10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

 (Mark One)

x        QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 30, 2024

or

¨         TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission File Number: 0-14706.

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

North Carolina	56-0846267
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
P.O. Box 6676, Asheville NC	28816
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(828) 669-2941

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, $0.05 par value per share	IMKTA	The NASDAQ Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes x    No ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x    No ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer x	Accelerated Filer ¨
Non-Accelerated Filer ¨	Smaller Reporting Company ¨
	Emerging Growth Company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x.

As of May 7, 2024, the registrant had 14,536,700 shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.05 par value per share, outstanding and 4,457,676 shares of Class B Common Stock, $0.05 par value per share, outstanding.

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1

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED

INDEX

	Page No.
Part I – Financial Information
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023	3
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the
Three Months Ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023	4
Six Months Ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023	5
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the Three Months and Six Months Ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023	6
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Six Months Ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023	7
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Interim Financial Statements	8
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	14
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	21
Item 4. Controls and Procedures	21
Part II – Other Information
Item 5. Other Information	22
Item 6. Exhibits	22
Signatures	23

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2

Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	302,017,848	$	328,539,922
Receivables - net		109,444,276		107,570,690
Inventories		479,129,835		493,859,775
Other current assets		26,530,028		22,585,958
Total Current Assets		917,121,987		952,556,345
Property and Equipment - Net		1,480,037,502		1,431,872,289
Operating lease right of use assets		37,738,468		39,602,202
Other Assets		51,409,736		49,814,897
Total Assets	$	2,486,307,693	$	2,473,845,733
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	17,520,876	$	17,526,289
Current portion of operating lease liabilities		6,748,263		7,594,971
Current portion of finance lease liabilities		654,866		635,559
Accounts payable - trade		181,624,886		204,040,546
Accrued expenses and current portion of other long-term liabilities		80,412,186		100,735,784
Total Current Liabilities		286,961,077		330,533,149
Deferred Income Taxes		63,561,000		67,187,000
Long-Term Debt		521,597,008		532,631,960
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities		32,999,189		34,016,670
Noncurrent finance lease liabilities		2,727,606		3,059,938
Other Long-Term Liabilities		53,019,344		47,444,876
Total Liabilities		960,865,224		1,014,873,593
Stockholders’ Equity
Preferred stock, $0.05 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued		—		—
Common stocks:
Class A, $0.05 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized; ‎14,536,700 shares issued and outstanding March 30, 2024; ‎14,497,075 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2023		726,835		724,854
Class B, convertible to Class A, $0.05 par value; ‎100,000,000 shares authorized; ‎4,457,676 shares issued and outstanding March 30, 2024; ‎4,497,301 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2023		222,884		224,865
Paid-in capital in excess of par value		—		—
Accumulated other comprehensive income		10,545,546		13,233,631
Retained earnings		1,513,947,204		1,444,788,790
Total Stockholders’ Equity		1,525,442,469		1,458,972,140
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	$	2,486,307,693	$	2,473,845,733

See notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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3

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

	Three Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023
Net sales	$	1,367,479,701	$	1,380,604,140
Cost of goods sold		1,045,594,741		1,054,664,179
Gross profit		321,884,960		325,939,961
Operating and administrative expenses		284,762,087		268,890,164
Gain from sale or disposal of assets		7,686,184		597,218
Income from operations		44,809,057		57,647,015
Other income, net		3,381,398		1,734,456
Interest expense		5,587,829		5,344,666
Income before income taxes		42,602,626		54,036,805
Income tax expense		10,704,000		13,497,000
Net income	$	31,898,626	$	40,539,805
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Change in fair value of interest rate swap	$	1,510,471	$	(2,671,226)
Income tax (expense) benefit		(369,000)		652,000
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		1,141,471		(2,019,226)
Comprehensive income	$	33,040,097	$	38,520,579
Per share amounts:
Class A Common Stock
Basic earnings per common share	$	1.72	$	2.18
Diluted earnings per common share	$	1.68	$	2.13
Class B Common Stock
Basic earnings per common share	$	1.56	$	1.98
Diluted earnings per common share	$	1.56	$	1.98
Cash dividends per common share
Class A Common Stock	$	0.165	$	0.165
Class B Common Stock	$	0.150	$	0.150

See notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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4

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

	Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023
Net sales	$	2,848,541,531	$	2,873,918,247
Cost of goods sold		2,177,855,492		2,176,823,396
Gross profit		670,686,039		697,094,851
Operating and administrative expenses		574,588,617		545,069,422
Gain from sale or disposal of assets		8,339,044		1,377,302
Income from operations		104,436,466		153,402,731
Other income, net		6,987,947		3,176,063
Interest expense		11,294,186		10,691,508
Income before income taxes		100,130,227		145,887,286
Income tax expense		24,838,000		35,976,000
Net income	$	75,292,227	$	109,911,286
Other comprehensive loss:
Change in fair value of interest rate swap	$	(3,557,085)	$	(4,193,733)
Income tax benefit		869,000		1,024,000
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax		(2,688,085)		(3,169,733)
Comprehensive income	$	72,604,142	$	106,741,553
Per share amounts:
Class A Common Stock
Basic earnings per common share	$	4.05	$	5.92
Diluted earnings per common share	$	3.96	$	5.79
Class B Common Stock
Basic earnings per common share	$	3.68	$	5.38
Diluted earnings per common share	$	3.68	$	5.38
Cash dividends per common share
Class A Common Stock	$	0.33	$	0.33
Class B Common Stock	$	0.30	$	0.30

See notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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5

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 30, 2024 AND MARCH 25, 2023

							Paid-in		Accumulated
	Class A			Class B			Capital in		Other
	Common Stock			Common Stock			Excess of		Comprehensive		Retained
	Shares	Amount		Shares	Amount		Par Value		Income (Loss)		Earnings		Total
Balance, September 24, 2022	14,377,575	$	718,879	4,616,801	$	230,840	$	—	$	12,406,551	$	1,246,238,155	$	1,259,594,425
Net income	—		—	—		—		—		—		69,371,481		69,371,481
Other comprehensive loss, net of income tax	—		—	—		—		—		(1,150,507)		—		(1,150,507)
Cash dividends	—		—	—		—		—		—		(3,064,821)		(3,064,821)
Common stock conversions	9,125		456	(9,125)		(456)		—		—		—		—
Balance, December 24, 2022	14,386,700	$	719,335	4,607,676	$	230,384	$	—	$	11,256,044	$	1,312,544,815	$	1,324,750,578
Net income	—		—	—		—		—		—		40,539,805		40,539,805
Other comprehensive loss, net of income tax	—		—	—		—		—		(2,019,226)		—		(2,019,226)
Cash dividends	—		—	—		—		—		—		(3,064,960)		(3,064,960)
Common stock conversions	225		11	(225)		(11)		—		—		—		—
Balance, March 25, 2023	14,386,925	$	719,346	4,607,451	$	230,373	$	—	$	9,236,818	$	1,350,019,660	$	1,360,206,197
Balance, September 30, 2023	14,497,075	$	724,854	4,497,301	$	224,865	$	—	$	13,233,631	$	1,444,788,790	$	1,458,972,140
Net income	—		—	—		—		—		—		43,393,601		43,393,601
Other comprehensive loss, net of income tax	—		—	—		—		—		(3,829,556)		—		(3,829,556)
Cash dividends	—		—	—		—		—		—		(3,066,613)		(3,066,613)
Common stock conversions	39,100		1,955	(39,100)		(1,955)		—		—		—		—
Balance, December 30, 2023	14,536,175	$	726,809	4,458,201	$	222,910	$	—	$	9,404,075	$	1,485,115,778	$	1,495,469,572
Net income	—		—	—		—		—		—		31,898,626		31,898,626
Other comprehensive income, net of income tax	—		—	—		—		—		1,141,471		—		1,141,471
Cash dividends	—		—	—		—		—		—		(3,067,200)		(3,067,200)
Common stock conversions	525		26	(525)		(26)		—		—		—		—
Balance, March 30, 2024	14,536,700	$	726,835	4,457,676	$	222,884	$	—	$	10,545,546	$	1,513,947,204	$	1,525,442,469

See notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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6

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)  

	Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income	$	75,292,227	$	109,911,286
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense		58,022,599		57,969,652
Non cash operating lease cost		3,363,519		3,841,608
Gain from sale or disposal of assets		(8,339,044)		(1,377,302)
Receipt of advance payments on purchases contracts		1,150,677		1,582,490
Recognition of advance payments on purchases contracts		(1,529,141)		(1,430,226)
Deferred income taxes		(2,757,000)		(2,842,000)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Receivables		(1,837,366)		312,669
Inventory		14,729,941		(16,302,309)
Other assets		(9,112,237)		(19,145,618)
Operating lease liabilities		(3,363,973)		(3,838,850)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(39,646,215)		(34,267,784)
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities		85,973,987		94,413,616
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Purchase of short term investments		—		—
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment		3,711,585		1,766,849
Capital expenditures		(98,355,767)		(91,352,345)
Net Cash Used by Investing Activities		(94,644,183)		(89,585,496)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Principal payments on long-term borrowings		(11,405,040)		(15,593,180)
Repayment of finance lease		(313,025)
Dividends paid		(6,133,813)		(6,129,781)
Net Cash Used by Financing Activities		(17,851,878)		(21,722,961)
Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents		(26,522,074)		(16,894,841)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		328,539,922		267,198,517
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period	$	302,017,848	$	250,303,676

See notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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7

INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Three Months and Six Months Ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023

A. BASIS OF PREPARATION

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of March 30, 2024 and the results of operations and changes in stockholders’ equity for the three-month and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, and cash flows of Ingles Markets, Incorporated, a North Carolina corporation (“Ingles”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), for the six months ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023. The adjustments made are of a normal recurring nature. Certain information and footnote disclosures included in the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for Form 10-Q. It is suggested that these unaudited interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, on November 29, 2023.

The results of operations for the three-month and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

B. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” The ASU provides optional guidance to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform on financial reporting in response to the risk of cessation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). This amendment provides for optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contracts and hedging relationships that are affected by LIBOR and other reference rates. The ASU generally allows for hedge accounting to continue if the hedge was highly effective or met other standards prior to reference rate reform. Entities are permitted to apply the amendments to all contracts, cash flow and net investment hedge relationships that existed as of March 12, 2020. The relief provided in this ASU extends through December 31, 2024. The U.S. Dollar LIBOR panel ceased following June 30, 2023, and the Company’s debt agreements and interest rate swaps that utilized LIBOR discontinued the use of LIBOR and adopted the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which did not materially impact our condensed consolidated unaudited interim financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Taxes Disclosures, which requires greater disaggregation of income tax disclosures. The new standard requires additional information to be disclosed with respect to the income tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. This ASU should be applied prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with retrospective application permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impacts of this guidance on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires companies to enhance the disclosures about segment expenses. The new standard requires the disclosure of the Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), expanded incremental line-item disclosures of significant segment expenses used by the CODM for decision-making, and the inclusion of previous annual only segment disclosure requirements on a quarterly basis. This ASU should be applied retrospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impacts of this guidance on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

C. SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS

From time to time, the Company purchases financial products that can be readily converted into cash, and the Company accounts for such financial products as short-term investments. The financial products may include money market funds, bonds and mutual funds. The carrying values of the Company’s short-term investments approximate fair value because of their liquidity.

D. ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS

Receivables are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $294,085 at March 30, 2024 and $143,753 at September 30, 2023.

E. INCOME TAXES

The Company’s effective tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate primarily as a result of state income taxes and tax credits.

8

The Company has unrecognized tax benefits and could incur interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. These amounts are insignificant and are not expected to significantly increase or decrease within the next twelve months.

