fund our ongoing operations, planned capital expenditures and potential debt service requirements will depend on our ability to generate cash flows. Our cash flows are dependent on many factors, including:

•

seasonal fluctuations in our net sales and net income, which typically are lowest in the second fiscal quarter;



•

the timing of inventory purchases for upcoming seasons, which typically result in increased cash outlays in the second fiscal quarter as we purchase merchandise for the back-to-school season;



•

vendor and other supplier terms and related conditions, which may be less favorable to us as a smaller company in comparison to larger companies;



•

general business conditions, economic uncertainty or slowdown, including the recent significant slowdown in the overall economy.

        Some of these factors are beyond our control. It is difficult to assess the impact that the general economic downturn will continue to have on consumer spending and our financial results. However, we believe that it will continue to result in reduced spending by our customers, which would reduce our revenues and our cash flows from operating activities from those that otherwise would have been generated. In addition, steps that we may take to limit cash outlays, such as delaying the purchase of

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inventory, may not be successful or could delay the arrival of merchandise for future selling seasons, which could reduce our net sales or profitability. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows, we may not be able to fund our ongoing operations, planned capital expenditures and potential debt service requirements and we may be required to seek additional sources of liquidity.

If our landlords should suffer financial difficulty or if we are unable to successfully negotiate acceptable lease terms, it could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations and cash flows.

        Approximately 62% of our stores are located in regional malls. If any of our landlords should suffer financial difficulty, it could render them unable to fulfill their duties under our lease agreements. Such duties include providing a sufficient number of mall co-tenants, common area maintenance, utilities, and payment of real estate taxes. While we have certain remedies under our lease agreements, the loss of business that could result if a mall should close or if mall traffic were to significantly decline as a result of lost mall tenants or improper care of the facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and cash flows.

        We generally lease our stores for initial terms of five to 10 years. Our operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected if we are unable to continue to negotiate acceptable lease and renewal terms.

If we are unable to open and operate new stores successfully, our future operating results will be adversely impacted.

        We anticipate opening approximately 65 stores during Fiscal 2010. Our ability to open and operate new stores successfully depends on many factors, including, among others, the availability of suitable store locations, the ability to negotiate acceptable lease terms, the ability to timely complete necessary construction, the ability to successfully integrate new stores into our existing operations, the ability to hire and train store personnel and the ability to recognize and respond to regional and climate-related differences in customer preferences.

        We cannot guarantee that we will achieve our planned expansion on a timely and profitable basis or that we will be able to achieve results similar to those achieved in existing locations in prior periods. In Fiscal 2009, our total store base grew by 3% compared to 1% during Fiscal 2008, and is anticipated to grow at a rate of approximately 5% in Fiscal 2010. Operating margins may also be adversely affected during periods in which we have incurred expenses in anticipation of new store openings.

        We need to continually evaluate the adequacy of our store management and our information and distribution systems to manage our planned expansion. Any failure to successfully and profitably execute our expansion plans could have a material adverse effect on our business.

A material disruption in, or failure of, our information technology systems could adversely affect our business or results of operations and cash flows.

        We rely on various information systems to manage our operations and we regularly make investments to upgrade, enhance or replace such systems. Transitioning to new systems, integrating new systems into current systems, or any disruptions or malfunctions affecting our information systems could cause critical information upon which we rely to be delayed, unreliable, corrupted, insufficient or inaccessible. Any of these potential issues individually or in aggregation, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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A privacy breach could adversely affect our business.

        The protection of customer, employee, and company data is critical. The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and changing requirements. In addition, customers have a high expectation that we will adequately protect their personal information. A significant breach of customer, employee, or company data could damage our reputation and result in lost sales, fines, or lawsuits.

        Despite our considerable efforts and technology to secure our computer network, security could be compromised, confidential information, such as customer credit card numbers, could be misappropriated, or system disruptions could occur. Our systems and procedures meet the Payment Card Industry ("PCI") data security standards, which require periodic audits by independent third parties to assess compliance. Failure to comply with the security requirements or rectify a security issue may result in fines and the imposition of restrictions on our ability to accept payment cards. There can be no assurance that we will be able to satisfy PCI security standards. In addition, PCI is controlled by a limited number of vendors who have the ability to impose changes in PCI's fee structure and operational requirements on us without negotiation. Such changes in fees and operational requirements may result in our failure to comply with PCI security standards, as well as significant unanticipated expenses.

Changes in federal, state or local law, or our failure to comply with such laws, could increase our expenses and expose us to legal risks.

        Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations. Significant legislative changes, such as the proposed Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA"), that impact our relationship with our workforce could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. None of our employees are currently represented by a collective bargaining agreement. However, from time to time there have been efforts to organize our employees at various locations. There is no assurance that our employees will not unionize in the future, particularly if legislation is passed that facilitates unionization such as the EFCA. Changes in other regulatory areas, such as consumer credit, privacy and information security, product safety or environmental protection, among others, could cause our expenses to increase. In addition, if we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, particularly wage and hour laws, we could be subject to legal risk, including government enforcement action and class action civil litigation, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Changes in tax laws, the interpretation of existing laws, or our failure to sustain our reporting positions on examination could adversely affect our effective tax rate.

Legislative actions and new accounting pronouncements could result in us having to increase our administrative expenses to remain compliant.

        In order to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and any subsequent guidance that may come from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB"), future changes in listing standards by Nasdaq, or future accounting guidance or disclosure requirements by the SEC, we may be required to enhance our internal controls, hire additional personnel and utilize additional outside legal, accounting and advisory services, all of which could cause our general and administrative expenses to increase.

