Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) And we will take our first question from Mark Churchill from Piper Jaffray.
Mark Churchill - Piper Jaffray
Hey, guys.
Alec Covington
Hey, Mark.
Mark Churchill - Piper Jaffray
Can you give us some more detail on some of the investments you are making with Operation Fresh Start and when do you think you will actually start seeing the returns on those?
Alec Covington
Yes. We mentioned at the end of third quarter that we are primarily investing in three areas. One is our distribution and logistics by putting in more of an upstream, downstream distribution approach starting in the east and ultimately taking that to the west. The second is investing in systems that we really needed to drive our whole center store project to really drive world class category management. Third, some investments in some of our formats in order to move that needle forward by expanding our Avanza format and then remodeling some of our conventional stores into what we refer to as our everyday value format. Mark, that's a larger 45,000, 50,000 square foot store which is greatly exaggerated in its perishable offerings. And to be honest, we shrink a little the grocery offerings, but it also has a much stronger price impression than the core of the store.
Now we've indicated that in 2008, among those three categories we would invest roughly $25 million and that in addition to that we would need about our typical $25 million for maintenance CapEx. So we have committed that between the two, we would not spend more than $50 million in total toward our strategic investments unless for some reason we saw some early signs that we were wildly successful and that we needed to accelerate that for some reason.
So we are being very cautious. We are being very thoughtful. In all of those investments, Mark, we demand a 15% IRR. We are very diligent and thoughtful about that. So we choose our projects wisely. But that I hope gives you a bit of flavor of how we're approaching the investments.
Mark Churchill - Piper Jaffray
Yes. That's helpful. And then on the retail side, are you seeing actually first anything else on the acquisition landscape outside of the Albertson's that you acquired?
Alec Covington
We don't have anything today that is anything of substance to discuss. I would tell you that again at the end of the third quarter, we said that that was one of the things that we hoped would be something we could accomplish more in 2008 than we did in 2007. I think the credit markets and the market probably works in our favor that we might be able to get some things done this year that might have been a little bit more difficult to have gotten done a year ago. I think for those that have a strong balance sheet and access to capital, those companies such as Nash Finch is in the best position to be and acquire for those that might want to divest their companies and leave their business.
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