F. ACCRUED EXPENSES AND CURRENT PORTION OF OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses and current portion of other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Property, payroll and other taxes payable	$	16,833,389	$	25,203,091
Salaries, wages and bonuses payable		38,402,631		50,836,143
Self-insurance liabilities		15,064,285		13,974,358
Interest payable		5,077,451		5,111,666
Other		5,034,430		5,610,526
	$	80,412,186	$	100,735,784

Self-insurance liabilities are established for general liability claims, workers’ compensation and employee group medical and dental benefits based on claims filed and estimates of claims incurred but not reported. The Company is currently insured for covered costs in excess of $1.0 million per occurrence for workers’ compensation and for general liability and $500,000 per covered person for medical care benefits for a policy year. The Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $34.6 million at March 30, 2024. Of this amount, $15.1 million was accounted for as a current liability and $19.5 million as a long-term liability, which included $4.6 million of expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that were recorded as a receivable. At September 30, 2023, the Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $32.9 million of which $14.0 million was accounted for as a current liability and $18.9 million as a long-term liability, which included $4.3 million of expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that were recorded as a receivable.

Employee insurance expense, including workers’ compensation and medical care benefits, net of employee contributions, totaled $9.4 million and $8.1 million for the three-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively. For the six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, employee insurance expense, net of employee contributions totaled $22.4 million and $19.0 million, respectively.

The Company’s fuel operations use underground tanks for the storage of gasoline and diesel fuel. The Company reviewed FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 410 (“FASB ASC 410”) and determined that we have a legal obligation to remove tanks at various times in the future and accordingly determined that we have met the requirements for an asset retirement obligation. The Company followed the FASB ASC 410 model for determining the asset retirement cost and asset retirement obligation. The amounts recorded were immaterial for each fuel center as well as in the aggregate, at March 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023.

G. LONG-TERM DEBT

The U.S. Dollar LIBOR panel ceased following June 30, 2023, and the Company’s debt agreements and interest rate swaps that utilized LIBOR discontinued the use of LIBOR and adopted SOFR, which did not materially impact our condensed consolidated unaudited interim financial statements.

In June 2021, the Company issued at par $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 4.00% senior notes due 2031 (the “Notes”). The Company may redeem all or a portion of the Notes at any time at the following redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount), if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning June 15 of the years indicated below:

Year
2026	102.000%
2027	101.333%
2028	100.667%
2029 and thereafter	100.000%

The Company has a $150.0 million line of credit (the “Line”) that matures in June 2026. The Line provides the Company with various interest rate options based on the prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate, or SOFR. The Line allows the Company to issue up to $10.0 million of letters of credit, of which none were issued at March 30, 2024. The Company is not required to maintain compensating balances in connection with the Line. At March 30, 2024, the Company had no borrowings outstanding under the Line.

In December 2010, the Company completed the funding of $99.7 million of bonds (the “Bonds”) for construction of new warehouse and distribution space adjacent to its existing space in Buncombe County, North Carolina (the “Project”). The final maturity date of the Bonds is January 1, 2036.

Under a Continuing Covenant and Collateral Agency Agreement (the “Covenant Agreement”) between certain financial institutions and the Company, the financial institutions would hold the Bonds until December 2029, subject to certain events. Mandatory

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redemption of the Bonds by the Company in the annual amount of $4.5 million began on January 1, 2014. The outstanding balance of the Bonds was $49.9 million as of March 30, 2024. The Company may redeem the Bonds without penalty or premium at any time prior to December 17, 2029.

Interest earned by bondholders on the Bonds is exempt from Federal and North Carolina income taxation. The interest rate on the Bonds is equal to one-month SOFR (adjusted monthly) plus a credit spread, adjusted to reflect the income tax exemption.

The Company’s obligation to repay the Bonds is collateralized by the Project. The Covenant Agreement incorporates substantially all financial covenants included in the Line.

In September 2017, the Company refinanced approximately $60 million of secured borrowing obligations with a SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate, which matures in October 2027. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $21.5 million at a fixed rate of 3.962%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 3.962% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.75%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.5 million and mature October 1, 2027.

In December 2019, the Company closed a $155 million SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate, which matures in January 2030. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $120.8 million at a fixed rate of 2.998%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 2.998% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.60%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.65 million and mature in fiscal year 2030.

The Company recognizes differences between the variable rate interest payments and the fixed interest rate settlements with the swap counterparties as an adjustment to interest expense each period over the life of the swaps. The Company has designated the swaps as cash flow hedges and records the changes in the estimated fair value of the swaps to other comprehensive income each period. For the three months ended March 30, 2024, the Company recorded $1.1 million of other comprehensive income and for the six months ended March 30, 2024, the Company recorded $2.7 million of other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes, in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Unrealized gains of $14.0 million were included as an asset at fair value in the line “Other Assets” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 30, 2024. For the three and six months ended March 25, 2023, the Company recorded $2.0 million and $3.2 million of other comprehensive loss, respectively, net of income taxes, in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Unrealized gains of $12.2 million were included as an asset at fair value in the line “Other Assets” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 25, 2023.

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally contain provisions that under certain circumstances would permit lending institutions to terminate or withdraw their respective extensions of credit to the Company. Included among the triggering factors permitting the termination or withdrawal of the Line to the Company are certain events of default, including both monetary and non-monetary defaults, the initiation of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, and the failure of the Company to meet certain financial covenants designated in its respective loan documents. The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants at March 30, 2024.

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally have cross-default provisions which could result in the acceleration of payments due under all long-term debt agreements in the event of default under any one instrument.

At March 30, 2024, property and equipment with an undepreciated cost of approximately $252.2 million were pledged as collateral for long-term debt. Long-term debt and Line agreements contain various restrictive covenants requiring, among other things, minimum levels of net worth and maintenance of certain financial ratios. At March 30, 2024, the Company had excess net worth totaling $498.5 million calculated under covenants in the Bonds, various floating rate loans, and the Line. This amount is available to pay dividends; however, certain loan agreements containing provisions outlining minimum tangible net worth requirements restrict the ability of the Company to pay cash dividends in excess of the current annual per share dividends paid on the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. Further, the Company is prevented from paying cash dividends at any time that it is in default under the indenture governing the Notes. In addition, the terms of the indenture may restrict the ability of the Company to pay additional cash dividends based on certain financial parameters.

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H. DIVIDENDS

The Company paid cash dividends of $0.165 for each share of Class A Common Stock and $0.15 for each share of Class B Common Stock on October 19, 2023 to stockholders of record on October 12, 2023.

The Company paid cash dividends of $0.165 for each share of Class A Common Stock and $0.15 for each share of Class B Common Stock on January 19, 2024 to stockholders of record on January 12, 2024.

For additional information regarding the dividend rights of the Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, please see Note 8, “Stockholders’ Equity” to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, on November 29, 2023, as well as Note I, “Earnings Per Common Share” below.

I. EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE

The Company has two classes of common stock: Class A Common Stock, which is publicly traded, and Class B Common Stock, which has no public market. The Class B Common Stock has restrictions on transfer; however, each share is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock at any time at the election of the holder. Each share of Class A Common Stock has one vote per share and each share of Class B Common Stock has ten votes per share. Each share of Class A Common Stock is entitled to receive cash dividends equal to 110% of any cash dividend paid on Class B Common Stock.

The Company calculates earnings per share using the two-class method in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260.

The two-class method of computing basic earnings per share for each period reflects the cash dividends declared per share for each class of stock, plus allocated undistributed earnings per share computed using the participation percentage which reflects the dividend rights of each class of stock. Diluted earnings per share is calculated assuming the conversion of all shares of Class B Common Stock to shares of Class A Common Stock on a share-for-share basis. The tables below reconcile the numerators and denominators of basic and diluted earnings per share for current and prior periods.

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024				March 30, 2024
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	24,944,280	$	6,954,346	$	58,839,087	$	16,453,140
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		6,954,346		—		16,453,140		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	31,898,626	$	6,954,346	$	75,292,227	$	16,453,140
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,536,449		4,457,927		14,527,072		4,467,304
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,457,927		—		4,467,304		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,457,927		18,994,376		4,467,304
Earnings per share
Basic	$	1.72	$	1.56	$	4.05	$	3.68
Diluted	$	1.68	$	1.56	$	3.96	$	3.68

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 25, 2023				March 25, 2023
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	31,398,357	$	9,141,448	$	85,111,213	$	24,800,073
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		9,141,448		—		24,800,073		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	40,539,805	$	9,141,448	$	109,911,286	$	24,800,073
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,386,862		4,607,514		14,384,087		4,610,289
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,607,514		—		4,610,289		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,607,514		18,994,376		4,610,289
Earnings per share
Basic	$	2.18	$	1.98	$	5.92	$	5.38
Diluted	$	2.13	$	1.98	$	5.79	$	5.38

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J. LEASES

Leases as Lessee

The Company conducts part of its retail operations from leased facilities. The initial terms of the leases are generally 20 years. The majority of the leases include one or more renewal options and require that the Company pay property taxes, utilities, repairs and certain other costs incidental to occupation of the premises. Several leases contain clauses that require rental payments based on a percentage of gross sales of the supermarket occupying the leased space. Step rent provisions, escalation clauses and lease incentives are taken into account in computing minimum lease payments.

Operating Leases – Rent expense for all operating leases totaled $2.7 million for the three months ended March 30, 2024 and $5.1 million for the six months ended March 30, 2024. This amount included short-term (less than one year) leases, common area expenses, and variable lease costs, all of which are insignificant. Cash paid for lease liabilities in operating activities approximates operating lease cost.

Finance Leases – Finance lease cost of $420.0 thousand included amortization expense of $357.0 thousand, which was included in operating and administrative expense, and $107.0 thousand of interest expense for the six months ended March 30, 2024.

Future maturities of lease liabilities as of March 30, 2024 were as follows:

Fiscal Year	Operating Leases		Finance Leases
Remainder of 2024	$	4,161,938	$	420,000
2025		8,238,176		840,000
2026		7,076,845		840,000
2027		6,317,262		840,000
2028		4,775,296		840,000
Thereafter		20,409,830		101,500
Total lease payments	$	50,979,347	$	3,881,500
Less amount representing interest		11,231,895		499,028
Present value of lease liabilities	$	39,747,452	$	3,382,472

On the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, lease extensions exercised during the six months ended March 30, 2024 increased the line items “Operating lease right of use assets” and “Noncurrent operating lease liabilities” by $1.5 million each. At March 30, 2024, the weighted average remaining lease term for the Company’s operating leases was 12.5 years. The weighted average discount rate used to determine operating lease liability balances as of March 30, 2024 was 5.6%, and was 6.0% for finance lease liability balances.

Leases as Lessor

At March 30, 2024, the Company owned and operated 96 shopping centers in conjunction with its supermarket operations. The Company leases to others a portion of its shopping center properties. The leases are non-cancelable operating lease agreements for terms ranging up to 20 years.

Rental income is included in the line item “Net sales” on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Depreciation on owned properties leased to others and other shopping center expenses are included in the line item “Cost of goods sold” on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

	Three Months Ended		Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024		March 30, 2024
Rents earned on owned and subleased properties:
Base rentals	$	6,821,138	$	13,702,796
Variable rentals		50,956		101,912
Total		6,872,094		13,804,708
Depreciation on owned properties leased to others		(2,037,120)		(4,033,370)
Other shopping center expenses		(1,203,110)		(1,992,714)
Total	$	3,631,864	$	7,778,624

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Future minimum operating lease receipts at March 30, 2024 were as follows:

Fiscal Year
Remainder of 2024	$	10,041,564
2025		18,463,750
2026		14,827,515
2027		11,596,313
2028		8,869,669
Thereafter		31,408,311
Total minimum future rental income	$	95,207,122

K. SEGMENT INFORMATION

The Company operates one primary business segment, retail grocery sales. “Other” includes our remaining operations – fluid dairy and shopping center rentals. Information about the Company’s operations by lines of business (amounts in thousands) is as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,		March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023		2024		2023
Revenues from unaffiliated customers:
Grocery	$	490,490	$	492,553	$	1,012,295	$	1,033,411
Non-foods		305,921		308,684		664,018		636,039
Perishables		349,135		348,204		717,119		722,392
Fuel		169,742		175,551		347,629		368,023
Total Retail	$	1,315,288	$	1,324,992	$	2,741,061	$	2,759,865
Other		52,192		55,612		107,481		114,053
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	$	1,367,480	$	1,380,604	$	2,848,542	$	2,873,918
Income from operations:
Retail	$	38,732	$	50,786	$	92,123	$	138,701
Other		6,076		6,861		12,313		14,702
Total income from operations	$	44,809	$	57,647	$	104,436	$	153,403

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Assets:
Retail	$	2,142,529	$	2,159,883
Other		345,442		317,479
Elimination of intercompany receivable		(1,664)		(3,516)
Total assets	$	2,486,308	$	2,473,846

The “Grocery” category includes grocery, dairy, and frozen foods.

