XML 32 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.8.0.1
Note 11 - Post-employment Benefit Obligations
12 Months Ended
Nov. 25, 2017
Notes to Financial Statements  
Postemployment Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]
1
1.
Post-Employment Benefit Obligations
   
 
Management Savings Plan
 
On
May 1, 2017,
our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Organization, Compensation and Nominating Committee (the “Committee”), adopted the Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated Management Savings Plan (the “Plan”).The Plan is an unfunded, nonqualified deferred compensation plan maintained for the benefit of certain highly compensated or management level employees.
 
The Plan is an account-based plan under which (i) participants
may
defer voluntarily the payment of current compensation to future years (“participant deferrals”) and (ii) the Company
may
make annual awards to participants payable in future years (“Company contributions”). The Plan permits each participant to defer up to
75%
of base salary and up to
100%
of any incentive compensation or other bonus, which amounts would be credited to a deferral account established for the participant. Such deferrals will be fully vested at the time of the deferral. Participant deferrals will be indexed to
one
or more deemed investment alternatives chosen by the participant from a range of alternatives made available under the Plan. Each participant
’s account will be adjusted to reflect gains and losses based on the performance of the selected investment alternatives. A participant
may
receive distributions from the Plan: (
1
) upon separation from service, in either a lump sum or annual installment payments over up to a
15
year period, as elected by the participant, (
2
) upon death or disability, in a lump sum, or (
3
) on a date or dates specified by the participant (“scheduled distributions”) with such scheduled payments made in either a lump sum or substantially equal annual installments over a period of up to
five
years, as elected by the participant. Participant contributions commenced during the
third
quarter of fiscal
2017.
Company contributions will vest in full (
1
) on the
third
anniversary of the date such amounts are credited to the participant’s account, (
2
) the date that the participant reaches age
63
or (
3
) upon death or disability. Company contributions are subject to the same rules described above regarding the crediting of gains or losses from deemed investments and the timing of distributions. The Company plans to make a contribution to the Plan effective
February 1, 2018.
Expense associated with the planned Company contribution was
$55
for the year ended
November 25, 2017.
 
On
May 2, 2017,
we made Long Term Cash Awards (“LTC Awards”) totaling
$2,000
under the Plan to certain management employees in the amount of
$400
each. The LTC Awards vest in full on the
first
anniversary of the date of the award if the participant has reached age
63
by that time, or, if later, on the date the participant reaches age
63,
provided in either instance that the participant is still employed by the Company at that time. If
not
previously vested, the awards will also vest immediately upon the death or disability of the participant prior to the participant
’s separation from service. The awards will be payable in
10
equal annual installments following the participant’s death, disability or separation from service. We are accounting for the LTC Awards as a defined benefit pension plan.
 
During fiscal
2017,
we invested $
431
in life insurance policies covering all participants in the Plan. At
November 25, 2017,
these policies have a net death benefit of
$14,998
for which the Company is the sole beneficiary. These policies are intended to provide a source of funds to meet the obligations arising from the deferred compensation and LTC Awards under the Plan, and serve as an economic hedge of the financial impact of changes in the liabilities. They are held in an irrevocable trust but are subject to claims of creditors in the event of the Company’s insolvency.
 
Supplemental Retirement Income Plan
 
We have an unfunded Supplemental Retirement Income Plan (the “Supplemental Plan”) that covers
one
current and certain former executives. Upon retirement, the Supplemental Plan provides for lifetime monthly payments in an amount equal to
65%
of the participant
’s final average compensation as defined in the Supplemental Plan, which is reduced by certain social security benefits to be received and other benefits provided by us. The Supplemental Plan also provides a death benefit that is calculated as (a) prior to retirement death, which pays the beneficiary
50%
of final average annual compensation for a period of
120
months, or (b) post-retirement death, which pays the beneficiary
200%
of final average compensation in a single payment. We own life insurance policies on these executives with a current net death benefit of
$2,829
at
November 25, 2017
and we expect to substantially fund this death benefit through the proceeds received upon the death of the executive. Funding for the remaining cash flows is expected to be provided through operations. There are
no
benefits payable as a result of a termination of employment for any reason other than death or retirement, other than a change of control provision which provides for the immediate vesting and payment of the retirement benefit under the Supplemental Plan in the event of an employment termination resulting from a change of control.
 