        The SEC is developing a timeline by which all U.S. companies will be required to prepare its financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. As part of this timeline, the FASB, the primary author of U.S. GAAP, is currently working on a project with its international counterpart, the International Accounting Standards Board, to converge U.S. and International GAAP into one uniform set of accounting rules. The cost of implementing a potentially vast change of financial reporting rules could be material. The effect of changing accounting rules on

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our financial statements could also be significant. Changes to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows could impact our debt covenant ratios or a lender's perception of our financial statements causing an adverse impact on our ability to obtain credit, or could impact investor analyses and perceptions of our business causing the market value of our stock to decrease. In addition, any changes in the current accounting rules, including legislative and other proposals could increase the expenses we report under U.S. GAAP and have an adverse effect on our operating results and cash flows.

Tax Matters could impact the Company's Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

        The company is subject to income taxes in both the United States and foreign jurisdictions. Our provision for income taxes and cash tax liability in the future could be adversely affected by numerous factors including, but not limited to, income before taxes being lower than anticipated in countries with lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated in countries with higher statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, and changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles or interpretations thereof, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition in future periods. In addition, we are subject to the examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. There can be no assurance that the outcomes from these continuous examinations will not have an adverse effect on our provision for income taxes and cash tax liability.

Because of conditions impacting our quarterly results of operations, including seasonality and other factors, our quarterly results fluctuate.

        As is the case with many retailers, we experience seasonal fluctuations in our net sales and net income. Our net sales and net income are generally weakest during the first two fiscal quarters, and are lower during the second fiscal quarter than during the first fiscal quarter. For example, in Fiscal 2009, 25%, 19%, 28% and 28% of our consolidated net sales occurred in the first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively. In most fiscal years, we experience operating losses in the second quarter, with the exception of Fiscal 2008, when we experienced minimal income in the second quarter. It is reasonably possible that we will continue to experience second quarter losses in future periods. It is also possible that we could experience losses in other quarters. Our first quarter results are heavily dependent upon sales during the period leading up to the Easter holiday. Our third quarter results are heavily dependent upon back-to-school sales. Our fourth quarter results are heavily dependent upon sales during the holiday season.

        Our quarterly results of operations may also fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter as a result of a variety of other factors, including overall macro-economic conditions, the timing of new store openings and related pre-opening and other start-up costs, net sales contributed by new stores, increases or decreases in Comparable Retail Sales, weather conditions, shifts in the timing of certain holidays and changes in our merchandise mix and pricing strategy. Any failure by us to meet our business plans for, in particular, the third and fourth quarter of any fiscal year, as we experienced in Fiscal 2007, would have a material adverse effect on our earnings, which in all likelihood would not be offset by satisfactory results achieved in other quarters of the same fiscal year. In addition, because our expense levels are based in part on expectations of future sales levels, a shortfall in expected sales could result in a disproportionate decrease in our net income.

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Our failure to successfully manage our e-commerce business could have a negative impact on our business.

        The operation of our ecommerce business depends on our ability to maintain the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our online order-taking and fulfillment operations. Risks associated with our e-commerce business include:

•

disruptions in telephone service or power outages;



•

risks associated with the failure of the computer systems that operate our website including, among others, inadequate system capacity, computer viruses, human error, changes in programming, and security breaches;



•

credit card fraud;



•

reliance on third parties for computer hardware and software as well as delivery of merchandise to our customers;



•

rapid technology changes;



•

the diversion of sales from our physical stores;



•

natural disasters or adverse weather conditions;



•

changes in applicable federal and state regulations;



•

liability for online content; and



•

consumer privacy concerns;

        Problems in any one or more of these areas could adversely affect our sales, results of operations and cash flows and could damage our reputation and brand.

We may be unable to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights.

        We believe that our trademarks and service marks are important to our success and our competitive position due to their name recognition with our customers. We devote substantial resources to the establishment and protection of our trademarks and service marks on a worldwide basis. In order to more effectively protect them from infringement and to defend against claims of infringement, the marks are owned by a separate subsidiary whose purpose is to maintain and manage existing and future marks, thereby increasing their value to us. We are not aware of any material claims of infringement or material challenges to our right to use any of our trademarks and service marks in the United States. Nevertheless, the actions we have taken to establish and protect our trademarks and service marks may not be adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others or to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as a violation of the trademarks, service marks and proprietary rights of others. Also, others may assert rights in, or ownership of, trademarks and other proprietary rights of ours and we may not be able to successfully resolve these types of conflicts to our satisfaction. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries may not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

Our share price may be volatile.

        Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Stock markets in general have experienced, and are likely to continue to experience, price and volume fluctuations, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock without regard to our operating performance. In addition, we believe that factors such as quarterly fluctuations in our financial results, our Comparable Retail Sales results, other risk factors identified here, announcements by other retailers, the overall economy and the geopolitical environment could individually or in aggregation cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially.

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Negative changes in the economy, such as the recent deterioration in the global economic environment, and resulting declines in consumer confidence and spending, have had and could continue to have an adverse effect on the apparel industry and on our operating results.