The “Non-foods” category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The “Perishables” category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.

The fluid dairy operation sales to the grocery sales segment have been eliminated in consolidation and are excluded from the amounts in the table above.

L. FAIR VALUES OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

The fair value of the Company’s debt and interest rate swaps are estimated using valuation techniques under the accounting guidance related to fair value measurements based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily available data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. These inputs are classified into the following hierarchy:

Level 1 Inputs –	Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
Level 2 Inputs –	Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.

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Level 3 Inputs – Pricing inputs are unobservable for the assets or liabilities and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the assets or liabilities. The inputs into the determination of fair value require significant management judgment or estimation.

The carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt, interest rate swaps, and non-qualified retirement plan assets at March 30, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	305,375	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		49,910		49,910	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		139,208		139,208	Level 2
Interest rate swap derivative contracts asset		13,958		13,958	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		24,780		24,780	Level 2

The carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt, interest rate swaps, and non-qualified retirement plan assets at September 30, 2023 were as follows (in thousands):

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	287,875	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		54,440		54,440	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		145,718		145,718	Level 2
Interest rate swaps derivative contract assets		17,515		17,515	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		20,074		20,074	Level 2

The fair values for Level 2 measurements were determined primarily using market yields and taking into consideration the underlying terms of the instrument.

M. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business are pending against the Company. In the opinion of management, the ultimate liability, if any, from all pending legal proceedings and claims is not expected to materially affect the Company’s financial position, the results of its operations, or its cash flows.

N. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company will from time to time make short-term non-interest bearing loans to the Company’s Investment/Profit Sharing Plan to allow the plan to meet distribution obligations during a time when the plan was prohibited from selling shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock. During the six months ended March 30, 2024, there were $500,000 loans issued and outstanding.

In January 2024, the Company and a limited liability company having Mr. Robert P. Ingle II, the Company’s Chairman of the Board, as one of its principals swapped adjoining properties. In accordance with the Company’s related party transaction policy, independent fair market value appraisals were obtained, and the transaction was approved by the Audit Committee. The Company received $2.3 million in addition to the swapped property based on these values.

Item 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

Ingles, a leading supermarket chain in the Southeast, operates 198 supermarkets in North Carolina (75), Georgia (65), South Carolina (35), Tennessee (21), Virginia (1) and Alabama (1). Ingles supermarkets offer customers a wide variety of nationally advertised food products, including grocery, meat and dairy products, produce, frozen foods and other perishables and non-food products. Non-food products include fuel centers, pharmacies, health/beauty/cosmetic products and general merchandise, as well as quality private label items. In addition, the Company focuses on selling products to its customers through the development of certified organic products, bakery departments and prepared foods including delicatessen sections.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Critical accounting estimates are those estimates that management believes are important to the presentation of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, and require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to estimate the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Estimates are based on historical experience and other factors believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying

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values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Management estimates, by their nature, involve judgments regarding future uncertainties, and actual results may therefore differ materially from these estimates.

For the six months ended March 30, 2024, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 that have had a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes.

Self-Insurance

The Company is self-insured for workers’ compensation, general liability and group medical and dental benefits. Risks and uncertainties are associated with self-insurance; however, the Company has limited its exposure by maintaining excess liability coverage of $1.0 million per occurrence for workers’ compensation and for general liability, and $500,000 per covered person for medical care benefits for a policy year. Self-insurance liabilities are established based on claims filed and estimates of claims incurred but not reported. The estimates are based on data provided by the respective claims administrators. The estimates are based on data provided by the respective claims administrators which is then applied to appropriate actuarial methods. These estimates can fluctuate if historical trends are not predictive of the future. The majority of the Company’s properties are self-insured for casualty losses and business interruption; however, the Company maintains liability coverage. At March 30, 2024 the Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $34.6 million. This amount included $4.6 million of expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that are recorded as a receivable.

Asset Impairments

The Company accounts for the impairment of long-lived assets in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 360. Asset groups are primarily composed of our individual stores and shopping center properties. For assets to be held and used, the Company tests for impairment using undiscounted cash flows and calculates the amount of impairment using discounted cash flows. For assets held for sale, impairment is recognized based on the excess of remaining book value over expected recovery value. The recovery value is the fair value as determined by independent quotes or expected sales prices developed by internal associates, net of costs to sell. Estimates of future cash flows and expected sales prices are judgments based upon the Company’s experience and knowledge of local operations and cash flows that are projected for several years into the future. These estimates can fluctuate significantly due to changes in real estate market conditions, the economic environment, capital spending decisions and inflation. The Company monitors the carrying value of long-lived assets for potential impairment each quarter based on whether any indicators of impairment have occurred. There were no asset impairments during the six-month period ended March 30, 2024.

Vendor Allowances

The Company receives funds for a variety of merchandising activities from the many vendors whose products the Company buys for resale in its stores. These incentives and allowances are primarily composed of volume or purchase based incentives, advertising allowances, slotting fees, and promotional discounts. The purpose of these incentives and allowances is generally to help defray the costs incurred by the Company for stocking, advertising, promoting and selling the applicable vendor’s products. These allowances generally relate to short term arrangements with vendors, often relating to a period of one month or less, and are negotiated on a purchase-by-purchase or transaction-by-transaction basis. Whenever practical, vendor discounts and allowances that relate to buying and merchandising activities are recorded as a component of item cost in inventory and recognized in merchandise costs when the item is sold. Due to the use of the retail method of store inventory and the nature of certain allowances, it is sometimes not practicable to apply allowances to the item cost of inventory. In those instances, the allowances are applied as a reduction of merchandise costs using a rational and systematic methodology, which results in the recognition of these incentives when the inventory related to the vendor consideration received is sold. Vendor allowances applied as a reduction of merchandise costs totaled $35.8 million and $29.8 million for the fiscal quarters ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively. For the six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, vendor allowances applied as a reduction of merchandise costs totaled $72.6 million and $64.6 million, respectively. Vendor advertising allowances that represent a reimbursement of specific identifiable incremental costs of advertising the vendor’s specific products are recorded as a reduction to the related expense in the period in which the related expense is incurred. Vendor advertising allowances recorded as a reduction of advertising expense totaled $2.3 million and $1.9 million for the fiscal quarters ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively. For the six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, vendor advertising allowances recorded as a reduction of advertising expense totaled $4.2 million and $3.9 million, respectively.

If vendor advertising allowances were substantially reduced or eliminated, the Company would likely consider other methods of advertising, as well as the volume and frequency of the Company’s product advertising, which could increase or decrease the Company’s expenditures.

Similarly, the Company is not able to assess the impact of vendor advertising allowances on creating additional revenue, as such allowances do not directly generate revenue for the Company’s stores.

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Results of Operations

Ingles operates on a 52 or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in September. The Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023 both include 13 and 26 weeks of operations, respectively. Comparable store sales are defined as sales by retail stores in operation for five full fiscal quarters. Sales from replacement stores, major remodels and the addition of fuel stations to existing stores are included in the comparable store sales calculation from the date thereof. A replacement store is a newly-opened store that replaces an existing nearby store that has closed. A major remodel entails substantial remodeling of an existing store and includes additional retail square footage. For both the three- and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, comparable store sales included 198 stores.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, selected financial information as a percentage of net sales. For information regarding the business’ segments, see Note K “Segment Information” to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. 

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,		March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023		2024		2023
Net sales	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%
Gross profit	23.5	%	23.6	%	23.5	%	24.3	%
Operating and administrative expenses	20.8	%	19.4	%	20.1	%	19.0	%
Gain from sale or disposal of assets	0.6	%	—	%	0.3	%	—	%
Income from operations	3.3	%	4.2	%	3.7	%	5.3	%
Other income, net	0.2	%	0.1	%	0.2	%	0.1	%
Interest expense	0.4	%	0.4	%	0.4	%	0.4	%
Income tax expense	0.8	%	1.0	%	0.9	%	1.2	%
Net income	2.3	%	2.9	%	2.6	%	3.8	%

Three Months Ended March 30, 2024 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 25, 2023

Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 totaled $31.9 million, compared with net income of $40.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2023. The decrease related primarily to increased expenses, as described below.

Net Sales. Net sales decreased by $13.1 million, or 0.95%, to $1.37 billion for the three months ended March 30, 2024 compared with $1.38 billion for the three months ended March 25, 2023. Excluding fuel sales, total grocery comparable store sales decreased 0.2% over the comparative fiscal quarter. Ingles operated 198 stores at both March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023.

Sales by product category (in thousands) were as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023
Grocery	$	490,490	$	492,553
Non-foods		305,921		308,684
Perishables		349,135		348,204
Fuel		169,742		175,551
Total retail grocery	$	1,315,288	$	1,324,992

The “Grocery” category includes grocery, dairy, and frozen foods.

The “Non-foods” category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The “Perishables” category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.

Changes in retail grocery sales for the quarter ended March 30, 2024 are summarized as follows (in thousands):

Total retail sales for the three months ended March 25, 2023	$	1,324,992
Comparable store sales decrease (including fuel)		(11,950)
Effect of Easter in second quarter of fiscal 2024		9,723
Other		(7,477)
Total retail sales for the three months ended March 30, 2024	$	1,315,288

Gross Profit. Gross profit for the three-month period ended March 30, 2024 totaled $321.9 million, a decrease of $4.1 million, or 1.2%, compared with gross profit of $325.9 million for the three-month period ended March 25, 2023. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 23.5% and 23.6% for the three months ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively. The decrease in gross profit as a percentage of sales resulted primarily from inflation and raw material shortages, which have increased the cost of products.

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Operating and Administrative Expenses. Operating and administrative expenses increased $15.9 million, or 5.9%, to $284.8 million for the three months ended March 30, 2024, from $268.9 million for the three months ended March 25, 2023. As a percentage of sales, operating and administrative expenses were 20.8% and 19.5% for the March 2024 and March 2023 quarters, respectively.

A breakdown of the major changes in operating and administrative expenses is as follows:

	Increase		Increase as a
	in millions		% of sales
Salaries and wages	$	6.5	0.48	%
Insurance	$	6.0	0.44	%
Repairs and maintenance	$	2.0	0.15	%

Salaries and wages increased due to increased labor market competition, which has increased the Company’s cost to attract and retain associates in the Company’s market area.

Insurance expense increased due to higher claim volume for our self-insured employee benefit plans.

Repairs and maintenance increased due to higher refrigerant costs and the cost of other supply items, as well as increased wear and tear on equipment to accommodate sales volume.

Gain from Sale or Disposal of Assets. Gain from the sale or disposal of assets totaled $7.7 million for the three months ended March 30, 2024, primarily from the exchange of adjacent property. Gain from the sale or disposal of assets totaled $0.6 million for the three months ended March 25, 2023.

Interest Expense. Interest expense totaled $5.6 million for the three-month period ended March 30, 2024 compared with $5.3 million for the three-month period ended March 25, 2023. The increase related primarily to higher interest rates applicable to our variable rate indebtedness. Total debt at March 2024 was $539.1 million compared with $556.7 million at March 2023.

