Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Venture

3 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2017

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Venture

16. Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Venture

Effective January 1, 2017, Culp International Holdings, Ltd. (Culp), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Culp, Inc., entered into a joint venture agreement, pursuant to which Culp owns fifty percent of CLASS International Holdings, Ltd (CLIH). CLIH will produce cut and sewn mattress covers, and its operations will be located in a modern industrial park in northeastern Haiti, which borders the Dominican Republic. CLIH is currently expected to commence production in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 (October 2017) and to complement our existing U.S. mattress fabric operations with a mirrored platform that will enhance our ability to meet customer demand while adding a lower cost operation to our platform.

During the three month period ended July 30, 2017, CLIH incurred a $236,000 net loss that pertained to start-up operating expenses in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Our equity interest in this net loss was $118,000, which represents the company’s fifty percent ownership in CLIH.

The following table summarizes information on assets, liabilities and members’ equity of our equity method investment in CLIH:

(dollars in thousands)	July 30, 2017		April 30, 2017
total assets	$	3,003	$	2,258
total liabilities	$	48	$	46
total members’ equity	$	2,955	$	2,212

At July 30, 2017 and April 30, 2017, our investment in CLIH totaled $1.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively, which represents the company’s fifty percent ownership interest in CLIH.