        The apparel industry is cyclical in nature and is particularly affected by adverse trends in the general economy. Purchases of apparel and related merchandise are generally discretionary and therefore tend to decline during recessionary periods and also may decline at other times. During 2008 and 2009, the global economic environment has deteriorated significantly. The declining values in real estate, reduced credit lending by banks, solvency concerns of major financial institutions, increases in unemployment levels and significant declines and volatility in the global financial markets have negatively impacted the level of consumer spending for discretionary items. This has affected our business as it is dependent on consumer demand for our products. In North America, we have experienced a significant slowdown in customer traffic and a highly promotional environment. These same conditions exist in many international markets. If the global macroeconomic environment continues to be weak or deteriorates further, there will likely be a negative effect on our revenues, operating margins and earnings.

        In addition to the factors contributing to the current economic environment, there are a number of other factors that could contribute to reduced levels of consumer spending, such as increases in interest rates, fluctuating fuel and other energy costs, taxation rates or energy prices. Similarly, actual or potential terrorist acts and other conflicts can also create significant instability and uncertainty in the world, causing consumers to defer purchases or preventing our suppliers and service providers from providing required services or materials to us. These or other factors could materially and adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Acts of terrorism, the effects of war or other catastrophes could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        The threat or actual acts of terrorism continue to be a risk to the global economy. Terrorism and potential military responses, natural disasters, pandemics or other health issues could disrupt commerce, undermine consumer confidence or impact our ability to open or operate our stores in affected areas. A disruption of commerce could interfere with the production, shipment or receipt of our merchandise in a timely manner or increase our costs to do so, which could adversely impact our operating results and cash flows. If there is a decline in consumer confidence or if our stores are affected by an act of terrorism, war or other catastrophe, it could negatively impact consumer spending patterns or mall traffic, which would negatively impact our sales, operating results and cash flows.

Since a portion of our available cash is located in foreign jurisdictions, if we need such cash to fund domestic needs we may not be able to do so on favorable terms.

        We manage our cash and liquidity within each business according to the country and currency of operations. Because a portion of our cash balances and working capital is located in foreign jurisdictions, we could have a liquidity issue in one country while adequate liquidity exists in other countries. If such a liquidity need were to arise in our domestic operations, there is no guarantee that we would have the ability to make the appropriate intercompany transfer from our foreign subsidiaries on favorable terms and our financial position and results of operations could be materially adversely impacted.

ITEM 1B.—UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

        None.

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ITEM 2.—PROPERTIES

        We lease all of our existing store locations in the United States and Canada, with the lease terms expiring through 2023 and 2020, respectively. The average unexpired lease term for our stores is 3.8 years in the United States and 5.3 years in Canada. The leases for most of our existing stores are for initial terms of 10 years and provide for contingent rent based upon a percentage of sales in excess of specific minimums. We anticipate that we will be able to extend those leases on satisfactory terms as they expire, or relocate to desirable locations.

        The following table sets forth information with respect to our non store leases as of January 30, 2010:

        On occasion, we may operate other leased facilities to support seasonal warehousing needs.

ITEM 3.—LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        On September 21, 2007, a stockholder class action was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company and certain of its current and former senior executives. The complaint alleged, among other things, that certain of the Company's current and former officers made statements to the investing public which misrepresented material facts about the business and operations of the Company, or omitted to state material facts required in order for the statements made by them not to be misleading, causing the price of the Company's stock to be artificially inflated in violation of provisions of the Exchange Act, as amended. It also alleged that subsequent disclosures established the misleading nature of the earlier disclosures. The complaint sought monetary damages plus interest as well as costs and disbursements of the lawsuit. On October 10, 2007, another stockholder class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company and certain of its current and former senior executives, the allegations of which were substantially the same as the earlier-filed class action complaint. These two actions were consolidated and a lead plaintiff and lead plaintiff's counsel were appointed. On February 28, 2008, the lead plaintiff filed a consolidated amended class action complaint, which repeated substantially the same allegations and sought substantially the same relief. On May 6, 2009, after certain proceedings, the parties reached an agreement-in-principle to settle the litigation, whereby all claims against the defendants were fully and finally settled and released in exchange for a payment of $12 million. The cost of the settlement was covered by the Company's insurance. On July 17, 2009, the Court preliminarily approved the settlement, authorized the dissemination of notice of the settlement to the Company's shareholders, and scheduled a hearing to

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consider the fairness and final approval of the settlement. On October 16, 2009, the court held the hearing to assess the reasonableness, fairness and adequacy of the settlement, and granted final approval of the settlement.

        On June 16, 2009, a putative stockholder derivative action was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County, Chancery Division, against the Company and certain of its current and former directors and senior executives. The Company has been named as a nominal defendant. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain of the Company's current and former directors and executives breached their fiduciary duties to the Company and its stockholders by causing the Company to issue false and misleading public statements and by abdicating their responsibilities to the Company and its stockholders, in violation of state law. The complaint also alleges that the defendants committed corporate waste in connection with a severance payment to the Company's former Chief Executive Officer. The complaint seeks monetary damages from the individual defendants as well as costs and disbursements of the lawsuit, including expert fees, as well as equitable relief. On November 20, 2009, defendants moved to dismiss the complaint, on the grounds that, among other things, (i) the claims asserted in the action are barred by the prior settlement of the stockholder class action filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) plaintiff failed to make a demand on the Board to initiate the lawsuit, as required by applicable state law. The court heard oral arguments on the motions to dismiss on March 25, 2010. The outcome of this litigation is uncertain and no estimate can be made at this time of any potential loss or range of losses. While we believe there are valid defenses to the claims and we will defend ourselves vigorously, no assurance can be given as to the outcome of this litigation. The litigation could distract our management and directors from the Company's affairs, the costs and expenses of the litigation could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows and an unfavorable outcome could adversely affect the reputation of the Company.

