Pension plans

Signet operates a defined benefit pension plan in the UK (the “UK Plan”) for participating eligible employees. The UK Plan, which ceased to admit new employees from April 2004, is a funded plan with assets held in a separate trustee administered fund, which is independently managed.

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 will freeze the pension plan for all participants with an effective date of either December 2017 or October 2019 as elected by the plan participants. All future benefit accruals under the plan shall cease. The amendment to the plan was accounted for in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 715, “Compensation - Retirement Benefits,” resulting in the recognition of a curtailment gain of $6.4 million, offset by a settlement loss of $2.7 million, during the third quarter of Fiscal 2018.

The components of net periodic pension benefit for the UK Plan are as follows:



	13 weeks ended						39 weeks ended
(in millions)	October 28, 2017			October 29, 2016			October 28, 2017			October 29, 2016
Components of net periodic pension benefit:
Service cost	$	(0.6	)	$	(0.5	)	$	(1.6	)	$	(1.5	)
Interest cost	(1.6		)	(1.7		)	(4.7		)	(5.5		)
Expected return on UK Plan assets	2.4			2.5			7.1			8.0
Amortization of unrecognized actuarial losses	(0.7		)	(0.4		)	(2.2		)	(1.2		)
Amortization of unrecognized net prior service credits	0.4			0.5			1.3			1.5
Net periodic pension (expense) benefit	$	(0.1	)	$	0.4		$	(0.1	)	$	1.3
Net curtailment gain and settlement loss	3.7			—			3.7			—
Total recognized in net periodic pension benefit and OCI	$	3.6		$	0.4		$	3.6		$	1.3

In the 39 weeks ended October 28, 2017, Signet contributed $2.4 million to the UK Plan and expects to contribute a minimum of $3.3 million at current exchange rates to the UK Plan in Fiscal 2018. 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, 2015.