New York › Retail trade › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Bernard Chaus, Inc. Pension Plan for Bargaining Unit Employees
Sponsored by Bci Brands, LLC, New York, NY
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Bernard Chaus, Inc. Pension Plan for Bargaining Unit Employees is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Bci Brands, LLC of New York, New York. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 146 participants, 0 of them active, and net assets of $2.9M.
Net assets came to $19,887 per participant, well below the $80,635 median for defined benefit plans with 100 to 249 participants and well below the $30,870 median for defined benefit plans in retail trade. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 1 service provider organisation paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $3,141: $21.51 per participant, well below the same-size median of $451. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $3,142. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $3.1M in 2021 to $2.9M in 2024 (down 6%), and participants from 149 to 146 (down 2%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $19,887 | $80,635 | $30,870 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $9,975 | $2,829 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $21.51 | $451 | $165 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.11% | 0.52% | 0.59% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $21.52 | $582 | $310 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (1,156 plans), retail trade (132) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 146 | $2.9M | $19,884 | — | — | $3,000 |
| 2023 | 147 | $2.6M | $17,952 | — | — | $3,000 |
| 2022 | 147 | $2.4M | $16,184 | — | — | $3,000 |
| 2021 | 149 | $3.1M | $20,792 | — | — | $3,000 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$2,639,407
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$453,763
- Benefits paid$186,592
- Administrative expenses$3,142
- Total expenses$189,734
- Net income$264,029
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$2,903,436
Participants
- Active participants0
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits101
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits36
- Total participants, end of year146
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Life Insurance Company | Contract Administrator | $3,141 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Contract administrator fees$3,142
- Total administrative expenses$3,142
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Pooled separate accounts$2.9M · 100.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmCBIZ CPAS P.C.
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $2,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1BBenefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service)
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 448120: Women's Clothing Stores.
Other plans of Bci Brands, LLC
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Bci Brands, LLC Employee Savings Plan | 407 | $12.4M |
Similar plans in New York
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retirement Plan of Local 1102 Retirement Fund | Local 1102 Retirement Fund | 206 | $573K | $2,781 |
| Shoprite Supermarkets, Inc. Retail Clerks Employees' Retirement Plan | Shoprite Supermarkets, Inc. | 146 | $4.3M | $29,501 |
| Local 29 R.W.D.S.U. Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of Local 29 R.W.D.S.U. Pension Fund | 210 | −$6.0M | — |
| Harry Winston, Inc. Employees' Retirement Plan | Harry Winston, Inc. | 245 | $7.0M | $28,477 |
| Syms Pension Plan | Syms Corp. | 293 | $11.0M | $37,652 |
| Golub Corporation Qualified Security Plan | Golub Corporation | 349 | $15.3M | $43,743 |
Defined benefit plans in retail trade closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Bernard Chaus, Inc. Pension Plan for Bargaining Unit Employees?
146 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 0 were active employees, with net assets of $2,903,436. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 1,156 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Bci Brands, LLC contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $3,141 in compensation to service provider organisations, $21.51 per participant or 0.11% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $451 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $3,142. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Bci Brands, LLC. Recordkeeping or administration: Principal Life Insurance Company. The financial statements were audited by CBIZ CPAS P.C.. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 8 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 87-2015233, plan 002, received 8 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.