Defined Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Jan. 28, 2023

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Defined Benefit Plans

Defined Benefit Plans

The Company maintains defined benefit plans for certain employees primarily in the U.S. and Switzerland. In accordance with authoritative guidance for defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans, an asset for a plan’s over funded status or a liability for a plan’s underfunded status is recognized in the consolidated balance sheets; plan assets and obligations that determine the plan’s funded status are measured as of the end of the Company’s fiscal year; and changes in the funded status of defined benefit postretirement plans are recognized in the year in which they occur. Such changes are reported in other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of stockholders’ equity.

The Company’s pension obligations and related costs are calculated using actuarial concepts, within the authoritative guidance framework. The Company uses the corridor approach to amortize unrecognized actuarial gains or losses over the average remaining service life of active participants. The life expectancy, estimated retirement age, discount rate, estimated future compensation and expected return on plan assets are important elements of expense and/or liability measurement. These critical assumptions are evaluated annually which enables expected future payments for benefits to be stated at present value on the measurement date. If actual results are not consistent with actuarial assumptions, the amounts recognized for the defined benefit plans could change significantly.

Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan

On August 23, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) which became effective January 1, 2006. The SERP provides select employees who satisfy certain eligibility requirements with certain benefits upon retirement, termination of employment, death, disability or a change in control of the Company, in certain prescribed circumstances.

As a non-qualified pension plan, no dedicated funding of the SERP is required; however, the Company has made periodic payments into insurance policies held in a rabbi trust to fund the expected obligations arising under the non-qualified SERP. The amount of any future payments into the insurance policies, if any, may vary depending on investment performance of the trust. The cash surrender values of the insurance policies were $64.4 million and $70.9 million as of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, respectively, and were included in other assets in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. As a result of changes in the value of the insurance policy investments, the Company recorded unrealized gains (losses) of $(5.7) million, $0.6 million and $6.1 million in other income (expense) during fiscal 2023, fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively. During fiscal 2023, the Company also recorded gains of $1.1 million in other income resulting from payout on the insurance policies.

The Company assumed a discount rate of approximately 4.5% and 2.8% for the years ended January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, respectively, as part of the actuarial valuation performed to calculate the projected benefit obligation, based on the timing of cash flows expected to be made in the future to the participants, applied to high quality yield curves. The Company also considers recent updates to the mortality tables and mortality improvement scale published by the Society of Actuaries in developing its best estimate of the expected mortality rates for its plan participants.

Aggregate benefits projected to be paid in the next five fiscal years are approximately $1.9 million in fiscal 2024, $1.9 million in fiscal 2025, $3.8 million in fiscal 2026, $3.8 million in fiscal 2027 and $3.7 million in fiscal 2028. Aggregate benefits projected to be paid in the five fiscal years following fiscal 2028 amount to $17.7 million.

Foreign Pension Plans

In certain foreign jurisdictions, primarily in Switzerland, the Company is required to guarantee the returns on Company sponsored defined contribution plans in accordance with local regulations. These plans are typically government-mandated defined contribution plans that provide employees with a minimum investment return, and as such, are treated under pension accounting in accordance with authoritative guidance. The minimum investment return for our Swiss pension plan was 1.0% during calendar 2022 and calendar 2021. Under the Swiss pension plan, both the Company and certain of its employees with annual earnings in excess of government determined amounts are required to make contributions into a fund managed by an independent investment fiduciary. The

Company’s contributions must be made in an amount at least equal to the employee’s contribution. Minimum employee contributions are based on the respective employee’s age, salary and gender.

As of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, actuarial assumptions used by the Company to calculate the projected benefit obligation and the fair value of the plans assets related to its Swiss pension plan included discount rates of 1.70% and 0.35%, respectively, and expected returns on plan assets of 1.70% and 0.65%, respectively.

The components of net periodic defined benefit pension cost to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to the Company’s defined benefit plans are as follows (in thousands):

	SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total
	Year Ended January 28, 2023
Service cost	$	—	$	3,008	$	3,008
Interest cost	1,333		221		1,554
Expected return on plan assets	—		(271)		(271)
Net amortization of unrecognized prior service credit	—		(90)		(90)
Net amortization of actuarial losses	17		598		615
Net periodic defined benefit pension cost	$	1,350	$	3,466	$	4,816
Unrecognized prior service credit charged to comprehensive income (loss)	$	—	$	(90)	$	(90)
Unrecognized net actuarial loss charged to comprehensive income (loss)	17		598		615
Net actuarial gains (losses)	6,649		(2,759)		3,890
Foreign currency and other adjustments	—		627		627
Related tax impact	(1,547)		152		(1,395)
Total periodic defined benefit pension cost and other charges to other comprehensive income (loss) and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	$	5,119	$	(1,472)	$	3,647