Income Taxes. Income tax expense totaled $10.7 million for the three months ended March 30, 2024, reflecting an effective tax rate of 25.1% of pretax income. Income tax expense totaled $13.5 million for the three months ended March 25, 2023, reflecting an effective tax rate of 25.0% of pretax income.

Net Income. Net income totaled $31.9 million for the three-month period ended March 30, 2024 compared with $40.5 million for the three-month period ended March 25, 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $1.72 and $1.68, respectively, for the March 2024 quarter, compared to $2.18 and $2.13, respectively, for the March 2023 quarter. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $1.56 for the March 2024 quarter compared with $1.98 for the March 2023 quarter.

Six Months Ended March 30, 2024 Compared to the Six Months Ended March 25, 2023

Net income for the first half of fiscal 2024 totaled $75.3 million, compared with net income of $109.9 million for the first half of fiscal 2023. The decrease related primarily to increased expenses, as described below.

Net Sales. Net sales decreased by $25.4 million, or 0.88%, to $2.85 billion for the six months ended March 30, 2024 compared with $2.87 billion for the six months ended March 25, 2023. Excluding fuel sales, total grocery comparable store sales increased 0.43% over the comparative six-month period.

Sales by product category (in thousands) were as follows:

	Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023
Grocery	$	1,012,295	$	1,033,411
Non-foods		664,019		636,039
Perishables		717,119		722,392
Fuel		347,629		368,023
Total retail grocery	$	2,741,061	$	2,759,865

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Changes in retail grocery sales for the quarter ended March 30, 2024 are summarized as follows (in thousands):

Total retail sales for the six months ended March 25, 2023	$	2,759,865
Comparable store sales increase (including fuel)		(8,782)
Effect of Easter in second quarter of fiscal 2024		9,723
Other		(19,745)
Total retail sales for the six months ended March 30, 2024	$	2,741,061

The “Grocery” category includes grocery, dairy, and frozen foods.

The “Non-foods” category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The “Perishables” category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.

Gross Profit. Gross profit for the six-month period ended March 30, 2024 totaled $670.7 million, a decrease of $26.4 million, or 3.79%, compared with gross profit of $697.1 million for the six-month period ended March 25, 2023. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 23.5% and 24.3% for the six months ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively.

Operating and Administrative Expenses. Operating and administrative expenses increased $29.5 million, or 5.4%, to $574.6 million for the six months ended March 30, 2024, from $545.1 million for the six months ended March 25, 2023. As a percentage of sales, operating and administrative expenses were 20.2% and 19.0% for the March 2024 and March 2023 six-month periods, respectively.

A breakdown of the major changes in operating and administrative expenses is as follows:

			Increase
	Increase		as a % of
	in millions		sales
Salaries and wages	$	15.4	0.54	%
Insurance	$	8.4	0.30	%
Repairs and maintenance	$	2.4	0.08	%

Salaries and wages increased due to increased labor market competition, which has increased the Company’s cost to attract and retain associates in the Company’s market area.

Insurance expense increased due to higher claim volume and costs related to the self-insured employee benefits.

Repairs and maintenance expense increased due to higher refrigerant costs and the cost of other supply items, as well as increased wear and tear on equipment to accommodate sales volume.

Gain from Sale or Disposal of Assets. Gain from the sale or disposal of assets totaled $8.3 million for the six months ended March 30, 2024, as compared to $1.4 million for the six months ended March 25, 2023.

Interest Expense. Interest expense totaled $11.3 million for the six-month period ended March 30, 2024 compared with $10.7 million for the six-month period ended March 25, 2023. The increase related primarily to higher interest rates applicable to our variable rate indebtedness. Total debt at March 2024 was $539.1 million compared with $556.7 million at March 2023.

Income Taxes. Income tax expense totaled $24.8 million for the six months ended March 30, 2024, reflecting an effective tax rate of 24.8% of pretax income. Income tax expense totaled $36.0 million for the six months ended March 25, 2023, reflecting an effective tax rate of 24.7% of pretax income.

Net Income. Net income totaled $75.3 million for the six-month period ended March 30, 2024 compared with $109.9 million for the six-month period ended March 25, 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $4.05 and $3.96, respectively, for the six months ended March 30, 2024, compared to $5.92 and $5.79, respectively, for the six months ended March 25, 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $3.68 for the six months ended March 30, 2024 compared with $5.38 for the six months ended March 25, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled $98.4 million for the six-month period ended March 30, 2024. The Company’s capital expenditures include the construction of new stores, the expansion and remodeling of existing stores, the acquisition of sites, new technology, and upgrades of the Company’s transportation fleet and facilities.

The Company’s capital expenditure plans for fiscal 2024 currently include investments of approximately $160 to $200 million. The Company currently plans to dedicate the majority of its fiscal 2024 capital expenditures to continued improvement of its store base,

18

including remodeling and continued investment in one store expected to open in fiscal 2024, as well as technology improvements, upgrading and replacing existing store, warehouse and transportation equipment and improvements to the Company’s milk processing plant.

The Company currently expects that its annual capital expenditures will be in the range of approximately $120 to $160 million going forward in order to maintain a modern store base. Among other things, planned expenditures for any given future fiscal year will be affected by the availability of financing, which can affect both the number of projects pursued at any given time and the cost of those projects. The number of projects may also fluctuate due to the varying costs of the types of projects pursued including new stores and major remodel/expansions. The Company makes decisions on the allocation of capital expenditure dollars based on many factors including the competitive environment, other Company capital initiatives and its financial condition.

The Company does not generally enter into commitments for capital expenditures other than on a store-by-store basis at the time it begins construction on a new store or begins a major or minor remodeling project.

Liquidity

The Company generated $85.9 million net cash from operations for the March 2024 six-month period compared with $94.4 million for the March 2023 six-month period. Cash from operations decreased by $8.5 million due to lower net income for the March 2024 six-month period compared with the March 2023 six-month period.

Cash used by investing activities for the six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023 totaled $94.6 million and $89.6 million, respectively, consisting primarily of capital expenditures and purchases of short term investments.

Cash used by financing activities totaled $17.9 million for the six-month period ended March 30, 2024, compared with $21.7 million for the six-month period ended March 25, 2023. The increase was primarily related to principal payments on long-term debt.

The U.S. Dollar LIBOR panel ceased following June 30, 2023, and the Company’s debt agreements and interest rate swaps that utilized LIBOR discontinued the use of LIBOR and adopted SOFR, which did not materially impact our condensed consolidated unaudited interim financial statements.

In June 2021, the Company issued $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2031 (the “Notes”). The Notes bear an interest rate of 4.00% per annum and were issued at par.

The Company has a $150.0 million line of credit (the “Line”) that matures in June 2026. The Line provides the Company with various interest rate options based on the prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate, or SOFR. The Line allows the Company to issue up to $10.0 million in letters of credit, of which none were issued at March 30, 2024. The Company is not required to maintain compensating balances in connection with the Line. At March 30, 2024, the Company had no borrowings outstanding under the Line.

In December 2010, the Company completed the funding of $99.7 million of Bonds (the “Bonds”) for the construction of new warehouse and distribution space adjacent to its existing space in Buncombe County, North Carolina (the “Project”). The final maturity date of the Bonds is January 1, 2036.

Under a Continuing Covenant and Collateral Agency Agreement (the “Covenant Agreement”) between certain financial institutions and the Company, the financial institutions would hold the Bonds until December 17, 2029, subject to certain events. Mandatory redemption of the Bonds by the Company in the annual amount of $4.5 million began on January 1, 2014. The outstanding balance of the Bonds was $44.9 million as of March 30, 2024. The Company may redeem the Bonds without penalty or premium at any time prior to December 17, 2029.

In September 2017, the Company refinanced approximately $60 million secured borrowing obligations with a SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate maturing in October 2027. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $21.5 million at a fixed rate of 3.962%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 3.962% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.75%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest rate swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.5 million and mature October 1, 2027.

In December 2019, the Company closed a $155 million SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate maturing in January 2030. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $120.8 million at a fixed rate of 2.998%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 2.998% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.60%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.65 million and mature in fiscal year 2030.

The fair market value of the interest rate swaps are measured quarterly with adjustments recorded in other comprehensive income.

19

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally have cross-default provisions which could result in the acceleration of payments due under the Company’s Line, Bonds and Notes indenture in the event of default under any one instrument.

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally contain provisions that under certain circumstances would permit lending institutions to terminate or withdraw their respective extensions of credit to the Company. Included among the triggering factors permitting the termination or withdrawal of the Line to the Company are certain events of default, including both monetary and non-monetary defaults, the initiation of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, and the failure of the Company to meet certain financial covenants designated in its respective loan documents. As of March 30, 2024, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. Under the most restrictive of these covenants, the Company would have been permitted to incur approximately $1.7 billion of additional borrowings (including borrowings under the Line) as of March 30, 2024.

The Company’s principal sources of liquidity are expected to be cash flow from operations, borrowings under the Line and long-term debt financing. The Company believes, based on its current results of operations and financial condition, that its financial resources, including the Line, short- and long-term financing expected to be available to it and internally generated funds, will be sufficient to meet planned capital expenditures and working capital requirements for the foreseeable future, including any debt service requirements of additional borrowings. However, there is no assurance that any such sources of financing will be available to the Company when needed on acceptable terms, or at all.

It is possible that, in the future, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition will be different from that described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q based on a number of factors. These factors may include, among others, increased competition, changing regional and national economic conditions, adverse climatic conditions affecting food production and delivery, changing demographics, and a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic or variants of the virus, as well as the additional factors discussed below under “Forward Looking Statements.” It is also possible, for such reasons, that the results of operations from the new, expanded, remodeled and/or replacement stores will not meet or exceed the results of operations from existing stores that are described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Quarterly Cash Dividends

Since December 27, 1993, the Company has paid regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.165 per share on its Class A Common Stock and $0.15 per share on its Class B Common Stock for an annual rate of $0.66 and $0.60 per share, respectively.

The Company expects to continue paying regular cash dividends on a quarterly basis. However, the Board of Directors periodically reconsiders the declaration of dividends. The Company pays these dividends at the discretion of the Board of Directors and the continuation of these payments, the amount of such dividends, and the form in which the dividends are paid (cash or stock) depends upon the results of operations, the financial condition of the Company and other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant. In addition, the Notes, the Bonds, the Line, and other debt agreements contain provisions that, based on certain financial parameters, restrict the ability of the Company to pay additional cash dividends in excess of current quarterly per share amounts. Further, the Company is prevented from declaring dividends at any time that it is in default under the indenture governing the Notes.

Seasonality

Grocery sales are subject to a slight seasonal variance due to both holiday related sales and sales in areas where seasonal homes are located. Sales are traditionally higher in the Company’s first fiscal quarter due to the inclusion of sales related to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unless Easter falls within the quarter, the Company’s second fiscal quarter traditionally has the lowest sales of the year predominantly due to lower occupancy of seasonal homes. In the third and fourth quarters, sales are usually positively affected by the return of customers to seasonal homes in our market area.

Impact of Inflation

The following table from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics lists annualized changes in the Consumer Price Index that could have an effect on the Company’s operations. One of the Company’s significant costs is labor, which increases with general inflation. Inflation or deflation in energy costs affects the Company’s fuel sales, distribution expenses and plastic supply costs. During the past twelve months, inflation has declined from recent highs, impacting food costs, transportation costs, and labor costs.