        On or about July 12, 2006, Joy Fong, a former Disney Store manager in the San Francisco district, filed a lawsuit against the Company and its subsidiary Hoop Retail Stores, LLC in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The lawsuit alleges violations of the California Labor Code and California Business and Professions Code and sought class action certification on behalf of Ms. Fong and other individuals similarly situated. We filed our answer on August 11, 2006 denying any and all liability, and on January 14, 2007, Ms. Fong filed an amended complaint, adding Disney as a defendant. Effective as of March 26, 2008, the prosecution of this lawsuit against Hoop was stayed under the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code by reason of Hoop's petition for relief filed that same day. The case is currently proceeding against the other defendants and, on December 18, 2008, the Court granted the plaintiff's motion for class certification on the misclassification claim. We have reached a final settlement in the amount of $0.6 million, which was approved by the Court on March 10, 2010. The Company has accrued for the cost of this settlement and the related expense was charged to discontinued operations.

        On or about September 28, 2007, Meghan Ruggiero filed a complaint against the Company and its subsidiary, Hoop Retail Stores, LLC, in the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio on behalf of herself and other similarly situated individuals. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act and seeks class certification, an award of statutory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs, and injunctive relief. The plaintiff filed an amended complaint on January 25, 2008. Effective as of March 26, 2008, the prosecution of this lawsuit against Hoop was stayed under the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code by reason of Hoop's petition for relief filed that same day. On March 2, 2009, the Court granted the plaintiff's motion to dismiss the Company as a defendant and to replace the Company with its subsidiary, The Children's Place Services Company, LLC. On October 8, 2009, the parties reached a tentative settlement in the amount of $0.3 million, and the parties are negotiating the terms of the settlement agreement. On March 4, 2010, the Court preliminarily approved the settlement, authorized the dissemination of notice of the

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settlement to the Company's shareholders and scheduled a hearing to consider the fairness and final approval of the settlement. The Company has accrued for the cost of this settlement and the related expense was charged to discontinued operations.

        We are also involved in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. In the opinion of management, any ultimate liability arising out of these proceedings will not have a material effect on our financial condition.

ITEM 4.—RESERVED

        There is no disclosure required under this Item.

PART II

ITEM 5.—MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

        Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol "PLCE." The following table sets forth the range of high and low sales prices on Nasdaq of our common stock for the fiscal periods indicated.

        On March 22, 2010, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $44.40 per share, the number of holders of record of our common stock was approximately 77 and the number of beneficial holders of our common stock was approximately 19,500.

        We do not pay dividends to our common stockholders. Our Board presently intends to retain any future earnings to finance our operations and the expansion of the Company. Our credit facilities prohibit the payment of dividends and limit the amount of purchases of our common stock to $10 million per fiscal year subject to certain availability restrictions. During Fiscal 2009, the credit facility was amended to allow for the repurchase of 2.45 million shares as described below. Pursuant to restrictions imposed by our equity plan during black-out periods, we withhold and retire shares of vesting stock awards in exchange for payments to satisfy the withholding tax requirements of certain recipients. Our payment of the withholding taxes in exchange for the shares constitutes a purchase of our common stock. During Fiscal 2009 and Fiscal 2008, we retired 18,247 shares and 26,623 shares, respectively, and made related withholding tax payments of approximately $0.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively. Also, on August 3, 2009, we purchased approximately 2.45 million shares of our common stock from Ezra Dabah, our former Chief Executive Officer, Renee Dabah and certain related trusts. Aside from this activity, we do not have a share buyback program. Any determination in the future to pay dividends or purchase any of our common stock under a share buyback program will depend upon our earnings, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects, covenants in our credit facilities and any future debt instruments and such other factors as the Board deems appropriate at such time.

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Equity Plan Compensation Information

        The following table provides information as of January 30, 2010, about the shares of our Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of options granted to employees or members of our Board under all of our existing stock-based compensation plans, including our 1997 Stock Option Plan and 2005 Equity Plan.

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Performance Graph

        The following graph compares the cumulative stockholder return on our common stock with the return on the Total Return Index for the NASDAQ Stock Market (US) and the NASDAQ Retail Trade Stocks. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on January 29, 2005.

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ITEM 6.—SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

        We are the largest pure-play children's specialty apparel retailer in North America. As of January 30, 2010 we owned and operated 947 The Children's Place stores across North America and an online store at www.childrensplace.com. The following table sets forth certain historical financial and operating data for The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. and its subsidiaries. The statement of operations data for the three fiscal years ended January 30, 2010, and the balance sheet data as of January 30, 2010 and January 31, 2009 have been derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, the audited financial statements presented elsewhere herein. The balance sheet data as of February 2, 2008 and the balance sheet and statement of operations data as of and for the fiscal year ended February 3, 2007 have been derived from audited financial statements not included herein. The balance sheet data and statement of operations data as of and for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2006, and all other data presented herein, have not been audited. The information contained in this table should be read in conjunction with Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere herein.

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ITEM 7.—MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

        The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and notes thereto included in "Item 15.—Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules." The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in "Item 1A—Risk Factors."

        As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, references to the "Company", "The Children's Place", "we", "us", "our" and similar terms refer to The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday on or nearest to January 31. Other terms that are commonly used in our management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are defined as follows:

•

Fiscal 2009—The fifty-two weeks ended January 30, 2010.



•

Fiscal 2008—The fifty-two weeks ended January 31, 2009.



