BENEFIT PLANS

9 Months Ended

May 01, 2021

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

BENEFIT PLANS

NOTE 11—BENEFIT PLANS

Net periodic benefit income and contributions to defined benefit pension and other post-retirement benefit plans consisted of the following:

	13-Week Period Ended
	Pension Benefits				Other Postretirement Benefits
(in thousands)	May 1, 2021		May 2, 2020		May 1, 2021		May 2, 2020
Net Periodic Benefit (Income) Cost
Service cost	$	—	$	—	$	12	$	14
Interest cost	9,164		13,602		103		236
Expected return on plan assets	(25,965)		(25,765)		(26)		(54)
Amortization of prior service credit	—		—		(350)		(350)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (gain)	261		3		(315)		(430)
Net periodic benefit income	$	(16,540)	$	(12,160)	$	(576)	$	(584)
Contributions to benefit plans	$	(375)	$	(1,500)	$	(950)	$	(175)

	39-Week Period Ended
	Pension Benefits				Other Postretirement Benefits
(in thousands)	May 1, 2021		May 2, 2020		May 1, 2021		May 2, 2020
Net Periodic Benefit (Income) Cost
Service cost	$	—	$	—	$	36	$	42
Interest cost	27,492		43,894		309		708
Expected return on plan assets	(77,894)		(79,834)		(78)		(162)
Amortization of prior service credit	—		—		(1,050)		(1,050)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (gain)	878		9		(945)		(1,287)
Pension settlement charge	—		10,303		—		—
Net periodic benefit income	$	(49,524)	$	(25,628)	$	(1,728)	$	(1,749)
Contributions to benefit plans	$	(1,125)	$	(6,750)	$	(2,850)	$	(335)

Pension Contributions

No minimum pension contributions are required to be made under either the SUPERVALU Inc. Retirement Plan or the Unified Grocers, Inc. Cash Balance Plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, (“ERISA”) in fiscal 2021. The Company expects to contribute approximately $5.3 million to its other non-qualified pension plans and postretirement benefit plans in fiscal 2021.

Multiemployer Pension Plans

The Company contributed $12.2 million and $12.3 million in the third quarters of fiscal 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $35.9 million and $38.4 million in fiscal 2021 and 2020 year-to-date, respectively, to continuing and discontinued operations multiemployer pension plans.

In connection with the Company’s consolidation of distribution centers in the Pacific Northwest, during the second quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company recorded a $10.6 million multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability, under which payments will be made over a one-year period the timing of which is dependent upon the plan’s assessment. The withdrawal liability is included in Other long-term liabilities and the withdrawal charge was recorded within Restructuring, acquisition and integration related expenses.

Lump Sum Pension Settlement

On August 1, 2019, the Company amended the SUPERVALU Retirement Plan to provide for a lump sum settlement window. On August 2, 2019, the Company sent plan participants lump sum settlement election offerings that committed the plan to pay certain deferred vested pension plan participants and retirees, who make such an election, a lump sum payment in exchange for their rights to receive ongoing payments from the plan. The lump sum payment amounts are equal to the present value of the participant’s pension benefits, and were made to certain (i) retired associates and beneficiaries who are receiving their monthly pension benefit payment and (ii) terminated associates who are deferred vested in the plan, had not yet begun receiving monthly pension benefit payments and who are not eligible for any prior lump sum offerings under the plan. Benefit obligations associated with the lump sum offering have been incorporated into the funded status utilizing the actuarially determined lump sum payments based on estimated offer acceptances. The plan made aggregate lump sum settlement payments of $664.0 million to plan participants during the second quarter of fiscal 2020. The lump sum settlement payments resulted in a non-cash pension settlement charge of $10.3 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 from the acceleration of a portion of the accumulated unrecognized actuarial loss, which was based on the fair value of SUPERVALU Retirement Plan assets and remeasured liabilities. As a result of the settlement payments, the SUPERVALU Retirement Plan obligations were remeasured using a discount rate of 3.1 percent and the MP-2019 mortality improvement scale. This remeasurement resulted in a $1.5 million decrease to Accumulated other comprehensive loss.