	Year Ended January 29, 2022
Service cost	$	—	$	3,142	$	3,142
Interest cost	1,155		74		1,229
Expected return on plan assets	—		(206)		(206)
Net amortization of unrecognized prior service credit	—		(67)		(67)
Net amortization of actuarial losses	81		339		420
Net periodic defined benefit pension cost	$	1,236	$	3,282	$	4,518
Unrecognized prior service credit charged to comprehensive income (loss)	$	—	$	(67)	$	(67)
Unrecognized net actuarial loss charged to comprehensive income (loss)	81		339		420
Net actuarial gains	2,067		738		2,805
Foreign currency and other adjustments	—		340		340
Related tax impact	(496)		(141)		(637)
Total periodic defined benefit pension cost and other charges to other comprehensive income (loss) and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	$	1,652	$	1,209	$	2,861

	SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total
	Year Ended January 30, 2021
Service cost	$	—	$	3,155	$	3,155
Interest cost	1,277		32		1,309
Expected return on plan assets	—		(186)		(186)
Net amortization of unrecognized prior service credit	—		(66)		(66)
Net amortization of actuarial losses	40		357		397
Net periodic defined benefit pension cost	$	1,317	$	3,292	$	4,609
Unrecognized prior service credit charged to comprehensive income (loss)	$	—	$	(66)	$	(66)
Unrecognized net actuarial loss charged to comprehensive income (loss)	40		357		397
Net actuarial losses	(767)		(236)		(1,003)
Foreign currency and other adjustments	—		(383)		(383)
Related tax impact	168		(21)		147
Total periodic defined benefit pension cost and other charges to other comprehensive income (loss) and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	$	(559)	$	(349)	$	(908)

Included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), before income tax, are the following amounts that have not yet been recognized in net periodic defined benefit pension cost as follows (in thousands):

	Jan 28, 2023						Jan 29, 2022
	SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total		SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total
Unrecognized prior service credit	$	—	$	(815)	$	(815)	$	—	$	(227)	$	(227)
Unrecognized net actuarial loss	(2,118)		6,283		4,165		4,550		4,071		8,621
Total included in accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(2,118)	$	5,468	$	3,350	$	4,550	$	3,844	$	8,394

The following summarizes the funded status of the Company’s defined benefit plans and the amounts recognized in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets are as follows (in thousands):

	Jan 28, 2023						Jan 29, 2022
	SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total		SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total
Projected benefit obligation	$	(42,367)	$	(47,366)	$	(89,733)	$	(49,431)	$	(42,740)	$	(92,171)
Plan assets at fair value1	—		41,193		41,193		—		38,015		38,015
Net liability2	$	(42,367)	$	(6,173)	$	(48,540)	$	(49,431)	$	(4,725)	$	(54,156)

______________________________________________________________________

1The SERP is a non-qualified pension plan and hence the insurance policies are not considered to be plan assets. Accordingly, the table above does not include the insurance policies with cash surrender values of $64.4 million and $70.9 million as of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, respectively.

2The net liability was included in accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets depending on the expected timing of payments.

A reconciliation of the changes in the projected benefit obligation is as follows (in thousands):

	SERP		Foreign Pension Plans		Total
Balance at January 30, 2021	$	52,268	$	41,461	$	93,729
Service cost	—		3,142		3,142
Interest cost	1,155		74		1,229
Actuarial gains	(2,085)		(497)		(2,582)
Contributions by plan participants	—		3,764		3,764
Payments	(1,907)		(3,104)		(5,011)
Foreign currency and other adjustments	—		(2,100)		(2,100)
Balance at January 29, 2022	$	49,431	$	42,740	$	92,171
Service cost	—		3,008		3,008
Interest cost	1,333		221		1,554
Actuarial (gains) losses	(6,649)		2,994		(3,655)
Contributions by plan participants	—		2,622		2,622
Payments	(1,748)		(3,905)		(5,653)
Foreign currency and other adjustments	—		(314)		(314)
Balance at January 28, 2023	$	42,367	$	47,366	$	89,733

The SERP is a non-qualified pension plan and hence the insurance policies are not considered to be plan assets. Accordingly, the table below does not include the insurance policies with cash surrender values of $64.4 million and $70.9 million as of January 28, 2023 and January 29, 2022, respectively. A reconciliation of the changes in plan assets for the Company’s foreign pension plans is as follows (in thousands):

	Plan Assets
Balance at January 30, 2021	$	35,015
Actual return on plan assets	447
Contributions by employer	3,582
Contributions by plan participants	3,764
Payments	(3,104)
Foreign currency and other adjustments	(1,689)
Balance at January 29, 2022	$	38,015
Actual return on plan assets	506
Contributions by employer	3,645
Contributions by plan participants	2,622
Payments	(3,905)
Foreign currency and other adjustments	310
Balance at January 28, 2023	$	41,193