•

Fiscal 2007—The fifty-two weeks ended February 2, 2008.



•

Fiscal 2010—Our next fiscal year representing the fifty-two weeks ending January 29, 2011.



•

FASB—Financial Accounting Standards Board



•

FASB ASC—FASB Accounting Standards Codification, which serves as the source for authoritative U.S. GAAP, except that rules and interpretive releases by the SEC are also sources of authoritative U.S. GAAP for SEC registrants.



•

GAAP—Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.



•

SEC—Securities and Exchange Commission.



•

Comparable Store Sales—Net sales, in constant currency, from stores that have been open at least 14 full months and that have not been substantially remodeled during that time.



•

Comparable Retail Sales—Comparable Store Sales plus comparable sales from our e-commerce store.



•

Gross Margin—Gross profit expressed as a percentage of net sales.



•

SG&A—Selling, general and administrative expenses

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OVERVIEW

Our Business

        We are the largest pure-play children's specialty apparel retailer in North America. We design, contract to manufacture and sell high-quality, value-priced merchandise under our proprietary "The Children's Place" brand name. Our objective is to deliver high-quality merchandise at value prices. As of January 30, 2010, we owned and operated 947 stores across North America and an online store at www.childrensplace.com.

Segment Reporting

        After the disposal of our Disney Store Business during Fiscal 2008 (see below), management continued its reassessment of our internal reporting structure. Net sales of Canadian operations had grown approximately 56% over the three fiscal years ended January 31, 2009, and after the disposal of the Disney business, its percentage of consolidated net sales has grown from approximately 9% to approximately 12%. Further, the fluctuations of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar in recent years have had a significant impact on our Canadian operating results. Beginning in Fiscal 2009, our chief operating decision maker ("CODM") required, and we began reporting, discrete financial information for our Canadian operations.

        The "Segment Reporting" topic of the FASB ASC establishes standards for reporting information about a company's operating segments. Accordingly, we report segment data based on management responsibility: The Children's Place U.S. and The Children's Place Canada. Included in The Children's Place U.S. segment are our U.S. based stores, including Puerto Rico, and our e-commerce store, www.childrensplace.com. We measure our segment profitability based on operating income, defined as earnings before interest and taxes. Net sales and direct costs are recorded by each segment. Certain centrally managed inventory procurement functions such as production and design are allocated to each segment based upon usage. Corporate overhead, including executive management, finance, real estate, human resources, legal, and information technology services are allocated to the segments based primarily on net sales. Included in the allocation of corporate overhead is depreciation and amortization expense; however, the related assets are not allocated. We periodically review these allocations and adjust them based upon changes in business circumstances. Net sales from external customers are derived from merchandise sales and we have no major customers that account for more than 10% of our net sales.

Recent Developments

        On December 11, 2009, we announced the appointment of Jane Elfers as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective January 4, 2010. Ms. Elfers has also been named to our Board of Directors. Charles Crovitz, who was serving as the Interim Chief Executive Officer, continues to serve as a Director on our Board of Directors.

        On December 3, 2009, our Board of Directors approved and adopted The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the "Deferred Compensation Plan") to be effective January 1, 2010. Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, which is a nonqualified, unfunded plan, eligible senior level employees and members of the Board of Directors may elect to defer payment of certain compensation for up to fifteen years. We may, but are not required to, credit participants with additional contribution amounts.

        On July 29, 2009, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the "Securities Purchase Agreement") with Ezra Dabah, our former Chief Executive Officer, Renee Dabah and certain related trusts (collectively, the "Sellers") pursuant to which we agreed to purchase from the Sellers an aggregate of approximately 2.45 million shares of our common stock at a price of $28.88 per share,

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which represented a discount of 5% to the average of the closing prices of our common stock of the three days ended July 28, 2009 (the "Purchase"). On August 3, 2009, the Purchase was completed with us making total payments to the Sellers of approximately $70.8 million. In addition, we incurred approximately $2.7 million in transaction costs related to the Purchase, which are included in the cost of the acquired shares. Immediately after the Purchase, the acquired shares of common stock were retired. Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, Ezra Dabah and Stanley Silverstein tendered their resignations from our Board of Directors effective August 3, 2009.

        On April 13, 2009, we paid a total of $47.0 million of principal balance of an $85.0 million term loan with an original maturity date of July 31, 2013 pursuant to the terms of a note purchase agreement (the "Note Purchase Agreement"). On August 3, 2009, we prepaid the remaining principal amount of $38.0 million, thereby terminating the Note Purchase Agreement and all of our obligations thereunder.

The Disney Store Business

        After a thorough review of the Disney Store business, its potential earnings growth, its capital needs and its ability to fund such needs from its own resources, the Company announced on March 20, 2008 that it had decided to exit the Disney Store business. Our subsidiaries that operated the Disney Store business are referred to herein interchangeably and collectively as "Hoop".

        After assessing the above factors and considering Hoop's liquidity, Hoop's Board of Directors determined that the best way to complete an orderly wind-down of Hoop's affairs was for Hoop to seek relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the "Bankruptcy Code"). On March 26, 2008, Hoop Holdings, LLC, Hoop Retail Stores, LLC and Hoop Canada Holdings, Inc. each filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the "U.S. Bankruptcy Court") (Case Nos. 08-10544, 08-10545, and 08-10546, respectively, the "Cases"). On March 27, 2008, Hoop Canada, Inc. filed for protection pursuant to the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (the "CCAA") in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) ("Canadian Bankruptcy Court") (Court File No. 08-CL-7453, and together with the Cases, the "Filings"). Each of the foregoing Hoop entities are referred to collectively herein as the "Hoop Entities."

