10. PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

The Company sponsors programs that provide retirement benefits to most of its employees. These programs include qualified defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified defined benefit retirement plans, a defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan and defined contribution retirement savings plans. Expenses recognized under all of these retirement plans in the thirteen weeks ended September 29, 2013 and September 23, 2012 totaled $1.9 million and $2.0 million, respectively. Expenses recognized under all of these retirement plans in the thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2013 and September 23, 2012 totaled $5.7 million and $6.0 million, respectively.

Net defined benefit pension and other postretirement costs included the following components:

	Thirteen Weeks Ended											Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
	September 29, 2013					September 23, 2012						September 29, 2013					September 23, 2012
	Pension Benefits			Other Benefits		Pension Benefits			Other Benefits			Pension Benefits			Other Benefits		Pension Benefits			Other Benefits
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	(20	)	$	-	$	13		$	-		$	-		$	-	$	38		$	-
Interest cost		1,988			20		2,147			25			5,965			59		6,204			72
Estimated return on plan assets		(1,349	)		-		(2,126	)		-			(4,048	)		-		(4,997	)		-
Amortization of net loss (gain)		250			-		(483	)		(1	)		751			-		348			(2	)
Net costs	$	869		$	20	$	(449	)	$	24		$	2,668		$	59	$	1,593		$	70

During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2013, the Company contributed $3.3 million and $6.4 million, respectively, to its defined benefit plans.

The Company remeasures both plan assets and obligations on a quarterly basis. The fair value of plan assets increased from $92.3 million at December 30, 2012 to $101.9 million at September 29, 2013 because of better than expected returns on the invested assets. Projected benefit obligation decreased from $196.4 million at December 30, 2012 to $166.1 million at September 29, 2013 because of an increase of 0.85 percentage points in the discount rate used to calculate the present value of the obligation.

The Company and certain retirement plans that it sponsors invest in a variety of financial instruments. Certain postretirement funds in which the Company participates hold significant amounts of mortgage-backed securities. However, none of the mortgages collateralizing these securities are considered subprime.