Retirement plans

12 Months Ended

Jan. 30, 2021

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Retirement plans

Retirement plans

Signet operates a defined benefit pension plan in the UK (the “UK Plan”) which ceased to admit new employees effective April 2004. The UK Plan provides benefits to participating eligible employees. Beginning in Fiscal 2014, a change to the benefit structure was implemented and members’ benefits that accumulate after that date are now based upon career average salaries, whereas previously, all benefits were based on salaries at retirement. In September 2017, the Company approved an amendment to freeze benefit accruals under the UK Plan in an effort to reduce anticipated future pension expense. As a result of this amendment, the Company froze the pension plan for all participants with an effective date of October 2019 as elected by the plan participants. All future benefit accruals under the plan have thus ceased as of this date. The amendment to the plan was accounted for in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 715, “Compensation - Retirement Benefits.”

The net periodic pension cost of the UK Plan is measured on an actuarial basis using the projected unit credit method and several actuarial assumptions, the most significant of which are the discount rate and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. Other material assumptions include rates of participant mortality, the expected long-term rate of compensation and pension increases,

and rates of employee attrition. Gains and losses occur when actual experience differs from actuarial assumptions. If such gains or losses exceed 10% of the greater of plan assets or plan liabilities, Signet amortizes those gains or losses over the average remaining service period of the employees. The service cost component of net periodic pension cost is charged to selling, general and administrative expenses while non-service, interest and other costs components are charged to other non-operating income, net, in the consolidated statements of operations.

The UK Plan is a funded plan with assets held in a separate trustee administered fund, which is independently managed. Signet used January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 measurement dates in determining the UK Plan’s benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets.

The following tables provide information concerning the UK Plan as of and for the fiscal years ended January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020:

(in millions)	Fiscal 2021		Fiscal 2020
Change in UK Plan assets:
Fair value at beginning of year	$	281.9	$	245.5
Actual return on UK Plan assets	11.9		36.8
Employer contributions	4.4		5.3
Members’ contributions	—		0.2
Benefits paid	(9.8)		(9.4)
Foreign currency translation	10.8		3.5
Fair value at end of year	$	299.2	$	281.9

(in millions)	Fiscal 2021		Fiscal 2020
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	243.4	$	214.9
Service cost	—		0.7
Interest cost	4.0		5.5
Members’ contributions	—		0.2
Actuarial loss	1.4		29.2
Benefits paid	(9.8)		(9.4)
Foreign currency translation	8.6		2.3
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	247.6	$	243.4
Funded status at end of year	$	51.6	$	38.5

(in millions)	January 30, 2021		February 1, 2020
Amounts recognized in the balance sheet consist of:
Other assets (non current)	$	51.6	$	38.5

Items in AOCI not yet recognized in net income in the consolidated statements of operations:

(in millions)	January 30, 2021		February 1, 2020		February 2, 2019
Net actuarial losses	$	(47.2)	$	(52.4)	$	(53.8)
Net prior service costs	(4.0)		(4.1)		(4.1)

The estimated actuarial losses and prior service costs for the UK Plan that will be amortized from AOCI into net periodic pension cost over the next fiscal year are $(0.8) million and $(0.1) million, respectively.

The accumulated benefit obligation for the UK Plan was $247.6 million and $243.4 million as of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, respectively.

The components of net periodic pension benefit cost and other amounts recognized in OCI for the UK Plan are as follows:

(in millions)	Fiscal 2021		Fiscal 2020		Fiscal 2019
Components of net periodic benefit (cost) income:
Service cost	$	—	$	(0.7)	$	(0.9)
Interest cost	(4.0)		(5.5)		(5.8)
Expected return on UK Plan assets	5.5		7.8		8.4
Amortization of unrecognized actuarial losses	(0.9)		(1.2)		(0.9)
Amortization of unrecognized net prior service costs	(0.1)		—		—
Total net periodic benefit (cost) income	$	0.5	$	0.4	$	0.8
Other changes in assets and benefit obligations recognized in OCI	6.5		1.7		(11.3)
Total recognized in net periodic pension benefit (cost) and OCI	$	7.0	$	2.1	$	(10.5)

	January 30, 2021		February 1, 2020
Assumptions used to determine benefit obligations (at the end of the year):
Discount rate	1.60	%	1.70	%
Salary increases	N/A		N/A
Assumptions used to determine net periodic pension costs (at the start of the year):
Discount rate	1.70	%	2.70	%
Expected return on UK Plan assets	2.20	%	3.50	%
Salary increases	N/A		1.50	%

The discount rate is based upon published rates for high-quality fixed-income investments that produce expected cash flows that approximate the timing and amount of expected future benefit payments.

The expected return on the UK Plan assets assumption is based upon the historical return and future expected returns for each asset class, as well as the target asset allocation of the portfolio of UK Plan assets.