        After receiving the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Canadian Bankruptcy Court, on April 30, 2008, Hoop transferred the Disney Store business in the U.S. and Canada and a substantial portion of the Disney Store assets to affiliates of Disney in an asset sale (the "Sale"), pursuant to an asset purchase agreement dated as of April 3, 2008 among the Hoop Entities and affiliates of Disney (the "Sale Agreement") and Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code (and a similar provision under the CCAA). Upon closing, affiliates of Disney paid approximately $61.6 million, including certain post-closing adjustments, for the acquired assets of the Disney Store business. The proceeds received from the Sale are included in the assets of the Hoop Entities' for distribution to their creditors pursuant to the plan of reorganization that was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on December 15, 2008 (the "Plan"). A similar plan was approved by the Canadian Bankruptcy Court.

        According to the terms of the Sale, Hoop transferred 217 Disney Stores to affiliates of Disney and granted such affiliates the right to operate and wind-down the affairs of the remaining stores. The lease obligations associated with the stores that were not sold were rejected and resulting damage claims were administered pursuant to the Plan.

        In April 2008, the Company entered into a settlement and release of claims agreement with Hoop and the official committee of unsecured creditors in the Cases (the "Settlement Agreement"), which was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on April 29, 2008. Under the Settlement Agreement, the Company agreed to provide transitional services and to forgive all pre- and post-bankruptcy petition claims against the Hoop Entities. Such claims included intercompany charges for shared services of

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approximately $24.9 million, a capital contribution made on March 18, 2008 of approximately $8.3 million, payment of severance and other employee costs for the Company's employees servicing Hoop of approximately $7.7 million, and $6.8 million of professional fees and other costs the Company has incurred during the Cases, as well as claims that might be asserted against the Company in the Cases. At January 31, 2009, the Company had paid approximately $44.0 million related to the Settlement Agreement, and had remaining accruals of $4.1 million, primarily for severance, legal claims and related costs. During Fiscal 2009, the Company reduced certain severance and professional fee accruals by $0.4 million and paid $2.1 million, primarily for severance, legal claims and related costs. As of January 30, 2010, the Company has paid approximately $46.1 million related to the Settlement Agreement, and has remaining accruals of $1.6 million, primarily for legal claims and related costs.

        On December 15, 2008, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the Plan, pursuant to which the Hoop Entities that were U.S. debtors were dissolved and all assets and liabilities were transferred to a trust (the "Trust"), which is overseen by a trustee appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court under the Plan and a trust oversight committee. Hoop Canada, Inc., which currently remains under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Bankruptcy Court, has not yet been legally dissolved but is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust and is effectively part of the Trust's assets.

        Upon effectiveness of the Plan in December 2008, the Company deconsolidated all Hoop Entities. As a result, all intercompany balances, including investments in subsidiaries, were eliminated, and the net liabilities in excess of assets transferred were written off, which resulted in a $25.5 million gain on the relief of indebtedness of the Hoop Entities in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.

        During Fiscal 2009, the Company reported a $0.5 million loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes, which is comprised of approximately $0.6 million of professional fees associated with the wind-down of the Hoop Entities and approximately $0.2 million of reserve adjustments, primarily related to legal claims. These costs are offset by a tax benefit of approximately $0.3 million.

        In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Disney Store business has been segregated from continuing operations and included in "Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes" in the consolidated statements of operations.

Operating Highlights

        Net sales in Fiscal 2009 increased approximately $13.3 million, or 1%, to $1,643.6 million, compared to $1,630.3 million reported in Fiscal 2008. During Fiscal 2009, our Comparable Retail Sales decreased 2% compared to an increase of 5% in Fiscal 2008. In Fiscal 2009, we opened 38 stores, remodeled 13 stores and closed eight stores.

        Based on information from NPD Group, a consumer and retail market research firm, we believe our market share of children's apparel for The Children's Place brand increased to 4.1% in Fiscal 2009 from 3.9% in Fiscal 2008.

        During Fiscal 2009, we reported income from continuing operations of $88.8 million, or $3.09 per diluted share, compared to $73.9 million, or $2.50 per diluted share, in Fiscal 2008. During Fiscal 2009, the following factors significantly impacted our business:

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The continued downturn in the U.S. and Canadian economic environments;



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Reductions in selling, general and administrative expenses; and



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Fluctuations in the Canadian Dollar exchange rate.

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        Additionally, income from continuing operations includes:

Fiscal 2009

•

Approximately $14.8 million of tax benefits of which $10.3 relates to foreign tax credits associated with the repatriation of foreign cash and $4.5 million relates to the release of certain accruals upon settlement of an IRS audit.

Fiscal 2008

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Approximately $11.6 million, pretax, of transition service income, net of variable expenses, related to administrative and distribution services provided to affiliates of Disney's as part of the Sale; and



•

Approximately $6.5 million, pretax, in impairments related to underperforming stores (refer to Note 5—Property and Equipment in the accompanying Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information).

