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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 12 Months Ended
Jan. 01, 2012
Description of Business/Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation, Big 5 Corp. and Big 5 Services Corp. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Reporting Period

The Company follows the concept of a 52-53 week fiscal year, which ends on the Sunday nearest December 31. Fiscal 2011 and 2010 each included 52 weeks. Fiscal 2009 included 53 weeks.

Recently Issued Accounting Updates

In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-08, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other. ASU No. 2011-08 is intended to simplify goodwill impairment testing by adding a qualitative review step to assess whether the required quantitative impairment analysis that exists today is necessary. ASU No. 2011-08 permits an entity to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If it is concluded that this is the case, it is necessary to perform the currently prescribed two-step goodwill impairment test. Otherwise, the two-step goodwill impairment test is not required. Additionally, an entity has the option to bypass the qualitative assessment in any period and proceed directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test. An entity may resume performing the qualitative assessment in any subsequent period. ASU No. 2011-08 is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted, including for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed as of a date before September 15, 2011, if an entity’s financial statements for the most recent annual or interim period have not yet been issued. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU No. 2011-08 to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Use of Estimates

Management has made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period to prepare these consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Certain items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying amount of merchandise inventories, property and equipment, and goodwill; valuation allowances for receivables, sales returns and deferred income tax assets; estimates related to gift card breakage and the valuation of share-based compensation awards; and obligations related to asset retirements, litigation, self-insurance liabilities and employee benefits. Actual results could differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

 

Segment Reporting

The Company operates solely as a sporting goods retailer, with each store having similar square footage and offering essentially the same general product mix throughout the entire store chain. The Company’s core customer demographic remains similar chainwide, as does the Company’s process for the procurement and marketing of its product mix. Furthermore, the Company distributes its product mix chainwide from a single distribution center. Given the similar economic characteristics of the Company’s store formats, the similar nature of the products sold, the type of customer and the method of distribution, the Company operates as one reportable segment as defined by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 280, Segment Reporting.

The approximate net sales attributable to hard goods, athletic and sport apparel, athletic and sport footwear and other for the periods presented are set forth as follows:

 

                         
       

Fiscal Year
       

2011

      

2010

      

2009
                 (In thousands)         

Hard goods

   $   491,493    $   491,106    $   487,178 

Athletic and sport apparel

       145,209        143,994        145,325 

Athletic and sport footwear

       262,558        259,889        259,989 

Other sales

       2,874        1,824        3,050 
       

 

      

 

      

 

Net sales

   $   902,134    $   896,813    $   895,542 
       

 

      

 

      

 

Earnings Per Share

The Company calculates earnings per share in accordance with ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, which requires a dual presentation of basic and diluted earnings per share. Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding, reduced by shares repurchased and held in treasury, during the period. Diluted earnings per share represents basic earnings per share adjusted to include the potentially dilutive effect of outstanding share option awards, nonvested share awards and nonvested share unit awards.

Revenue Recognition

The Company earns revenue by selling merchandise primarily through its retail stores. Revenue is recognized when merchandise is sold and delivered to the customer and is shown net of estimated returns during the relevant period. The allowance for sales returns is estimated based upon historical experience.

Cash received from the sale of gift cards is recorded as a liability, and revenue is recognized upon the redemption of the gift card or when it is determined that the likelihood of redemption is remote (“gift card breakage”) and no liability to relevant jurisdictions exists. The Company determines the gift card breakage rate based upon historical redemption patterns and recognizes gift card breakage on a straight-line basis over the estimated gift card redemption period (20 quarters as of the end of fiscal 2011). The Company recognized approximately $0.4 million, $0.4 million and $0.5 million in gift card breakage revenue for fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

The Company records sales tax collected from its customers on a net basis, and therefore excludes it from revenue as defined in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition (“ASC 605”).

Included in revenue are sales of returned merchandise to vendors specializing in the resale of defective or used products, which accounted for less than 1% of net sales in each of the periods reported.