The UK Plan’s investment strategy is guided by an objective of achieving a return on the investments, which is consistent with the long-term return assumptions and funding policy, to ensure the UK Plan obligations are met. The investment policy is to allocate funds to a diverse portfolio of investments, including UK and global equities, diversified growth funds, corporate bonds, fixed income investments and commercial property. The commercial property investment is through a Pooled Pensions Property Fund that provides a diversified portfolio of property assets. As of January 30, 2021, the long-term target allocation for the UK Plan’s assets was bonds 74%, diversified growth funds 21%, equities 4% and property 1%. This allocation is consistent with the long-term target allocation of investments underlying the UK Plan’s funding strategy.

The fair value of the assets in the UK Plan at January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 are required to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

Level 1—quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities

Level 2—observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data

Level 3—unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data

The methods Signet uses to determine fair value on an instrument-specific basis are detailed below:

	Fair value measurements as of January 30, 2021						Fair value measurements as of February 1, 2020
(in millions)	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Total		Level 1		Level 2
Asset category:
Diversified equity securities	$	13.0	$	—	$	13.0	$	15.1	$	—	$	15.1
Diversified growth funds	44.4		44.4		—		49.8		49.8		—
Fixed income – government bonds	161.4		161.4		—		139.7		139.7		—
Fixed income – corporate bonds	56.2		—		56.2		48.8		—		48.8
Cash	3.7		3.7		—		4.3		4.3		—
Investments measured at NAV(1):
Diversified growth funds	18.0						17.8
Property	2.5						6.4
Total	$	299.2	$	209.5	$	69.2	$	281.9	$	193.8	$	63.9

(1)    Certain assets that are measured at fair value using the net asset value (“NAV”) practical expedient have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.

Investments in diversified equity securities, diversified growth funds and fixed income securities are in pooled funds. Investments are valued based on unadjusted quoted prices for each fund in active markets, where possible and, therefore, classified in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. If unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets are unavailable, investments are valued by the administrators of the funds. The valuation is based on the value of the underlying assets owned by the fund, minus its liabilities, and then divided by the number of units outstanding. The unit price is based on underlying investments which are generally either traded in an active market or are valued based on observable inputs such as market interest rates and quoted prices for similar securities and, therefore, classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Certain fixed income investments are in an interest-based return through investments in various asset classes including: asset backed securities, mortgage backed securities, collateralized debt and loan obligations, and loan investments. The same investments in are subject to certain restrictions whereby funds may only be divested quarterly. The investment in property is in pooled funds valued by the administrators of the fund. The investment in the property fund is subject to certain restrictions on withdrawals that could delay the receipt of funds by up to 16 months. The valuation of these assets are based on the NAV of underlying assets, which are independently valued on a monthly basis.

Signet contributed $4.4 million to the UK Plan in Fiscal 2021 and expects to contribute a minimum of $4.7 million to the UK Plan in Fiscal 2022. The level of contributions is in accordance with an agreed upon deficit recovery plan and based on the results of the actuarial valuation as of April 5, 2020.

The following benefit payments are currently estimated to be paid by the UK Plan:

(in millions)	Expected benefit payments
Fiscal 2022	$	9.7
Fiscal 2023	9.6
Fiscal 2024	9.6
Fiscal 2025	9.5
Fiscal 2026	9.7
Next five fiscal years	$	49.3

Other retirement plans

In June 2004, Signet introduced a defined contribution plan which replaced the UK Plan for new UK employees. The contributions to this plan in Fiscal 2021 were $2.4 million (Fiscal 2020: $2.4 million; Fiscal 2019: $2.3 million).

In the US, Signet operates a defined contribution 401(k) retirement savings plan for all eligible employees who meet minimum age and service requirements. The assets of this plan are held in a separate trust and Signet matches 50% of up to 6% of employee elective salary deferrals, subject to statutory limitations. Signet’s contributions to this plan in Fiscal 2021 were $3.2 million (Fiscal 2020: $9.1 million; Fiscal 2019: $10.4 million). The Company has also established two unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, one of which permits certain management and highly compensated employees to elect annually to defer all or a portion of their

compensation and earn interest on the deferred amounts (“DCP”) and the other of which is frozen as to new participants and new deferrals. Beginning in April 2011, the DCP provided for a matching contribution based on each participant’s annual compensation deferral. The plan also permits employer contributions on a discretionary basis. The cost recognized in connection with the DCP in Fiscal 2021 was $0.8 million (Fiscal 2020: $3.6 million; Fiscal 2019: $3.6 million). The matching contributions, for both the Signet 401(k) and DCP, were temporarily suspended during the first quarter of Fiscal 2021. The matching contributions resumed effective January 1, 2021.

The fair value of the assets in the two unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plans at January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 are required to be classified and disclosed. Although these plans are not required to be funded by the Company, the Company has elected to fund the plans by investing in trust-owned life insurance policies and money market funds. The value and classification of these assets are as follows:

	Fair value measurements as of January 30, 2021						Fair value measurements as of February 1, 2020
(in millions)	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Total		Level 1		Level 2
Assets:
Corporate-owned life insurance plans	$	6.3	$	—	$	6.3	$	6.5	$	—	$	6.5
Money market funds	21.7		21.7		—		21.0		21.0		—
Total assets	$	28.0	$	21.7	$	6.3	$	27.5	$	21.0	$	6.5

As of January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, the total liability recorded by the Company for the DCP was $33.3 million and $35.4 million, respectively.