        We have subsidiaries in Canada, Hong Kong and Shanghai whose operating results are based in foreign currencies and are thus subject to the fluctuations of the corresponding translation rates into U.S. dollars. The below table summarizes the average translation rates impacting our operating results, and the resulting effect of related rate changes on net sales, gross profit and income from continuing operations before taxes, for each fiscal year presented in our consolidated statements of operations:

        In addition to the translation impact noted above, the gross profit of our Canadian subsidiary is also impacted by its purchases of inventory in U.S. Dollars. The effects of these purchases on our gross profit for Fiscal 2009 and Fiscal 2008 were decreases of $3.9 million and $1.1 million, respectively and the effect for Fiscal 2007 was an increase of $6.2 million.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

        The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from our

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estimates. The accounting policies that we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating the financial results include the following:

        Inventory Valuation—Merchandise inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or market, using the retail inventory method. Under the retail inventory method, the valuation of inventories at cost and the resulting gross margins are calculated by applying a cost-to-retail ratio, for each merchandise department, to the retail value of inventories. An initial mark-up is applied to inventory at cost to establish a cost-to-retail ratio. Permanent markdowns, when taken, reduce both the retail and cost components of inventory on hand so as to maintain the already established cost-to-retail relationship. At any one time, inventories include items that have been marked down to our best estimate of the lower of their cost or fair market value and an estimate of our inventory shrinkage.

        We base our decision to mark down merchandise upon its current rate of sale, the season, and the age and sell-through of the item. We estimate sell-through rates based upon historical and forecasted information. Markdown reserves are assessed and adjusted each quarter based on current sales trends and their resulting impact on forecasts. Our success is largely dependent upon our ability to gauge the fashion taste of our customers, and to provide a well-balanced merchandise assortment that satisfies customer demand. Throughout the year, we review our inventory in order to identify slow moving items and generally use markdowns to clear them. Any inability to provide the proper quantity of appropriate merchandise in a timely manner, or to correctly estimate the sell-through rate, could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our historical estimates have not differed materially from actual results and a 10% difference in our markdown reserve as of January 30, 2010 would have impacted net income by approximately $0.8 million. Our markdown reserve balance at January 30, 2010 and January 31, 2009 was $12.9 million and $13.1 million, respectively.

        Additionally, we adjust our inventory based upon an annual physical inventory, which is taken during the last quarter of the fiscal year. Based on the results of our historical physical inventories, an estimated shrink rate is used for each successive quarter until the next annual physical inventory, or sooner if facts or circumstances should indicate differently. A 1% difference in our shrinkage rate at retail could impact each quarter's net income by approximately $0.7 million.

        Stock-Based Compensation—We account for stock-based compensation according to the provisions of the "Compensation—Stock Compensation" topic of the FASB ASC.

Stock Options

        During Fiscal 2008, we ceased issuing stock options in favor of deferred stock awards. The fair value of all outstanding stock options was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on a Monte Carlo simulation, which requires extensive use of accounting judgment and financial estimates, including estimates of how long employees will hold their vested stock options before exercise, the estimated volatility of our common stock over the expected term, and the number of options that will be forfeited prior to the completion of vesting requirements. All exercise prices were based on the average of the high and low of the selling price of our common stock on the grant date. Application of other assumptions could have resulted in significantly different estimates of fair value of stock-based compensation and consequently, the related expense recognized in our financial statements. Additionally, we estimate a forfeiture rate for those awards not expected to vest. While actual forfeitures could vary significantly from those estimated, a 10% difference would not have a material impact on our net income. Total unamortized stock compensation at January 30, 2010 was $0.1 million.

Restricted Stock, Deferred Stock and Performance Awards

        We grant restricted shares and deferred stock awards to our employees and non-employee directors and performance awards to certain key members of management. The fair value of these awards is based on the average of the high and low selling price of our common stock on the grant

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date. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the related service period reduced for estimated forfeitures of those awards not expected to vest due to employee turnover. While actual forfeitures could vary significantly from those estimated, a 10% difference would impact our net income by $0.3 million. In addition, the number of performance shares earned is dependant upon our operating results over a specified time period. The expense for performance shares is based on an estimate of the number of shares we think will vest based on our earnings-to-date plus our estimate of future earnings for the performance period. To the extent that actual operating results differ from our estimates, future performance share compensation expense could be materially different. A 50% decrease in our projected future earnings could decrease our stock-based compensation, pre-tax, by approximately $1.8 million, and a 50% increase in our projected future earnings could increase our stock-based compensation, pre-tax, by approximately $0.4 million.

        Insurance and Self-Insurance Liabilities—Based on our assessment of risk and cost efficiency, we self-insure as well as purchase insurance policies to provide for workers' compensation, general liability, and property losses, as well as directors' and officers' liability, vehicle liability and employee medical benefits. We estimate risks and record a liability based upon historical claim experience, insurance deductibles, severity factors and other actuarial assumptions. These estimates include inherent uncertainties due to the variability of the factors involved, including type of injury or claim, required services by the providers, healing time, age of claimant, case management costs, location of the claimant, and governmental regulations. While we believe that our risk assessments are appropriate, these uncertainties or a deviation in future claims trends from recent historical patterns could result in our recording additional or reduced expenses, which may be material to our results of operations. Our historical estimates have not differed materially from actual results and a 10% difference in our insurance reserves as of January 30, 2010 would have impacted net income by approximately $0.5 million.

        Impairment of Long-Lived Assets—We periodically review our long-lived assets when events indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. Such events include a history trend or projected trend of cash flow losses or a future expectation that we will sell or dispose of an asset significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life. In reviewing for impairment, we group our long-lived assets at the lowest possible level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. In that regard, we group our assets into two categories: corporate-related and store-related. Corporate-related assets consist of those associated with our corporate offices, distribution centers and our information technology systems. Store-related assets consist of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, certain computer equipment and lease related assets associated with individual stores.