 

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes the cost of merchandise, net of discounts or allowances earned, freight, inventory reserves, buying, distribution center costs and store occupancy costs. Store occupancy costs include rent, amortization of leasehold improvements, common area maintenance, property taxes and insurance.

Selling and Administrative Expense

Selling and administrative expense includes store-related expense, other than store occupancy costs, as well as advertising, depreciation and amortization, expense associated with operating the Company’s corporate headquarters and impairment charges, if any.

Vendor Allowances

The Company receives allowances for co-operative advertising and volume purchase rebates earned through programs with certain vendors. The Company records a receivable for these allowances which are earned but not yet received when it is determined the amounts are probable and reasonably estimable, in accordance with ASC 605. Amounts relating to the purchase of merchandise are treated as a reduction of inventory cost and reduce cost of goods sold as the merchandise is sold. Amounts that represent a reimbursement of costs incurred, such as advertising, are recorded as a reduction in selling and administrative expense. The Company performs detailed analyses to determine the appropriate amount of vendor allowances to be applied as a reduction of merchandise cost and selling and administrative expense.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed when the advertising first occurs. Advertising expense, net of co-operative advertising allowances, amounted to $47.6 million, $44.9 million and $45.8 million for fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Advertising expense is included in selling and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company receives co-operative advertising allowances from product vendors in order to subsidize qualifying advertising and similar promotional expenditures made relating to vendors’ products. These advertising allowances are recognized as a reduction to selling and administrative expense when the Company incurs the advertising cost eligible for the credit. Co-operative advertising allowances recognized as a reduction to selling and administrative expense amounted to $6.2 million, $6.9 million and $6.9 million for fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for its share-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. Accordingly, the Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period using the fair-value method for share option awards, nonvested share awards and nonvested share unit awards granted with service-only conditions. See Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements for a further discussion on share-based compensation.

Pre-opening Costs

Pre-opening costs for new stores, which consist primarily of payroll and recruiting costs, training, marketing, rent, travel and supplies, are expensed as incurred.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand and all highly liquid instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase. Book overdrafts are recorded in accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consist primarily of third party purchasing card receivables, amounts due from inventory vendors for returned products or co-operative advertising and amounts due from lessors for tenant improvement allowances. Accounts receivable have not historically resulted in any material credit losses. An allowance for doubtful accounts is provided when accounts are determined to be uncollectible.

Valuation of Merchandise Inventories, Net

The Company’s merchandise inventories are made up of finished goods and are valued at the lower of cost or market using the weighted-average cost method that approximates the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. Average cost includes the direct purchase price of merchandise inventory, net of vendor allowances and cash discounts, in-bound freight-related costs and allocated overhead costs associated with the Company’s distribution center.

Management regularly reviews inventories and records valuation reserves for merchandise damage and defective returns, merchandise items with slow-moving or obsolescence exposure and merchandise that has a carrying value that exceeds market value. Because of its merchandise mix, the Company has not historically experienced significant occurrences of obsolescence.

Inventory shrinkage is accrued as a percentage of merchandise sales based on historical inventory shrinkage trends. The Company performs physical inventories of its stores at least once per year and cycle counts inventories at its distribution center throughout the year. The reserve for inventory shrinkage represents an estimate for inventory shrinkage for each store since the last physical inventory date through the reporting date.

These reserves are estimates, which could vary significantly, either favorably or unfavorably, from actual results if future economic conditions, consumer demand and competitive environments differ from expectations.

