Company: SYY
Filing Date: 2025-08-22
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000096021-25-000099
Chunk: 94

Company: SYSCO CORP
Filing Date: 2025-08-22
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 94
---
 on certain products and financial and economic sanctions on certain industry sectors and parties, which actions can have a negative impact on our operations. Although our business has not been materially impacted to date by ongoing military conflicts, it is impossible to predict the extent to which our operations, or those of our suppliers and customers, will be impacted in the short and long term, or the ways in which the conflict may impact our business. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are difficult to predict, but could be substantial. Further escalation of geopolitical tensions related to the military conflict, including increased trade barriers or restrictions on global trade, could result in, among other things, cyberattacks, supply disruptions, lower consumer demand and changes to foreign exchange rates and financial markets. Any or all of these factors could disrupt our business directly and could disrupt the business of our customers, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Any such disruptions may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Competition and the impact of GPOs may reduce our margins and make it difficult for us to maintain our market share, growth rate and profitability.

The foodservice distribution industry is fragmented and highly competitive, with local, regional and multi-regional distributors and specialty competitors. Local and regional companies often align themselves with other smaller distributors through purchasing cooperatives and marketing groups, with the goal of enhancing their geographic reach, private label offerings, overall purchasing power, cost efficiencies and ability to meet customer distribution requirements. These suppliers may also rely on local presence as a source of competitive advantage, and they may have lower costs and other competitive advantages due to geographic proximity. Furthermore, barriers to entry by new competitors, or geographic or product line expansion by existing competitors, are low. Additionally, increased competition from non-traditional sources (such as club stores and commercial wholesale outlets with lower cost structures), online direct food wholesalers, cash and carry operations, and competitors that are utilizing technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, have served to further increase pressure on the industry’s profit margins. Continued margin pressure within the industry may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Moreover, some of our customers purchase their products from us through group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in an effort to lower the prices paid by these customers on their foodservice orders. GPOs have a relatively larger presence in the healthcare, lodging and foodservice management customer segments. If these GPOs are able to add a significant