11.    Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Interest Rate Risk Management

The Company engages in an interest rate hedging strategy for which the hedged transactions are forecasted interest payments on the Company’s New Credit Facility. The hedged risk is the variability of forecasted interest rate cash flows, where the hedging strategy involves the purchase of interest rate swaps. For the outstanding cash flow hedges on interest rate exposures at December 31, 2011, the maximum length of time over which the Company is hedging certain of these exposures is approximately one year and seven months.

During August 2009, the Company entered into four interest rate swap agreements with an effective date of December 31, 2009. The agreements collectively provide for the Company to pay interest for less than a four-year period at a weighted average fixed rate of 2.78% on notional amounts aggregating to $140.0 million while receiving interest for the same period at the one month LIBOR rate on the same notional amounts. These agreements will expire in July 2013. These swaps at inception were designated as cash flow hedges against the variability in the LIBOR interest rate on the Company’s term loan under the Prior Credit Facility or against the variability in the LIBOR interest rate on the replacement debt. The Company’s term loan under the Prior Credit Facility was terminated in March 2011 and refinanced with the New Credit Facility as discussed further in Note 4, Long-Term Debt. The Company’s swaps remain effective and continue to be designated as cash flow hedges against the variability in certain LIBOR interest rate borrowings under the New Credit Facility at LIBOR plus 1.50% to 2.50%, fixing the Company’s weighted average effective rate on the notional amounts at 4.28% to 5.28%. There was no hedge ineffectiveness recorded as result of this refinancing event.

The Company assesses hedge effectiveness and measures hedge ineffectiveness at least quarterly. During the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the ineffective portion relating to these hedges was immaterial and the hedges remained effective as of December 31, 2011. Consequently, all changes in the fair value of the derivatives are deferred and recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) until the related forecasted transactions are recognized in the consolidated statements of income. The fair value of the interest rate swap agreements are based on third-party bank quotes. At December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company recorded the interest rate swaps as liabilities at their fair value of $5.1 million and $6.6 million, respectively.

The table below describes the interest rate swaps in aggregate, and the fair value of the liabilities that were outstanding as of December 31, 2011 and 2010:

Foreign Currency Instruments

The Company also designates certain foreign currency derivatives, such as certain foreign currency forward and option contracts, as freestanding derivatives for which hedge accounting does not apply. The changes in the fair market value of these freestanding derivatives are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of income. The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts to hedge foreign-currency-denominated intercompany transactions and to partially mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. The Company also uses foreign currency option contracts to partially mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. The fair value of the forward and option contracts are based on third-party bank quotes. The Company’s foreign currency derivative contracts are generally executed on a monthly basis.

The Company designates as cash-flow hedges those foreign currency forward contracts it entered into to hedge forecasted inventory purchases and intercompany management fees that are subject to foreign currency exposures. Forward contracts are used to hedge forecasted inventory purchases over specific months. Changes in the fair value of these forward contracts, excluding forward points, designated as cash-flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within shareholders’ equity, and are recognized in cost of sales in the consolidated statement of income during the period which approximates the time the hedged inventory is sold. The Company also hedges forecasted intercompany management fees over specific months. These contracts allow the Company to sell Euros in exchange for U.S. dollars at specified contract rates. Changes in the fair value of these forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within shareholders’ equity, and are recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of income during the period when the hedged item and underlying transaction affect earnings.

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the aggregate notional amounts of all foreign currency contracts outstanding designated as cash flow hedges were approximately $64.4 million and $32.1 million, respectively. At December 31, 2011, these outstanding contracts were expected to mature over the next fifteen months. The Company’s derivative financial instruments are recorded on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value based on third-party bank quotes. As of December 31, 2011, the Company recorded assets at fair value of $4.4 million relating to all outstanding foreign currency contracts designated as cash-flow hedges. As of December 31, 2010, the Company recorded assets at fair value of $0.6 million and liabilities at fair value of $0.8 million relating to all outstanding foreign currency contracts designated as cash-flow hedges. The Company assesses hedge effectiveness and measures hedge ineffectiveness at least quarterly. During the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the ineffective portion relating to these hedges was immaterial and the hedges remained effective as of December 31, 2011.

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the majority of the Company’s outstanding foreign currency forward contracts had maturity dates of less than fifteen months and twelve months, respectively, with the majority of freestanding derivatives expiring within one month and three months, respectively. There were no foreign currency option contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The table below describes all foreign currency forward contracts that were outstanding as of December 31, 2011 and 2010:

The following tables summarize the derivative activity during the year ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, relating to all the Company’s derivatives.

Gains and Losses on Derivative Instruments

The following table summarizes gains (losses) relating to derivative instruments recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:

As of December 31, 2011, the estimated amount of existing net gains related to cash flow hedges recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) that are expected to be reclassified into earnings over the next twelve months was $1.3 million.

The following table summarizes gains (losses) relating to derivative instruments recorded to income during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:

The following table summarizes gains (losses) relating to derivative instruments reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into income during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:

The Company reports its derivatives at fair value as either assets or liabilities within its consolidated balance sheet. See Note 13, Fair Value Measurements, for information on derivative fair values and their consolidated balance sheet location as of December 31, 2011, and December 31, 2010.