	Twelve Months Ended
	March 2024
All items	3.5	%
Food at home	1.2	%
Energy	2.1	%

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The words “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “likely”, “goal”,

20

“believe”, “seek”, “will”, “may”, “would”, “should” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. While these forward-looking statements and the related assumptions are made in good faith and reflect the Company’s current judgment regarding the direction of the Company’s business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested or described by such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates which are inherently subject to significant risks and uncertainties many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Some of these assumptions inevitably will not materialize, and unanticipated events will occur which will affect the Company’s results. Some important factors (but not necessarily all factors) that affect the Company’s revenues, financial position, growth strategies, profitability and operating results, or that otherwise could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statement, include the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic or variants of the virus on our business and economic conditions generally in the Company’s operating area; the Company’s ability to successfully implement its expansion and operating strategies and to manage rapid expansion; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; reduction in per gallon retail fuel prices; the maturation of new and expanded stores; the Company’s ability to reduce costs and achieve improvements in operating results; the availability and terms of financing; increases in labor and utility costs; success or failure in the ownership and development of real estate; changes in the laws and government regulations applicable to the Company; disruptions in the efficient distribution of food products; changes in accounting policies, standards, guidelines or principles as may be adopted by regulatory agencies as well as the Financial Accounting Standards Board; and those factors contained under the heading “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, filed by the Company under the Exchange Act, on November 29, 2023.

Consequently, actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company’s operations may vary significantly from those described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or contemplated or implied by statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not undertake and specifically denies any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect future events or developments, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As disclosed under “Liquidity” in Part I Item 2 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the Company is a party to interest rate swap agreements for a current aggregate notional amount of $142.3 million. The Company does not utilize financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes, nor does it typically utilize highly leveraged financial instruments. There have been no other material changes in the market risk factors from those disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, filed by the Company under the Exchange Act, on November 29, 2023.

Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

(a)Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving the objective that information in its Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified and pursuant to the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, include controls and procedures designed to ensure the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. It should be noted that the Company’s system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met.

As required by SEC Rule 13a-15(b), the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with participation of its management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures as of March 30, 2024, the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In making this evaluation, it considered matters previously identified and disclosed in connection with the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2023. Following such evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 30, 2024.

(b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company is currently planning and performing tests of internal controls over financial reporting for fiscal year 2024.

No changes in internal control over financial reporting occurred during the Company’s last fiscal quarter that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

21

Part II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 5. OTHER INFORMATION

During the six months ended March 30, 2024, none of our officers or directors adopted or terminated any contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of our sercurities that was intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act or any “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement”, as defined in Item 408 or Regulation S-K.

Item 6. EXHIBITS

(a) Exhibits.

31.1 * Rule 13a-14(a) Certification

31.2 * Rule 13a-14(a) Certification

32.1 ** Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350

32.2 ** Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350

101 * The following financial information from the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2024, formatted in iXBRL (Inline Extensible Business Reporting Language) and furnished electronically herewith: (i) the Consolidated Statements of Earnings; (ii) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income; and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

104 * Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

________

*Filed herewith.

**Furnished herewith.
‎

22

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED
Date: May 9, 2024	/s/ James W. Lanning
	James W. Lanning
	Chief Executive Officer and President (principal executive officer)
Date: May 9, 2024	/s/ Patricia E. Jackson
	Patricia E. Jackson, CPA
	Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer)

23

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 17 CFR 240.13a-14

PROMULGATED UNDER SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, James W. Lanning, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Ingles Markets, Incorporated;

2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15 (e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a – 15(f) and 15d – 15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s first fiscal quarter) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):  

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process,summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May9,  2024

/s/ James W. Lanning

James W. Lanning

Chief Executive Officer and President

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 17 CFR 240.13a-14

PROMULGATED UNDER SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, PatriciaE.  Jackson, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Ingles Markets, Incorporated;

2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15 (e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a – 15(f) and 15d – 15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s first fiscal quarter) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):  

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process,summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

6

Date: May9,  2024

/s/ Patricia E. Jackson

Patricia E. Jackson

Vice President - Finance and

Chief Financial Officer

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Ingles Markets, Incorporated (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period endedMarch30,  2024 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, James W. Lanning, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.

/s/ James W. Lanning

James W. Lanning

Chief Executive Officer and President

May9,  2024

The foregoing certification is being furnished as an exhibit of the Report pursuant to Item 601(b)(32) of Regulation S-K and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and, accordingly, is not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of the Report and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of the Report, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing).

EX-32.2

Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Ingles Markets, Incorporated (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ended March30,  2024 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, PatriciaE.  Jackson, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.

/s/ Patricia E. Jackson

Patricia E. Jackson

Vice President - Finance and

Chief Financial Officer

May9,  2024

The foregoing certification is being furnished as an exhibit of the Report pursuant to Item 601(b)(32) of Regulation S-K and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and, accordingly, is not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of the Report and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of the Report, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing).

XML

Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	May 07, 2024
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2024
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	0-14706
Entity Registrant Name	INGLES MARKETS, INCORPORATED
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	NC
Entity Tax Identification Number	56-0846267
Entity Address, Address Line One	P.O. Box 6676
Entity Address, City or Town	Asheville
Entity Address, State or Province	NC
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	28816
City Area Code	828
Local Phone Number	669-2941
Title of 12(b) Security	Class A Common Stock, $0.05 par value per share
Trading Symbol	IMKTA
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-28
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2024
Entity Central Index Key	0000050493
Amendment Flag	false
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		14,536,700
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		4,457,676

XML

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 302,017,848	$ 328,539,922
Receivables - net	109,444,276	107,570,690
Inventories	479,129,835	493,859,775
Other current assets	26,530,028	22,585,958
Total Current Assets	917,121,987	952,556,345
Property and Equipment - Net	1,480,037,502	1,431,872,289
Operating lease right of use assets	37,738,468	39,602,202
Other Assets	51,409,736	49,814,897
Total Assets	2,486,307,693	2,473,845,733
Current Liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	17,520,876	17,526,289
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	6,748,263	7,594,971
Current portion of finance lease liabilities	654,866	635,559
Accounts payable - trade	181,624,886	204,040,546
Accrued expenses and current portion of other long-term liabilities	80,412,186	100,735,784
Total Current Liabilities	286,961,077	330,533,149
Deferred Income Taxes	63,561,000	67,187,000
Long-Term Debt	521,597,008	532,631,960
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	32,999,189	34,016,670
Noncurrent finance lease liabilities	2,727,606	3,059,938
Other Long-Term Liabilities	53,019,344	47,444,876
Total Liabilities	960,865,224	1,014,873,593
Stockholders’ Equity
Preferred stock, $0.05 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued
Paid-in capital in excess of par value
Accumulated other comprehensive income	10,545,546	13,233,631
Retained earnings	1,513,947,204	1,444,788,790
Total Stockholders’ Equity	1,525,442,469	1,458,972,140
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	2,486,307,693	2,473,845,733
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stocks:	726,835	724,854
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stocks:	$ 222,884	$ 224,865

XML

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Mar. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Preferred stock, par value	$ 0.05	$ 0.05
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Common stock, par value	$ 0.05	$ 0.05
Common stock, shares authorized	150,000,000	150,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	14,536,700	14,497,075
Common stock, shares outstanding	14,536,700	14,497,075
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Common stock, par value	$ 0.05	$ 0.05
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	4,457,676	4,497,301
Common stock, shares outstanding	4,457,676	4,497,301

XML

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023
Net sales	$ 1,367,479,701	$ 1,380,604,140	$ 2,848,541,531	$ 2,873,918,247
Cost of goods sold	1,045,594,741	1,054,664,179	2,177,855,492	2,176,823,396
Gross profit	321,884,960	325,939,961	670,686,039	697,094,851
Operating and administrative expenses	284,762,087	268,890,164	574,588,617	545,069,422
Gain from sale or disposal of assets	7,686,184	597,218	8,339,044	1,377,302
Income from operations	44,809,057	57,647,015	104,436,466	153,402,731
Other income, net	3,381,398	1,734,456	6,987,947	3,176,063
Interest expense	5,587,829	5,344,666	11,294,186	10,691,508
Income before income taxes	42,602,626	54,036,805	100,130,227	145,887,286
Income tax expense	10,704,000	13,497,000	24,838,000	35,976,000
Net income	31,898,626	40,539,805	75,292,227	109,911,286
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Change in fair value of interest rate swap	1,510,471	(2,671,226)	(3,557,085)	(4,193,733)
Income tax (expense) benefit	(369,000)	652,000	869,000	1,024,000
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	1,141,471	(2,019,226)	(2,688,085)	(3,169,733)
Comprehensive income	$ 33,040,097	$ 38,520,579	$ 72,604,142	$ 106,741,553
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Per-share amounts:
Basic earnings per common share	$ 1.72	$ 2.18	$ 4.05	$ 5.92
Diluted earnings per common share	1.68	2.13	3.96	5.79
Cash dividends per common share	0.165	0.165	0.33	0.33
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Per-share amounts:
Basic earnings per common share	1.56	1.98	3.68	5.38
Diluted earnings per common share	1.56	1.98	3.68	5.38
Cash dividends per common share	$ 0.150	$ 0.150	$ 0.30	$ 0.30

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity - USD ($)	Class A Common Stock [Member] Common Stock [Member]	Class B Common Stock [Member] Common Stock [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Total
Balance at Sep. 24, 2022	$ 718,879	$ 230,840	$ 12,406,551	$ 1,246,238,155	$ 1,259,594,425
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 24, 2022	14,377,575	4,616,801
Net income				69,371,481	69,371,481
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax			(1,150,507)		(1,150,507)
Cash dividends				(3,064,821)	(3,064,821)
Common stock conversions	$ 456	$ (456)
Common stock conversions (in shares)	9,125	(9,125)
Balance at Dec. 24, 2022	$ 719,335	$ 230,384	11,256,044	1,312,544,815	1,324,750,578
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 24, 2022	14,386,700	4,607,676
Balance at Sep. 24, 2022	$ 718,879	$ 230,840	12,406,551	1,246,238,155	1,259,594,425
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 24, 2022	14,377,575	4,616,801
Net income					109,911,286
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax					(3,169,733)
Balance at Mar. 25, 2023	$ 719,346	$ 230,373	9,236,818	1,350,019,660	1,360,206,197
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 25, 2023	14,386,925	4,607,451
Balance at Dec. 24, 2022	$ 719,335	$ 230,384	11,256,044	1,312,544,815	1,324,750,578
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 24, 2022	14,386,700	4,607,676
Net income				40,539,805	40,539,805
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax			(2,019,226)		(2,019,226)
Cash dividends				(3,064,960)	(3,064,960)
Common stock conversions	$ 11	$ (11)
Common stock conversions (in shares)	225	(225)
Balance at Mar. 25, 2023	$ 719,346	$ 230,373	9,236,818	1,350,019,660	1,360,206,197
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 25, 2023	14,386,925	4,607,451
Balance at Sep. 30, 2023	$ 724,854	$ 224,865	13,233,631	1,444,788,790	1,458,972,140
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2023	14,497,075	4,497,301
Net income				43,393,601	43,393,601
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax			(3,829,556)		(3,829,556)
Cash dividends				(3,066,613)	(3,066,613)
Common stock conversions	$ 1,955	$ (1,955)
Common stock conversions (in shares)	39,100	(39,100)
Balance at Dec. 30, 2023	$ 726,809	$ 222,910	9,404,075	1,485,115,778	1,495,469,572
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 30, 2023	14,536,175	4,458,201
Balance at Sep. 30, 2023	$ 724,854	$ 224,865	13,233,631	1,444,788,790	1,458,972,140
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2023	14,497,075	4,497,301
Net income					75,292,227
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax					(2,688,085)
Balance at Mar. 30, 2024	$ 726,835	$ 222,884	10,545,546	1,513,947,204	1,525,442,469
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 30, 2024	14,536,700	4,457,676
Balance at Dec. 30, 2023	$ 726,809	$ 222,910	9,404,075	1,485,115,778	1,495,469,572
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 30, 2023	14,536,175	4,458,201
Net income				31,898,626	31,898,626
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax			1,141,471		1,141,471
Cash dividends				(3,067,200)	(3,067,200)
Common stock conversions	$ 26	$ (26)
Common stock conversions (in shares)	525	(525)
Balance at Mar. 30, 2024	$ 726,835	$ 222,884	$ 10,545,546	$ 1,513,947,204	$ 1,525,442,469
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 30, 2024	14,536,700	4,457,676

