Equity Based Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Oct. 29, 2011

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

The following table summarizes the nonqualified stock options and Restricted Share activity in year-to-date 2011:



	Nonqualified Stock Options (1)				Restricted Shares (2) (3)
	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share		Number of Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share
Outstanding at January 29, 2011	44,813,257		$	19.86	14,271,158		$	20.62
Granted	6,086,065		15.90		8,374,952		15.93
Exercised/Released	(1,629,997	)	10.87		(4,347,900	)	21.82
Canceled	(1,032,814	)	21.23		(1,049,372	)	19.18
Outstanding at October 29, 2011	48,236,511		$	19.64	17,248,838		$	18.13

Exercisable at October 29, 2011	34,798,180		$	20.12

(1)

At October 29, 2011, the aggregate intrinsic value of the outstanding nonqualified stock options was $17.9 million and the aggregate intrinsic value of the exercisable nonqualified stock options was $17.8 million. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during year-to-date 2011 and 2010 was $9.9 million and $17.4 million, respectively. The intrinsic value of the nonqualified stock options is the amount by which the market value of the underlying stock exceeds the exercise price of the option.

(2)

Restricted Shares do not include 0.7 million special performance and retention shares ("Performance Shares") which Staples granted to certain employees in 2010 with a fair market value of $19.27 per share. Performance Shares are awards under which restricted stock is only issued if the Company meets minimum performance targets. The fair value of Performance Shares is based upon the market price of the underlying common stock as of the date of grant.


(3)	The total market value of Restricted Shares vesting during year-to-date 2011 and 2010 was $70.1 million and $85.0 million, respectively.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of components of a stock option or other award plan under which equity-based compensation is awarded to employees, typically comprised of the amount of unearned compensation (deferred compensation cost), compensation expense, and changes in the quantity and fair value of the shares (or other type of equity) granted, exercised, forfeited, and issued and outstanding pertaining to that plan. Disclosure may also include nature and general terms of such arrangements that existed during the period and potential effects of those arrangements on shareholders, effect of compensation cost arising from equity-based payment arrangements on the income statement, method of estimating the fair value of the goods or services received, or the fair value of the equity instruments granted, during the period, cash flow effects resulting from equity-based payment arrangements and, for registrants that accelerate vesting of out of the money share options, reasons for the decision to accelerate.

+ References+ Details