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PROPERTY
12 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2012
PROPERTY  
PROPERTY

NOTE 5—PROPERTY

        A summary of property is as follows:

(In thousands)
  March 29, 2012   March 31, 2011  

Property owned:

             

Land

  $ 50,134   $ 51,161  

Buildings and improvements

    184,420     184,671  

Leasehold improvements

    898,916     884,214  

Furniture, fixtures and equipment

    1,309,969     1,338,915  
           

 

    2,443,439     2,458,961  

Less—accumulated depreciation and amortization

    1,573,608     1,515,466  
           

 

    869,831     943,495  
           

Property leased under capital leases:

             

Buildings and improvements

    32,503     33,864  

Less—accumulated amortization

    18,637     18,637  
           

 

    13,866     15,227  
           

 

  $ 883,697   $ 958,722  
           

        Property is recorded at cost or fair value, in the case of property resulting from acquisitions. The Company uses the straight-line method in computing depreciation and amortization for financial reporting purposes. The estimated useful lives for leasehold improvements reflect the shorter of the base terms of the corresponding lease agreements or the expected useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

Buildings and improvements

  5 to 40 years

Leasehold improvements

  1 to 20 years

Furniture, fixtures and equipment

  1 to 10 years

        Expenditures for additions (including interest during construction) and betterments are capitalized, and expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. The cost of assets retired or otherwise disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization are eliminated from the accounts in the year of disposal. Gains or losses resulting from property disposals are included in operating expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

        Depreciation expense was $186,147,000, $182,939,000 and $163,506,000 for the periods ended March 29, 2012, March 31, 2011, and April 1, 2010, respectively.