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
Net income	$ 75,292,227	$ 109,911,286
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense	58,022,599	57,969,652
Non cash operating lease cost	3,363,519	3,841,608
Gain from sale or disposal of assets	(8,339,044)	(1,377,302)
Receipt of advance payments on purchases contracts	1,150,677	1,582,490
Recognition of advance payments on purchases contracts	(1,529,141)	(1,430,226)
Deferred income taxes	(2,757,000)	(2,842,000)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Receivables	(1,837,366)	312,669
Inventory	14,729,941	(16,302,309)
Other assets	(9,112,237)	(19,145,618)
Operating lease liabilities	(3,363,973)	(3,838,850)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	(39,646,215)	(34,267,784)
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities	85,973,987	94,413,616
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Purchase from short term investments
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment	3,711,585	1,766,849
Capital expenditures	(98,355,767)	(91,352,345)
Net Cash Used by Investing Activities	(94,644,183)	(89,585,496)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Principal payments on long-term borrowings	(11,405,040)	(15,593,180)
Repayment of finance lease	(313,025)
Dividends paid	(6,133,813)	(6,129,781)
Net Cash Used by Financing Activities	(17,851,878)	(21,722,961)
Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(26,522,074)	(16,894,841)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	328,539,922	267,198,517
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period	$ 302,017,848	$ 250,303,676

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Basis of Preparation

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Basis of Preparation [Abstract]

Basis of Preparation

A. BASIS OF PREPARATION

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of March 30, 2024 and the results of operations and changes in stockholders’ equity for the three-month and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, and cash flows of Ingles Markets, Incorporated, a North Carolina corporation (“Ingles”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), for the six months ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023. The adjustments made are of a normal recurring nature. Certain information and footnote disclosures included in the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for Form 10-Q. It is suggested that these unaudited interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, on November 29, 2023.

The results of operations for the three-month and six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

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New Accounting Pronouncements

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

New Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements

B. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” The ASU provides optional guidance to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform on financial reporting in response to the risk of cessation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). This amendment provides for optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contracts and hedging relationships that are affected by LIBOR and other reference rates. The ASU generally allows for hedge accounting to continue if the hedge was highly effective or met other standards prior to reference rate reform. Entities are permitted to apply the amendments to all contracts, cash flow and net investment hedge relationships that existed as of March 12, 2020. The relief provided in this ASU extends through December 31, 2024. The U.S. Dollar LIBOR panel ceased following June 30, 2023, and the Company’s debt agreements and interest rate swaps that utilized LIBOR discontinued the use of LIBOR and adopted the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which did not materially impact our condensed consolidated unaudited interim financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Taxes Disclosures, which requires greater disaggregation of income tax disclosures. The new standard requires additional information to be disclosed with respect to the income tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. This ASU should be applied prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with retrospective application permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impacts of this guidance on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires companies to enhance the disclosures about segment expenses. The new standard requires the disclosure of the Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), expanded incremental line-item disclosures of significant segment expenses used by the CODM for decision-making, and the inclusion of previous annual only segment disclosure requirements on a quarterly basis. This ASU should be applied retrospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impacts of this guidance on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Short Term Investments

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Short Term Investments [Abstract]

Short Term Investments

C. SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS

From time to time, the Company purchases financial products that can be readily converted into cash, and the Company accounts for such financial products as short-term investments. The financial products may include money market funds, bonds and mutual funds. The carrying values of the Company’s short-term investments approximate fair value because of their liquidity.

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Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts [Abstract]

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

D. ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS

Receivables are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $294,085 at March 30, 2024 and $143,753 at September 30, 2023.

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Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

E. INCOME TAXES

The Company’s effective tax rate differs from the federal statutory rate primarily as a result of state income taxes and tax credits.

The Company has unrecognized tax benefits and could incur interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. These amounts are insignificant and are not expected to significantly increase or decrease within the next twelve months.

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Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities [Abstract]

Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities

F. ACCRUED EXPENSES AND CURRENT PORTION OF OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses and current portion of other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Property, payroll and other taxes payable	$	16,833,389	$	25,203,091
Salaries, wages and bonuses payable		38,402,631		50,836,143
Self-insurance liabilities		15,064,285		13,974,358
Interest payable		5,077,451		5,111,666
Other		5,034,430		5,610,526
	$	80,412,186	$	100,735,784

Self-insurance liabilities are established for general liability claims, workers’ compensation and employee group medical and dental benefits based on claims filed and estimates of claims incurred but not reported. The Company is currently insured for covered costs in excess of $1.0 million per occurrence for workers’ compensation and for general liability and $500,000 per covered person for medical care benefits for a policy year. The Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $34.6 million at March 30, 2024. Of this amount, $15.1 million was accounted for as a current liability and $19.5 million as a long-term liability, which included $4.6 million of expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that were recorded as a receivable. At September 30, 2023, the Company’s self-insurance reserves totaled $32.9 million of which $14.0 million was accounted for as a current liability and $18.9 million as a long-term liability, which included $4.3 million of expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance or other sources that were recorded as a receivable.

Employee insurance expense, including workers’ compensation and medical care benefits, net of employee contributions, totaled $9.4 million and $8.1 million for the three-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, respectively. For the six-month periods ended March 30, 2024 and March 25, 2023, employee insurance expense, net of employee contributions totaled $22.4 million and $19.0 million, respectively.

The Company’s fuel operations use underground tanks for the storage of gasoline and diesel fuel. The Company reviewed FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 410 (“FASB ASC 410”) and determined that we have a legal obligation to remove tanks at various times in the future and accordingly determined that we have met the requirements for an asset retirement obligation. The Company followed the FASB ASC 410 model for determining the asset retirement cost and asset retirement obligation. The amounts recorded were immaterial for each fuel center as well as in the aggregate, at March 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023.

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Long-Term Debt

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Long-Term Debt [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt

G. LONG-TERM DEBT

The U.S. Dollar LIBOR panel ceased following June 30, 2023, and the Company’s debt agreements and interest rate swaps that utilized LIBOR discontinued the use of LIBOR and adopted SOFR, which did not materially impact our condensed consolidated unaudited interim financial statements.

In June 2021, the Company issued at par $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 4.00% senior notes due 2031 (the “Notes”). The Company may redeem all or a portion of the Notes at any time at the following redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount), if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning June 15 of the years indicated below:

Year
2026	102.000%
2027	101.333%
2028	100.667%
2029 and thereafter	100.000%

The Company has a $150.0 million line of credit (the “Line”) that matures in June 2026. The Line provides the Company with various interest rate options based on the prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate, or SOFR. The Line allows the Company to issue up to $10.0 million of letters of credit, of which none were issued at March 30, 2024. The Company is not required to maintain compensating balances in connection with the Line. At March 30, 2024, the Company had no borrowings outstanding under the Line.

In December 2010, the Company completed the funding of $99.7 million of bonds (the “Bonds”) for construction of new warehouse and distribution space adjacent to its existing space in Buncombe County, North Carolina (the “Project”). The final maturity date of the Bonds is January 1, 2036.

Under a Continuing Covenant and Collateral Agency Agreement (the “Covenant Agreement”) between certain financial institutions and the Company, the financial institutions would hold the Bonds until December 2029, subject to certain events. Mandatory

redemption of the Bonds by the Company in the annual amount of $4.5 million began on January 1, 2014. The outstanding balance of the Bonds was $49.9 million as of March 30, 2024. The Company may redeem the Bonds without penalty or premium at any time prior to December 17, 2029.

Interest earned by bondholders on the Bonds is exempt from Federal and North Carolina income taxation. The interest rate on the Bonds is equal to one-month SOFR (adjusted monthly) plus a credit spread, adjusted to reflect the income tax exemption.

The Company’s obligation to repay the Bonds is collateralized by the Project. The Covenant Agreement incorporates substantially all financial covenants included in the Line.

In September 2017, the Company refinanced approximately $60 million of secured borrowing obligations with a SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate, which matures in October 2027. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $21.5 million at a fixed rate of 3.962%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 3.962% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.75%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.5 million and mature October 1, 2027.

In December 2019, the Company closed a $155 million SOFR-based amortizing floating rate loan secured by real estate, which matures in January 2030. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement for a current notional amount of $120.8 million at a fixed rate of 2.998%. Under this agreement, the Company pays monthly the fixed rate of 2.998% and receives the one-month SOFR plus 1.60%. The interest rate swap effectively hedges floating rate debt in the same amount as the current notional amount of the interest swap. Both the floating rate debt and the interest rate swap have monthly principal amortization of $0.65 million and mature in fiscal year 2030.

The Company recognizes differences between the variable rate interest payments and the fixed interest rate settlements with the swap counterparties as an adjustment to interest expense each period over the life of the swaps. The Company has designated the swaps as cash flow hedges and records the changes in the estimated fair value of the swaps to other comprehensive income each period. For the three months ended March 30, 2024, the Company recorded $1.1 million of other comprehensive income and for the six months ended March 30, 2024, the Company recorded $2.7 million of other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes, in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Unrealized gains of $14.0 million were included as an asset at fair value in the line “Other Assets” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 30, 2024. For the three and six months ended March 25, 2023, the Company recorded $2.0 million and $3.2 million of other comprehensive loss, respectively, net of income taxes, in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Unrealized gains of $12.2 million were included as an asset at fair value in the line “Other Assets” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 25, 2023.

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally contain provisions that under certain circumstances would permit lending institutions to terminate or withdraw their respective extensions of credit to the Company. Included among the triggering factors permitting the termination or withdrawal of the Line to the Company are certain events of default, including both monetary and non-monetary defaults, the initiation of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, and the failure of the Company to meet certain financial covenants designated in its respective loan documents. The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants at March 30, 2024.

The Company’s long-term debt agreements generally have cross-default provisions which could result in the acceleration of payments due under all long-term debt agreements in the event of default under any one instrument.

At March 30, 2024, property and equipment with an undepreciated cost of approximately $252.2 million were pledged as collateral for long-term debt. Long-term debt and Line agreements contain various restrictive covenants requiring, among other things, minimum levels of net worth and maintenance of certain financial ratios. At March 30, 2024, the Company had excess net worth totaling $498.5 million calculated under covenants in the Bonds, various floating rate loans, and the Line. This amount is available to pay dividends; however, certain loan agreements containing provisions outlining minimum tangible net worth requirements restrict the ability of the Company to pay cash dividends in excess of the current annual per share dividends paid on the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. Further, the Company is prevented from paying cash dividends at any time that it is in default under the indenture governing the Notes. In addition, the terms of the indenture may restrict the ability of the Company to pay additional cash dividends based on certain financial parameters.

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Dividends

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Dividends [Abstract]

Dividends

H. DIVIDENDS

The Company paid cash dividends of $0.165 for each share of Class A Common Stock and $0.15 for each share of Class B Common Stock on October 19, 2023 to stockholders of record on October 12, 2023.

The Company paid cash dividends of $0.165 for each share of Class A Common Stock and $0.15 for each share of Class B Common Stock on January 19, 2024 to stockholders of record on January 12, 2024.

For additional information regarding the dividend rights of the Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, please see Note 8, “Stockholders’ Equity” to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, on November 29, 2023, as well as Note I, “Earnings Per Common Share” below.

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Earnings Per Common Share

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Earnings Per Common Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Common Share

I. EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE

The Company has two classes of common stock: Class A Common Stock, which is publicly traded, and Class B Common Stock, which has no public market. The Class B Common Stock has restrictions on transfer; however, each share is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock at any time at the election of the holder. Each share of Class A Common Stock has one vote per share and each share of Class B Common Stock has ten votes per share. Each share of Class A Common Stock is entitled to receive cash dividends equal to 110% of any cash dividend paid on Class B Common Stock.

The Company calculates earnings per share using the two-class method in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260.

