Derivatives and Hedging Activities

3 Months Ended

Aug. 25, 2011

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

2.           Derivatives and Hedging Activities

The Company utilizes derivatives principally to manage market risks and reduce its exposure resulting from fluctuations in interest rates. The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions.

From February 1, 2008 through February 1, 2011, the Company had an interest rate swap agreement covering $25,170,000 of floating rate debt, which required the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 3.24% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR.  The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the balance sheet at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value (i.e., gains or losses) of a derivative instrument depends on whether it has been designated and qualifies as part of a hedging relationship and on the type of hedging relationship. Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting must be adjusted to fair value through earnings. The Company’s interest rate swap agreement was considered effective and qualified as a cash flow hedge. For derivatives that are designated and qualify as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. For the 13 weeks ending August 26, 2010, the interest rate swap was considered effective. The increase in fair value of the interest rate swap of $115,000 ($69,000 net of tax) was included in other comprehensive loss for the 13 weeks ended August 26, 2010.  The notional amount of the swap was $25,170,000 throughout the life of the swap.

On February 29, 2008, the Company also entered into an interest rate swap agreement covering $25,000,000 of floating rate debt, which required the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 3.49% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of three-month LIBOR. The interest rate swap agreement was considered effective and qualified as a cash flow hedge. On March 19, 2008, the Company terminated the swap, at which time cash flow hedge accounting ceased. The fair value of the swap on the date of termination was a liability of $567,000 ($338,000 net of tax). For the 13 weeks ended August 25, 2011 and August 26, 2010, the Company reclassified $28,000 ($17,000 net of tax) from accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense. The remaining loss at August 25, 2011 in accumulated other comprehensive loss will be reclassified into earnings as interest expense through April 15, 2013, the remaining life of the original hedge. The Company expects to reclassify approximately $113,000 ($68,000 net of tax) of loss into earnings within the next 12 months.