Aggregated s
ummarized information for the Supplemental Plan and the LTC Awards, measured as of the end of each year presented, is as follows:
 
 
 
2017
   
2016
 
Change in Benefit Obligation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year
  $
11,863
    $
11,678
 
Service cost
   
1,117
     
146
 
Interest cost
   
449
     
423
 
Actuarial (gains) losses
   
(447
)    
165
 
Benefits paid
   
(660
)    
(549
)
Projected benefit obligation at end of year
  $
12,322
    $
11,863
 
                 
Accumulated Benefit Obligation
  $
11,531
    $
11,138
 
                 
Discount rate used to value the ending benefit obligations:
   
3.50
%    
3.75
%
                 
Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheet:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Current liabilities
  $
778
    $
776
 
Noncurrent liabilities
   
11,544
     
11,087
 
Total amounts recognized
  $
12,322
    $
11,863
 
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transition obligation
  $
42
    $
85
 
Prior service cost
   
858
     
-
 
Actuarial loss
   
3,286
     
4,065
 
Net amount recognized
  $
4,186
    $
4,150
 
                 
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and accumulated
other comprehensive income:
  $
1,119
    $
734
 
 
   
2017
   
2016
   
2015
 
                         
Components of Net Periodic Pension Cost:
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
  $
186
    $
146
    $
105
 
Interest cost
   
449
     
423
     
374
 
Amortization of transition obligation
   
42
     
42
     
42
 
Amortization of prior service cost
   
73
     
-
     
-
 
Amortization of other loss
   
332
     
323
     
195
 
                         
Net periodic pension cost
  $
1,082
    $
934
    $
716
 
                         
                         
Assumptions used to determine net periodic pension cost:
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Discount rate
   
3.75
%    
3.75
%    
3.75
%
Increase in future compensation levels
   
3.00
%    
3.00
%    
3.00
%
 
Estimated Future Benefit Payments (with mortality):
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fiscal 2018
           
778
         
Fiscal 2019
           
735
         
Fiscal 2020
           
691
         
Fiscal 2021
           
649
         
Fiscal 2022
           
999
         
Fiscal 2023 through 2027
           
4,248
         
 
Of the $
4,186
recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at
November 25, 2017,
amounts expected to be recognized as components of net periodic pension cost during fiscal
2018
are as follows:
 
Transition obligation
  $
42
 
Prior service cost
   
126
 
Other loss
   
261
 
         
Total expected to be amortized to net periodic pension cost in 2018
  $
429
 
 
The components of net periodic pension cost other than the service cost component are included in other loss, net in our consolidated statements of income.
 
Deferred Compensation Plan
 
We have an unfunded Deferred Compensation Plan that covers
one
current and certain former executives and provides for voluntary deferral of compensation. This plan has been frozen with
no
additional participants or benefits permitted. We recognized expense of $
216,
$228,
and
$248
in fiscal
2017,
2016,
and
2015,
respectively, associated with the plan. Our liability under this plan was
$1,916
 and
$1,969
 as of
November 25, 2017
and
November 26, 2016,
respectively. The non-current portion of this obligation is included in post-employment benefit obligations in our consolidated balance sheets, with the current portion included in accrued compensation and benefits.
 
Defined Contribution Plan
 
We have a qualified defined contribution plan (Employee Savings/Retirement Plan) that covers substantially all employees
who elect to participate and have fulfilled the necessary service requirements. Employee contributions to the Plan are matched at the rate of
25%
of up to
8%
of gross pay, regardless of years of service. Expense for employer matching contributions was
$1,068,
$865
and
$662
during fiscal
2017,
2016
and
2015,
respectively. The increase in contribution expense for fiscal
2017
over fiscal
2016
was largely due to a larger contribution base due to increased incentive compensation. The increase in contribution expense for fiscal
2016
over fiscal
2015
was largely due to an increase in the matching rate from
20%
in
2015
to
25%
in
2016.