The two-class method of computing basic earnings per share for each period reflects the cash dividends declared per share for each class of stock, plus allocated undistributed earnings per share computed using the participation percentage which reflects the dividend rights of each class of stock. Diluted earnings per share is calculated assuming the conversion of all shares of Class B Common Stock to shares of Class A Common Stock on a share-for-share basis. The tables below reconcile the numerators and denominators of basic and diluted earnings per share for current and prior periods.

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024				March 30, 2024
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	24,944,280	$	6,954,346	$	58,839,087	$	16,453,140
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		6,954,346		—		16,453,140		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	31,898,626	$	6,954,346	$	75,292,227	$	16,453,140
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,536,449		4,457,927		14,527,072		4,467,304
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,457,927		—		4,467,304		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,457,927		18,994,376		4,467,304
Earnings per share
Basic	$	1.72	$	1.56	$	4.05	$	3.68
Diluted	$	1.68	$	1.56	$	3.96	$	3.68

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 25, 2023				March 25, 2023
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	31,398,357	$	9,141,448	$	85,111,213	$	24,800,073
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		9,141,448		—		24,800,073		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	40,539,805	$	9,141,448	$	109,911,286	$	24,800,073
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,386,862		4,607,514		14,384,087		4,610,289
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,607,514		—		4,610,289		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,607,514		18,994,376		4,610,289
Earnings per share
Basic	$	2.18	$	1.98	$	5.92	$	5.38
Diluted	$	2.13	$	1.98	$	5.79	$	5.38

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Leases

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

J. LEASES

Leases as Lessee

The Company conducts part of its retail operations from leased facilities. The initial terms of the leases are generally 20 years. The majority of the leases include one or more renewal options and require that the Company pay property taxes, utilities, repairs and certain other costs incidental to occupation of the premises. Several leases contain clauses that require rental payments based on a percentage of gross sales of the supermarket occupying the leased space. Step rent provisions, escalation clauses and lease incentives are taken into account in computing minimum lease payments.

Operating Leases – Rent expense for all operating leases totaled $2.7 million for the three months ended March 30, 2024 and $5.1 million for the six months ended March 30, 2024. This amount included short-term (less than one year) leases, common area expenses, and variable lease costs, all of which are insignificant. Cash paid for lease liabilities in operating activities approximates operating lease cost.

Finance Leases – Finance lease cost of $420.0 thousand included amortization expense of $357.0 thousand, which was included in operating and administrative expense, and $107.0 thousand of interest expense for the six months ended March 30, 2024.

Future maturities of lease liabilities as of March 30, 2024 were as follows:

Fiscal Year	Operating Leases		Finance Leases
Remainder of 2024	$	4,161,938	$	420,000
2025		8,238,176		840,000
2026		7,076,845		840,000
2027		6,317,262		840,000
2028		4,775,296		840,000
Thereafter		20,409,830		101,500
Total lease payments	$	50,979,347	$	3,881,500
Less amount representing interest		11,231,895		499,028
Present value of lease liabilities	$	39,747,452	$	3,382,472

On the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, lease extensions exercised during the six months ended March 30, 2024 increased the line items “Operating lease right of use assets” and “Noncurrent operating lease liabilities” by $1.5 million each. At March 30, 2024, the weighted average remaining lease term for the Company’s operating leases was 12.5 years. The weighted average discount rate used to determine operating lease liability balances as of March 30, 2024 was 5.6%, and was 6.0% for finance lease liability balances.

Leases as Lessor

At March 30, 2024, the Company owned and operated 96 shopping centers in conjunction with its supermarket operations. The Company leases to others a portion of its shopping center properties. The leases are non-cancelable operating lease agreements for terms ranging up to 20 years.

Rental income is included in the line item “Net sales” on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Depreciation on owned properties leased to others and other shopping center expenses are included in the line item “Cost of goods sold” on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

	Three Months Ended		Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024		March 30, 2024
Rents earned on owned and subleased properties:
Base rentals	$	6,821,138	$	13,702,796
Variable rentals		50,956		101,912
Total		6,872,094		13,804,708
Depreciation on owned properties leased to others		(2,037,120)		(4,033,370)
Other shopping center expenses		(1,203,110)		(1,992,714)
Total	$	3,631,864	$	7,778,624

Future minimum operating lease receipts at March 30, 2024 were as follows:

Fiscal Year
Remainder of 2024	$	10,041,564
2025		18,463,750
2026		14,827,515
2027		11,596,313
2028		8,869,669
Thereafter		31,408,311
Total minimum future rental income	$	95,207,122

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Segment Information

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Segment Information [Abstract]

Segment Information

K. SEGMENT INFORMATION

The Company operates one primary business segment, retail grocery sales. “Other” includes our remaining operations – fluid dairy and shopping center rentals. Information about the Company’s operations by lines of business (amounts in thousands) is as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,		March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023		2024		2023
Revenues from unaffiliated customers:
Grocery	$	490,490	$	492,553	$	1,012,295	$	1,033,411
Non-foods		305,921		308,684		664,018		636,039
Perishables		349,135		348,204		717,119		722,392
Fuel		169,742		175,551		347,629		368,023
Total Retail	$	1,315,288	$	1,324,992	$	2,741,061	$	2,759,865
Other		52,192		55,612		107,481		114,053
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	$	1,367,480	$	1,380,604	$	2,848,542	$	2,873,918
Income from operations:
Retail	$	38,732	$	50,786	$	92,123	$	138,701
Other		6,076		6,861		12,313		14,702
Total income from operations	$	44,809	$	57,647	$	104,436	$	153,403

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Assets:
Retail	$	2,142,529	$	2,159,883
Other		345,442		317,479
Elimination of intercompany receivable		(1,664)		(3,516)
Total assets	$	2,486,308	$	2,473,846

The “Grocery” category includes grocery, dairy, and frozen foods.

The “Non-foods” category includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pharmacy, and health/beauty/cosmetic products.

The “Perishables” category includes meat, produce, deli and bakery.

The fluid dairy operation sales to the grocery sales segment have been eliminated in consolidation and are excluded from the amounts in the table above.

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Fair Values of Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Fair Values of Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Fair Values of Financial Instruments

L. FAIR VALUES OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

The fair value of the Company’s debt and interest rate swaps are estimated using valuation techniques under the accounting guidance related to fair value measurements based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily available data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. These inputs are classified into the following hierarchy:

Level 1 Inputs –	Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
Level 2 Inputs –	Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.

Level 3 Inputs – Pricing inputs are unobservable for the assets or liabilities and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the assets or liabilities. The inputs into the determination of fair value require significant management judgment or estimation.

The carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt, interest rate swaps, and non-qualified retirement plan assets at March 30, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	305,375	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		49,910		49,910	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		139,208		139,208	Level 2
Interest rate swap derivative contracts asset		13,958		13,958	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		24,780		24,780	Level 2

The carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt, interest rate swaps, and non-qualified retirement plan assets at September 30, 2023 were as follows (in thousands):

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	287,875	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		54,440		54,440	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		145,718		145,718	Level 2
Interest rate swaps derivative contract assets		17,515		17,515	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		20,074		20,074	Level 2

The fair values for Level 2 measurements were determined primarily using market yields and taking into consideration the underlying terms of the instrument.

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Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

M. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIESVarious legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business are pending against the Company. In the opinion of management, the ultimate liability, if any, from all pending legal proceedings and claims is not expected to materially affect the Company’s financial position, the results of its operations, or its cash flows.

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Related Party Transactions

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

N. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company will from time to time make short-term non-interest bearing loans to the Company’s Investment/Profit Sharing Plan to allow the plan to meet distribution obligations during a time when the plan was prohibited from selling shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock. During the six months ended March 30, 2024, there were $500,000 loans issued and outstanding.

In January 2024, the Company and a limited liability company having Mr. Robert P. Ingle II, the Company’s Chairman of the Board, as one of its principals swapped adjoining properties. In accordance with the Company’s related party transaction policy, independent fair market value appraisals were obtained, and the transaction was approved by the Audit Committee. The Company received $2.3 million in addition to the swapped property based on these values.

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Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities [Abstract]

Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Property, payroll and other taxes payable	$	16,833,389	$	25,203,091
Salaries, wages and bonuses payable		38,402,631		50,836,143
Self-insurance liabilities		15,064,285		13,974,358
Interest payable		5,077,451		5,111,666
Other		5,034,430		5,610,526
	$	80,412,186	$	100,735,784

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Long-Term Debt (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Long-Term Debt [Abstract]

Schedule of Redemption Prices of Senior Notes

Year
2026	102.000%
2027	101.333%
2028	100.667%
2029 and thereafter	100.000%

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Earnings Per Common Share (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Earnings Per Common Share [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024				March 30, 2024
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	24,944,280	$	6,954,346	$	58,839,087	$	16,453,140
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		6,954,346		—		16,453,140		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	31,898,626	$	6,954,346	$	75,292,227	$	16,453,140
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,536,449		4,457,927		14,527,072		4,467,304
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,457,927		—		4,467,304		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,457,927		18,994,376		4,467,304
Earnings per share
Basic	$	1.72	$	1.56	$	4.05	$	3.68
Diluted	$	1.68	$	1.56	$	3.96	$	3.68

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 25, 2023				March 25, 2023
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Numerator: Allocated net income
Net income allocated, basic	$	31,398,357	$	9,141,448	$	85,111,213	$	24,800,073
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		9,141,448		—		24,800,073		—
Net income allocated, diluted	$	40,539,805	$	9,141,448	$	109,911,286	$	24,800,073
Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic		14,386,862		4,607,514		14,384,087		4,610,289
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares		4,607,514		—		4,610,289		—
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted		18,994,376		4,607,514		18,994,376		4,610,289
Earnings per share
Basic	$	2.18	$	1.98	$	5.92	$	5.38
Diluted	$	2.13	$	1.98	$	5.79	$	5.38

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Leases (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Leases [Abstract]

Maturities of Lease Liabilities

Fiscal Year	Operating Leases		Finance Leases
Remainder of 2024	$	4,161,938	$	420,000
2025		8,238,176		840,000
2026		7,076,845		840,000
2027		6,317,262		840,000
2028		4,775,296		840,000
Thereafter		20,409,830		101,500
Total lease payments	$	50,979,347	$	3,881,500
Less amount representing interest		11,231,895		499,028
Present value of lease liabilities	$	39,747,452	$	3,382,472

Schedule of Rental Income

	Three Months Ended		Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2024		March 30, 2024
Rents earned on owned and subleased properties:
Base rentals	$	6,821,138	$	13,702,796
Variable rentals		50,956		101,912
Total		6,872,094		13,804,708
Depreciation on owned properties leased to others		(2,037,120)		(4,033,370)
Other shopping center expenses		(1,203,110)		(1,992,714)
Total	$	3,631,864	$	7,778,624

Future Minimum Operating Lease Receipts

Fiscal Year
Remainder of 2024	$	10,041,564
2025		18,463,750
2026		14,827,515
2027		11,596,313
2028		8,869,669
Thereafter		31,408,311
Total minimum future rental income	$	95,207,122

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Segment Information (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Segment Information [Abstract]

Operations by Lines of Business

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30,		March 25,		March 30,		March 25,
	2024		2023		2024		2023
Revenues from unaffiliated customers:
Grocery	$	490,490	$	492,553	$	1,012,295	$	1,033,411
Non-foods		305,921		308,684		664,018		636,039
Perishables		349,135		348,204		717,119		722,392
Fuel		169,742		175,551		347,629		368,023
Total Retail	$	1,315,288	$	1,324,992	$	2,741,061	$	2,759,865
Other		52,192		55,612		107,481		114,053
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	$	1,367,480	$	1,380,604	$	2,848,542	$	2,873,918
Income from operations:
Retail	$	38,732	$	50,786	$	92,123	$	138,701
Other		6,076		6,861		12,313		14,702
Total income from operations	$	44,809	$	57,647	$	104,436	$	153,403