        For store-related assets, we review all stores that have been open for at least two years, or sooner if circumstances should dictate, on at least an annual basis. For each of these stores, we project future cash flows over the remaining life of the lease and compare the total undiscounted cash flows to the net book value of the related long-lived assets. If the undiscounted cash flows are less than the related net book value of the long-lived assets, they are written down to their fair market value. We primarily determine fair market value to be the discounted future cash flows associated with those assets. In evaluating future cash flows, we consider external and internal factors. External factors comprise the local environment in which the store resides, including mall traffic, competition, and their effect on sales trends. Internal factors include our ability to gauge the fashion taste of our customers, control variable costs such as cost of sales and payroll, and in certain cases, our ability to renegotiate lease costs. Historically, less than 2% of our stores required impairment charges in any one year. If external factors should change unfavorably, if actual sales should differ from our projections, or if our ability to control costs is insufficient to sustain the necessary cash flows, future impairment charges could be material. At January 30, 2010, the average net book value per store was $0.2 million.

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        Income Taxes—We utilize the liability method of accounting for income taxes as set forth in the "Income Taxes" topic of the FASB ASC. Under the liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using tax rates expected to be in effect during the years in which the basis differences reverse. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that some of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. In determining the need for valuation allowances we consider projected future taxable income and the availability of tax planning strategies. If, in the future we determine that we would not be able to realize our recorded deferred tax assets, an increase in the valuation allowance would decrease earnings in the period in which such determination is made.

        We assess our income tax positions and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon our evaluation of the facts, circumstances and information available at the reporting date. For those tax positions where it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, we have recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the financial statements.

        Fair Value Measurement and Financial Instruments—The "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure" topic of the FASB ASC provides a single definition of fair value, together with a framework for measuring it, and requires additional disclosure about the use of fair value to measure assets and liabilities.

        This topic defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date and establishes a three-level hierarchy, which encourages an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The three levels of the hierarchy are defined as follows:

•

Level 1—inputs to the valuation techniques that are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities



•

Level 2—inputs to the valuation techniques that are other than quoted prices but are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly



•

Level 3—inputs to the valuation techniques that are unobservable for the assets or liabilities

        The Company's cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, credit facilities and certain other short-term financial instruments are all short-term in nature. As such, their carrying amounts approximate fair value.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

        In June 2009, the FASB issued standards that established the FASB ASC. These standards were effective for financial statements issued for reporting periods that end after September 15, 2009 and serves as the source for authoritative U.S. GAAP, except that rules and interpretive releases by the SEC are also sources of authoritative U.S. GAAP for SEC registrants. FASB ASC reorganizes all accounting standards in U.S. GAAP, aside from those issued by the SEC, and establishes a new hierarchy of GAAP sources for non-governmental entities. All future updates to U.S. GAAP will no longer be issued in the form of FASB Statements, Staff Positions or Emerging Issues Task Force Abstracts, but rather the FASB will issue "Accounting Standards Updates" instead. This adoption did not have any financial impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        On February 1, 2009, as required by the "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure" topic of the FASB ASC, the Company adopted the updated provisions that pertain to all non-financial assets and

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non-financial liabilities. These provisions define fair value, provide guidance for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities, establish a framework for measuring fair value in U.S. GAAP and expand disclosures about fair value measurement. This adoption did not have any financial impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In the second quarter of fiscal 2009, the Company adopted the provisions of the "Subsequent Events" topic of the FASB ASC. This topic establishes standards for accounting and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued. In accordance with this topic, the Company evaluates subsequent events through the date its financial statements are issued. This adoption did not have any financial impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In the second quarter of fiscal 2009, as required by the "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure" topic of the FASB ASC, the Company adopted updated provisions as follows: a) for all financial and non-financial assets, updated guidance in determining whether a market is active or inactive and whether a transaction is distressed, as well as enhanced related disclosures, and b) additional disclosure requirements about fair value of financial instruments in interim and annual financial statements. The adoption of these provisions did not have any impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements, but did require additional disclosures, which are provided above under "Fair Value Measurement and Financial Instruments".

        In August 2009, the FASB issued an accounting standard update, "Measuring Liabilities at Fair Value", which amends the "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure" topic of the FASB ASC. This update clarifies the fair value measurement requirements for liabilities that lack a quoted price in an active market. This standard was effective starting in August 2009 and did not have any financial impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In September 2009, the FASB issued an accounting standard update, "Investments in Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (or Its Equivalent)", which amends the "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure" topic of the FASB ASC. This update provides fair value measurement and disclosure guidance for an investor on using the net asset value per share provided by an investee. This standard was effective for interim and annual periods ending on or after December 15, 2009 and did not have any financial impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

        We primarily evaluate the results of our operations as a percentage of net sales rather than in terms of absolute dollar increases or decreases by analyzing the year over year change in our business expressed as a percentage of net sales (i.e., "basis points"). For example, our selling, general and administrative expenses decreased approximately 120 basis points to 27.7% of net sales during Fiscal 2009 from 28.9% during Fiscal 2008. Accordingly, to the extent that our sales have increased at a faster rate than our costs (i.e., "leveraging"), the more efficiently we have utilized the investments we have made in our business. Conversely, if our costs grow at a faster pace than our sales (i.e., "de-leveraging"), we have less efficiently utilized the investments we have made in our business.

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The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, selected income statement data expressed as a percentage of net sales.