2. Long-Term Debt

During the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company entered into a note purchase agreement with several purchasers pursuant to which the Company issued and sold $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 4.02% senior notes due August 14, 2025 in a private placement exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Interest on the notes is payable semi-annually in February and August of each year and at maturity, commencing on February 14, 2014. Beginning in August 2021 and each August thereafter, to and including August 2024, the Company will be required to prepay $10,000,000 of the principal amount of the notes. The entire unpaid principal balance of the notes will be due and payable in August 2025.

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.

The Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement on February 28, 2013 covering $25,000,000 of floating rate debt, which expires January 22, 2018, and requires the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 0.96% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR (0.19% at August 29, 2013). The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets 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 is considered effective and qualifies 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. As of August 29, 2013, the interest rate swap was considered effective. The increase in fair value of the interest rate swap of $444,000 ($268,000 net of tax) was included in other comprehensive loss for the 13 weeks ended August 29, 2013. The notional amount of the swap is $25,000,000 and the fair value of the swap was $474,000 and $30,000 as of August 29, 2013 and May 30, 2013, respectively, and is included in other (long-term assets). The Company does not expect the interest rate swap to have any material effect on earnings within the next 12 months.

On February 29, 2008, the Company 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 30, 2012, the Company reclassified $28,000 ($17,000 net of tax) from accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense. The liability was fully amortized as of May 30, 2013.