	March 30,		September 30,
	2024		2023
Assets:
Retail	$	2,142,529	$	2,159,883
Other		345,442		317,479
Elimination of intercompany receivable		(1,664)		(3,516)
Total assets	$	2,486,308	$	2,473,846

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Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2024

Fair Values of Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Carrying Amount and Fair Value of Debt, Interest Rate Swap and Non-Qualified Plan Assets

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	305,375	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		49,910		49,910	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		139,208		139,208	Level 2
Interest rate swap derivative contracts asset		13,958		13,958	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		24,780		24,780	Level 2

The carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt, interest rate swaps, and non-qualified retirement plan assets at September 30, 2023 were as follows (in thousands):

	Carrying				Fair Value
	Amount		Fair Value		Measurements
Senior Notes due 2031	$	350,000	$	287,875	Level 2
Facility Bonds due 2036		54,440		54,440	Level 2
Secured notes payable and other		145,718		145,718	Level 2
Interest rate swaps derivative contract assets		17,515		17,515	Level 2
Non-qualified retirement plan assets		20,074		20,074	Level 2

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Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 294,085	$ 143,753

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Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Sep. 30, 2023
Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities [Abstract]
Workers' compensation per occurrence covered under insurance cost	$ 1,000		$ 1,000
Medical care benefits per person covered under insurance cost	500		500
Self insurance liabilities	34,600		34,600		$ 32,900
Self insurance liabilities, current	15,100		15,100		14,000
Self insurance liabilities, noncurrent	19,500		19,500		18,900
Receivable for expected self-insurance recoveries from excess cost insurance	4,600		4,600		$ 4,300
Employee insurance expense	$ 9,400	$ 8,100	$ 22,400	$ 19,000

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Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities (Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Accrued Expenses and Current Portion of Other Long-Term Liabilities [Abstract]
Property, payroll and other taxes payable	$ 16,833,389	$ 25,203,091
Salaries, wages and bonuses payable	38,402,631	50,836,143
Self-insurance liabilities	15,064,285	13,974,358
Interest payable	5,077,451	5,111,666
Other	5,034,430	5,610,526
Total accrued expenses and current portion of other long-term liabilities	$ 80,412,186	$ 100,735,784

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Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Jun. 26, 2021	Dec. 31, 2010
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Property and equipment with undepreciated cost pledge as collateral for long term debt			$ 252,200,000		$ 252,200,000
Excess net worth calculated under covenants in the Notes, the Bonds, and the Line			498,500,000		498,500,000
Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility borrowing capacity			$ 150,000,000.0		150,000,000.0
Debt maturity date			Jun. 30, 2026
Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility borrowing capacity			$ 10,000,000.0		10,000,000.0
Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes			$ 1,100,000	$ 2,000,000.0	2,700,000	$ 3,200,000
Unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedge					$ 14,000,000.0	$ 12,200,000
Senior Notes, Maturing 2031 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument principal amount							$ 350,000,000.0
Debt instrument stated interest rate			4.00%		4.00%
Maturity period of senior notes					2031
Secured Debt Maturing October 2027 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity date		Oct. 01, 2027
Secured borrowing		$ 60,000,000
Secured Debt Maturing October 2027 [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount			$ 21,500,000		$ 21,500,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate			3.962%		3.962%
Monthly principal amortization					$ 500,000
Derivative maturity date					Oct. 01, 2027
Secured Debt Maturing October 2027 [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument variable interest rate					1.75%
Secured Debt Maturing January 2030 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument principal amount	$ 155,000,000
Debt maturity date	Jan. 01, 2030
Secured Debt Maturing January 2030 [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	$ 120,800,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate	2.998%		2.998%		2.998%
Monthly principal amortization	$ 650,000
Secured Debt Maturing January 2030 [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument variable interest rate	1.60%
Recovery Zone Facility Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity date					Jan. 01, 2036
Annual amount of redemption of bonds			$ 4,500,000		$ 4,500,000
Mandatory bonds redemption beginning period					Jan. 01, 2014
Mandatory bonds redemption period end date					Dec. 17, 2029
Total amount of bonds funded			$ 49,900,000		$ 49,900,000			$ 99,700,000

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Long-Term Debt (Schedule of Redemption Prices of Senior Notes) (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024
2026 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price as percentage of principal amount	102.00%
2027 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price as percentage of principal amount	101.333%
2028 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price as percentage of principal amount	100.667%
2029 and Thereafter [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price as percentage of principal amount	100.00%

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Dividends (Narrative) (Details) - $ / shares			3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jan. 12, 2024	Oct. 12, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Cash dividends per share of common stock			$ 0.165	$ 0.165	$ 0.33	$ 0.33
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Cash dividends per share of common stock			$ 0.150	$ 0.150	$ 0.30	$ 0.30
Dividend 1 [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividend payment date	Jan. 19, 2024	Oct. 19, 2023
Dividend record date	Jan. 12, 2024	Oct. 12, 2023
Dividend 1 [Member] | Class A Common Stock [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Cash dividends per share of common stock	$ 0.165	$ 0.165
Dividend 1 [Member] | Class B Common Stock [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Cash dividends per share of common stock	$ 0.15	$ 0.15

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Earnings Per Common Share (Narrative) (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024 item
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Number of classes of common stock	2
Conversion feature for Class B Common Stock	each share is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock at any time at the election of the holder
Voting rights for shareholders	at the election of the holder. Each share of Class A Common Stock has one vote per share and each share of Class B Common Stock has ten votes per share
Percentage of cash dividend on Class B Common Stock entitled to receive for each share of Class A Common Stock	110.00%
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Number of votes for common stock	1
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Number of votes for common stock	10

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Earnings Per Common Share (Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Schedule Of Calculation Of Numerator And Denominator In Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income allocated, basic	$ 24,944,280	$ 31,398,357	$ 58,839,087	$ 85,111,213
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares	6,954,346	9,141,448	16,453,140	24,800,073
Net income allocated, diluted	$ 31,898,626	$ 40,539,805	$ 75,292,227	$ 109,911,286
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic	14,536,449	14,386,862	14,527,072	14,384,087
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares	4,457,927	4,607,514	4,467,304	4,610,289
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted	18,994,376	18,994,376	18,994,376	18,994,376
Earnings per share, Basic	$ 1.72	$ 2.18	$ 4.05	$ 5.92
Earnings per share, Diluted	$ 1.68	$ 2.13	$ 3.96	$ 5.79
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Schedule Of Calculation Of Numerator And Denominator In Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income allocated, basic	$ 6,954,346	$ 9,141,448	$ 16,453,140	$ 24,800,073
Net income allocated, diluted	$ 6,954,346	$ 9,141,448	$ 16,453,140	$ 24,800,073
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic	4,457,927	4,607,514	4,467,304	4,610,289
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted	4,457,927	4,607,514	4,467,304	4,610,289
Earnings per share, Basic	$ 1.56	$ 1.98	$ 3.68	$ 5.38
Earnings per share, Diluted	$ 1.56	$ 1.98	$ 3.68	$ 5.38

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Leases (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024 USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2024 USD ($) item
Leases [Abstract]
Initial terms of leases	20 years	20 years
Operating lease cost	$ 2,700,000	$ 5,100,000
Number of shopping centers owned and operated | item		96
Lessor non-cancelable operating lease agreements	20 years	20 years
Finance lease cost		$ 420,000.0
Finance lease, amortization expense		357,000.0
Finance lease, interest expense		107,000.0
Lease extension exercised, increase in operating lease assets and liabilities		$ 1,500,000
Operating lease weighted average remaining lease term	12 years 6 months	12 years 6 months
Operating lease weighted average discount rate	5.60%	5.60%
Finance lease weighted average discount rate	6.00%	6.00%

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Leases (Maturities of Lease Liabilities) (Details)	Mar. 30, 2024 USD ($)
Operating Leases
Remainder of 2024	$ 4,161,938
2025	8,238,176
2026	7,076,845
2027	6,317,262
2028	4,775,296
Thereafter	20,409,830
Total lease payments	50,979,347
Less amount representing interest	11,231,895
Present value of lease liabilities	39,747,452
Finance Leases
Remainder of 2024	420,000
2025	840,000
2026	840,000
2027	840,000
2028	840,000
Thereafter	101,500
Total lease payments	3,881,500
Less amount representing interest	499,028
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 3,382,472

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Leases (Schedule of Rental Income) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 30, 2024
Property Held for Lease and Rental Income [Abstract]
Base rentals	$ 6,821,138	$ 13,702,796
Variable rentals	50,956	101,912
Total	6,872,094	13,804,708
Depreciation on owned properties leased to others	(2,037,120)	(4,033,370)
Other shopping center expenses	(1,203,110)	(1,992,714)
Total	$ 3,631,864	$ 7,778,624

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Leases (Future Minimum Operating Lease Receipts) (Details)	Mar. 30, 2024 USD ($)
Property Held for Lease and Rental Income [Abstract]
Remainder of 2024	$ 10,041,564
2025	18,463,750
2026	14,827,515
2027	11,596,313
2028	8,869,669
Thereafter	31,408,311
Total minimum future rental income	$ 95,207,122

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Segment Information (Narrative) (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024 segment
Segment Information [Abstract]
Number of operating segments	1

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Segment Information (Operations by Lines of Business) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Mar. 30, 2024	Mar. 25, 2023	Sep. 30, 2023
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	$ 1,367,479,701	$ 1,380,604,140	$ 2,848,541,531	$ 2,873,918,247
Total income from operations	44,809,057	57,647,015	104,436,466	153,402,731
Total assets	2,486,307,693		2,486,307,693		$ 2,473,845,733
Total capital expenditures			98,355,767	91,352,345
Total depreciation and amortization			58,022,599	57,969,652
Elimination of Intercompany Receivable [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total assets	(1,664,000)		(1,664,000)		(3,516,000)
Retail Segment [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	1,315,288,000	1,324,992,000	2,741,061,000	2,759,865,000
Total income from operations	38,732,000	50,786,000	92,123,000	138,701,000
Total assets	2,142,529,000		2,142,529,000		2,159,883,000
Grocery [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	490,490,000	492,553,000	1,012,295,000	1,033,411,000
Non-foods [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	305,921,000	308,684,000	664,018,000	636,039,000
Perishables [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	349,135,000	348,204,000	717,119,000	722,392,000
Fuel [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	169,742,000	175,551,000	347,629,000	368,023,000
Other Segment [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Line Items]
Total revenues from unaffiliated customers	52,192,000	55,612,000	107,481,000	114,053,000
Total income from operations	6,076,000	$ 6,861,000	12,313,000	$ 14,702,000
Total assets	$ 345,442,000		$ 345,442,000		$ 317,479,000

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Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Carrying Amount and Fair Value of Debt, Interest Rate Swap and Non-Qualified Plan Assets) (Details) - Level 2 [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Carrying Amount [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Derivative assets	$ 13,958	$ 17,515
Carrying Amount [Member] | Non-Qualified Retirement Plan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Retirement plan assets	24,780	20,074
Fair Value [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Derivative assets	13,958	17,515
Fair Value [Member] | Non-Qualified Retirement Plan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Retirement plan assets	24,780	20,074
Senior Notes Due 2031 [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	350,000	350,000
Senior Notes Due 2031 [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	305,375	287,875
Facility Bonds Due 2036 [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	49,910	54,440
Facility Bonds Due 2036 [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	49,910	54,440
Secured Notes Payable and Other [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	139,208	145,718
Secured Notes Payable and Other [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt	$ 139,208	$ 145,718

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Related Party Transactions (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2024	Mar. 30, 2024
Investment Profit Sharing Plan [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Short-term non-interest bearing loans		$ 500,000
Robert P. Ingle II, Chairman of Board [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Amount received in addition to swapped property	$ 2,300,000

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Insider Trading Arrangements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2024
Insider Trading Arrangements [Line Items]
Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Adopted	false
Non-Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Adopted	false
Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Terminated	false
Non-Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Terminated	false