XML 63 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT  v2.3.0.11
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN
12 Months Ended
Jul. 30, 2011
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN.  
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

(13) EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

        The Company adopted the UNFI Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the "ESOP") for the purpose of acquiring outstanding shares of the Company for the benefit of eligible employees. The ESOP was effective as of November 1, 1988 and has received notice of qualification by the Internal Revenue Service.

        In connection with the adoption of the ESOP, a Trust was established to hold the shares acquired. On November 1, 1988, the Trust purchased 40% of the then outstanding common stock of the Company at a price of $4.1 million. The trustees funded this purchase by issuing promissory notes to the initial stockholders, with the Trust shares pledged as collateral. These notes bear interest at 1.33% as of July 30, 2011 and July 31, 2010, and are payable through May 2015. As the debt is repaid, shares are released from collateral and allocated to active employees, based on the proportion of principal and interest paid in the year.

        All shares held by the ESOP were purchased prior to December 31, 1992. As a result, the Company considers unreleased shares of the ESOP to be outstanding for purposes of calculating both basic and diluted earnings per share, whether or not the shares have been committed to be released. The debt of the ESOP is recorded as debt and the shares pledged as collateral are reported as unearned ESOP shares in the consolidated balance sheets. During the fiscal years ended July 30, 2011, July 31, 2010, and August 1, 2009, contributions totaling approximately $0.2 million, $0.2 million, and $0.3 million, respectively, were made to the Trust. Of these contributions, less than $0.1 million in fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010 and approximately $0.1 million in fiscal 2009 represented interest.

        The ESOP shares were classified as follows:

 
  July 30, 2011   July 31, 2010  
 
  (In thousands)
 

Total ESOP shares—beginning of year

    2,419     2,552  
 

Shares distributed to employees

    (220 )   (133 )
           
 

Total ESOP shares—end of year

    2,199     2,419  
           

Allocated shares

    1,657     1,711  

Unreleased shares

    542     708  
           
 

Total ESOP shares

    2,199     2,419  
           

        During the fiscal years ended July 30, 2011 and July 31, 2010, 165,436 shares and 197,085 shares were released for allocation, respectively. The fair value of unreleased shares was approximately $22.6 million and $20.9 million at July 30, 2011 and July 31, 2010, respectively.