CompUSA 2008 Annual Report Download - page 44

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9
Employees
As of December 31, 2008, we employed a total of 4,452 employees, of whom 3,251 were in North
America and 1,201 were in Europe.
Seasonality
Net sales have historically been modestly weaker during the second and third quarters as a result of lower
business activity during those months. See Item 7, Management’ s Discussions and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations; Seasonality.
Environmental Matters
Under various national, state and local environmental laws and regulations in North America and Europe,
a current or previous owner or operator (including the lessee) of real property may become liable for the
costs of removal or remediation of hazardous substances at such real property. Such laws and regulations
often impose liability without regard to fault. We lease most of our facilities. In connection with such
leases, we could be held liable for the costs of removal or remedial actions with respect to hazardous
substances. Although we have not been notified of, and are not otherwise aware of, any material real
property environmental liability, claim or non-compliance, there can be no assurance that we will not be
required to incur remediation or other costs in connection with real property environmental matters in the
future.
Financial Information About Foreign and Domestic Operations
We conduct our business in North America (the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada) and Europe.
Approximately 37.9% of our net sales during 2008 were made by subsidiaries located outside of the
United States. For information pertaining to our international operations, see Note 10, “Segment and
Related Information,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 15 of this Form 10-K.
The following sets forth selected information with respect to our operations in those two geographic
markets (in thousands):
North
America Europe Total
2008
Net sales $2,092,372 $940,589 $3,032,961
Operating income $62,268 $21,099 $83,367
Identifiable assets $553,263 $150,000 $703,263
2007
Net sales $1,847,477 $932,398 $2,779,875
Operating income $82,365 $11,577 $93,942
Identifiable assets $488,761 $185,110 $673,871
2006
Net sales $1,601,259 $743,906 $2,345,165
Operating income $45,297 $15,433 $60,730
Identifiable assets $426,451 $157,710 $584,161
See Item 7, Management’ s Discussions and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,
for further information with respect to our operations.