Kroger 2013 Annual Report Download - page 103

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A-30
RE P O R T O F I N D E P E N D E N T R E G I S T E R E D P U B L I C A C C O U N T I N G F I R M
To the Shareowners and Board of Directors of
The Kroger Co.
In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of
operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and changes in shareowners’ equity present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial position of The Kroger Co. and its subsidiaries at February 1, 2014 and February 2,
2013, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended
February 1, 2014 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial
reporting as of February 1, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework
(1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The
Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control
over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting,
included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our
responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the
standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that
we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained
in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used
and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control
over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the
design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included
performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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. A company’s internal control
over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records
that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the
company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation
of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and
expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and
directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the
financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.