Prepaid Expenses

Prepaid expenses include the prepayment of various operating costs such as insurance, rent, property taxes, software maintenance and supplies, which are expensed when the operating cost is realized. Prepaid expenses also include the purchase of seasonal fish and game licenses from certain state and federal governmental agencies. The Company has a right to return these licenses if they are unsold. The prepaid expenses associated with seasonal fish and game licenses totaled $0.5 million and $0.4 million as of January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, respectively.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment are stated at cost and are being depreciated or amortized utilizing the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

 

     

Land

  

Indefinite

Buildings

  

20 years

Leasehold improvements

  

Shorter of estimated useful life or term of lease

Furniture and equipment

  

3 – 10 years

Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over fair value of net assets acquired. Under ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, goodwill is not amortized but evaluated for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the value may not be recoverable.

The Company performed an annual impairment test as of the end of fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, and determined that goodwill was not impaired. Furthermore, as of January 1, 2012, no goodwill impairment losses have been recognized since the adoption of ASC 350.

 

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

Long-lived assets are reviewed for recoverability at the lowest level in which there are identifiable cash flows (“asset group”), usually at the store level. Each store typically requires investments of approximately $0.6 million in long-lived assets to be held and used, subject to recoverability testing. The carrying amount of an asset group is not considered recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the asset group. If the asset group is determined not to be recoverable, then an impairment charge will be recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value, determined using discounted cash flow valuation techniques, as defined in ASC 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment.

The Company determines the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the asset group by projecting future revenue and operating expense for each store under consideration for impairment. The estimates of future cash flows involve management judgment and are based upon assumptions about expected future operating performance. Assumptions used in these forecasts are consistent with internal planning, and include assumptions about sales, margins, operating expense and advertising expense in relation to the current economic environment and future expectations, competitive factors in various markets and inflation. The actual cash flows could differ from management’s estimates due to changes in business conditions, operating performance and economic conditions.

In fiscal 2011, the Company recognized a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $2.1 million related to certain underperforming stores. This impairment charge is included in selling and administrative expense for fiscal 2011 in the consolidated statement of operations. No long-lived asset impairment charges were incurred during fiscal 2010 and 2009.

Leases and Deferred Rent

The Company accounts for its leases under the provisions of ASC 840, Leases.

The Company evaluates and classifies its leases as either operating or capital leases for financial reporting purposes. Operating lease commitments consist principally of leases for the Company’s retail store facilities, distribution center and corporate office. Capital lease obligations consist principally of leases for some of the Company’s distribution center delivery tractors, management information systems hardware and point-of-sale equipment for the Company’s stores.

Certain of the leases for the Company’s retail store facilities provide for payments based on future sales volumes at the leased location, which are not measurable at the inception of the lease. These contingent rents are expensed as they accrue.

Deferred rent represents the difference between rent paid and the amounts expensed for operating leases. Certain leases have scheduled rent increases, and certain leases include an initial period of free or reduced rent as an inducement to enter into the lease agreement (“rent holidays”). The Company recognizes rent expense for rent increases and rent holidays on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying leases, without regard to when rent payments are made. The calculation of straight-line rent is based on the non-cancelable lease term when it is at least ten years or the “reasonably assured” lease term as defined in ASC 840 when the initial non-cancelable lease term is less than ten years.

Landlord allowances for tenant improvements, or lease incentives, are recorded as deferred rent and amortized on a straight-line basis over the “reasonably assured” lease term as a component of rent expense.

Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company accounts for its asset retirement obligations (“ARO”) in accordance with ASC 410, Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations, which requires the recognition of a liability for the fair value of a legally required asset retirement obligation when incurred if the liability’s fair value can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s ARO liabilities are associated with the disposal and retirement of leasehold improvements resulting from contractual obligations at the end of a lease to restore the facility back to a condition specified in the lease agreement.

