COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 28, 2013

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

11.    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Buying/Sourcing

During the first quarter of 2009, the Company entered into an agreement with Hong Kong-based, global consumer goods exporter Li & Fung Limited (“Li & Fung”), whereby Li & Fung was appointed as the Company’s buying/sourcing agent for all of the Company’s brands and products (other than jewelry) and the Company received a payment of $75.0 million at closing and an additional payment of $8.0 million in the second quarter of 2009 to offset specific, incremental, identifiable expenses associated with the transaction. The Company’s agreement with Li & Fung provides for a refund of a portion of the closing payment in certain limited circumstances, including a change of control of the Company, the divestiture of any current brand, or certain termination events. The Company is also obligated to use Li & Fung as its buying/sourcing agent for a minimum value of inventory purchases each year through the termination of the agreement in 2019. The 2009 licensing arrangements with J.C. Penney Corporation, Inc. (“JCPenney”) in the US and Puerto Rico and QVC, Inc. (“QVC”) resulted in the removal of buying/sourcing for a number of LIZ CLAIBORNE branded products sold under these licenses from the Li & Fung buying/sourcing arrangement. As a result, under its agreement with Li & Fung, the Company refunded $24.3 million of the closing payment received from Li & Fung in the second quarter of 2010. The 2011 sales of the KENSIE, KENSIE GIRL and MAC & JAC trademarks resulted in the removal of buying/sourcing for such products sold from the Li & Fung buying/sourcing arrangement. As a result, under its agreement with Li & Fung, the Company refunded $1.8 million of the closing payment received from Li & Fung in the second quarter of 2012. In addition, the Company’s agreement with Li & Fung is not exclusive; however, the Company is required to source a specified percentage of product purchases from Li & Fung.

Leases

In connection with the disposition of the LIZ CLAIBORNE Canada retail stores, the LIZ CLAIBORNE branded outlet stores in the US and Puerto Rico and certain Mexx Canada retail stores, an aggregate of 153 store leases were assigned to third parties, for which the Company remains secondarily liable for the remaining obligations on 119 such leases. As of September 28, 2013, the future aggregate payments under these leases amounted to $156.6 million and extended to various dates through 2025.

During the second quarter of 2013, the Company entered into a sale-leaseback agreement for its North Bergen, NJ office with a 12-year term and two five-year renewal options. This leaseback was classified as a capital lease and recorded at fair value. As of September 28, 2013, the estimated future minimum lease payments under the noncancelable capital lease were as follows:

In millions
2013	$	0.6
2014	2.0
2015	2.0
2016	2.1
2017	2.1
Thereafter	17.5
Total	26.3
Less: Amounts representing interest and executory costs	(17.2		)
Net present values	9.1
Less: Capital lease obligations included in short-term debt	(0.4		)
Long-term capital lease obligations	$	8.7

Other

In the second quarter of 2011, the Company initiated actions to close its Ohio Facility, which was expected to result in the termination of all or a significant portion of its union employees (see Note 12 – Streamlining Initiatives). During the third quarter of 2011, the Company ceased contributing to a union-sponsored multi-employer defined benefit pension plan (the “Fund”), which is regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). Under ERISA, cessation of employer contributions to a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan is likely to trigger an obligation by such employer for a “withdrawal liability” to such plan, with the amount of such withdrawal liability representing the portion of the plan’s underfunding allocable to the withdrawing employer. The Company incurred such a liability in the second quarter of 2011 and recorded a $17.6 million charge to SG&A related to its estimate of the withdrawal liability. In February 2012, the Company was notified by the Fund that the Fund calculated the total withdrawal liability to be $19.1 million, a difference of approximately $1.5 million, and that 17 quarterly payments of $1.2 million would commence on March 1, 2012, and continue for four years, with a final payment of $1.0 million on June 1, 2016.  As of September 28, 2013, the accrued withdrawal liability was $11.1 million, which was included in Accrued expenses and Other non-current liabilities on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

In June 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with Globalluxe Kate Spade HK Limited (“Globalluxe”) to, among other things, reacquire the existing KATE SPADE businesses in Southeast Asia from Globalluxe (see Note 14 – Additional Financial Information).