The Company records the net present value of the ARO liability and also records a related capital asset in an equal amount for those leases that contractually obligate the Company with an asset retirement obligation. The estimate of the ARO liability is based on a number of assumptions including store closing costs, inflation rates and discount rates. Accretion expense related to the ARO liability is recognized as operating expense. The capitalized asset is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the useful life of the leasehold improvement. Upon ARO removal, any difference between the actual retirement costs incurred and the recorded estimated ARO liability is recognized as an operating gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations. The ARO liability, which totaled $0.6 million and $0.6 million as of January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, respectively, is included in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Self-Insurance Liabilities

The Company maintains self-insurance programs for its commercial general liability risk and, in certain states, its estimated workers’ compensation liability risk. The Company also has a self-funded insurance program for a portion of its employee medical benefits. Under these programs, the Company maintains insurance coverage for losses in excess of specified per-occurrence amounts. Estimated costs under the self-insured workers’ compensation and medical benefits programs, including incurred but not reported claims, are recorded as expense based upon historical experience, trends of paid and incurred claims, and other actuarial assumptions. If actual claims trends under these programs, including the severity or frequency of claims, differ from the Company’s estimates, its financial results may be significantly impacted. The Company’s estimated self-insurance liabilities are classified on the balance sheet as accrued expenses or other long-term liabilities based upon whether they are expected to be paid during or beyond the normal operating cycle of 12 months from the date of the consolidated financial statements. Self-insurance liabilities totaled $8.2 million and $7.8 million as of January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, respectively, of which $3.5 million and $3.5 million were recorded as a component of accrued expenses as of January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, respectively, and $4.7 million and $4.3 million were recorded as a component of other long-term liabilities as of January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Income Taxes

Under the asset and liability method prescribed under ASC 740, Income Taxes, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be realized or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The realizability of deferred tax assets is assessed throughout the year and a valuation allowance is recorded if necessary to reduce net deferred tax assets to the amount more likely than not to be realized.

ASC 740 provides that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. ASC 740 also provides guidance on measurement, derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition.

The Company’s practice is to recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expense. At January 1, 2012 and January 2, 2011, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties.

 

Concentration of Risk

The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents accounts in financial institutions. Accounts at these institutions are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000. The Company performs ongoing evaluations of these institutions to limit its concentration risk exposure.

The Company operates traditional sporting goods retail stores located principally in the western United States. Because of this, the Company is subject to regional risks, such as the economy, including downturns in the housing market, state financial conditions, unemployment and gas prices. Other regional risks include weather conditions, power outages, earthquakes and other natural disasters specific to the states in which the Company operates.

The Company relies on a single distribution center located in Riverside, California, which services all of its stores. Any natural disaster or other serious disruption to the distribution center due to fire, earthquake or any other cause could damage a significant portion of inventory and could materially impair the Company’s ability to adequately stock its stores.

A substantial amount of the Company’s inventory is manufactured abroad, and shipped through the Port of Los Angeles. From time to time, shipping ports experience capacity constraints, labor strikes, work stoppages or other disruptions that may delay the delivery of imported products. In addition, acts of terrorism could significantly disrupt operations at shipping ports or otherwise impact transportation of the Company’s imported merchandise. Disruptions at the Port of Los Angeles, or other shipping ports, may result in delays in the transportation of such products to the Company’s distribution center and may ultimately delay the Company’s ability to adequately stock its stores.

The Company purchases merchandise from approximately 800 suppliers, and the Company’s 20 largest suppliers accounted for 37.3% of total purchases in fiscal 2011. One vendor represented greater than 5% of total purchases, at 7.7%, in fiscal 2011. A significant portion of the Company’s purchases is manufactured abroad in countries such as China, Taiwan and South Korea. If a disruption of trade were to occur from the countries in which the suppliers of the Company’s vendors are located, the Company may be unable to obtain sufficient quantities of products to satisfy its requirements, or the cost of obtaining products may increase.

The Company could be exposed to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by any lender under its revolving credit facility. Currently, there continues to be uncertainty in the financial and capital markets. The uncertainty in the market brings additional potential risks to the Company, including higher costs of credit, potential lender defaults, and potential commercial bank failures. The Company has received no indication that any such events will negatively impact the lenders under its current revolving credit facility; however, the possibility does exist.