Claire's Stores, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Claire's Stores Inc. 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan
Hoffman Estates, ILRetail Trade7,500 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$150Employer $ per active participant
$630Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$52.1MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity4.7 / 509th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.5 / 2594th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.2 / 158th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score19 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 9th |
| Lower admin cost | 94th |
| Employee saving | 8th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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Red flags from the filing
Late deposits: the filing says some employee contributions were not sent to the plan on time ($63 reported). That's money taken from paychecks that sat with the employer longer than the law allows.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $921,556 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Claire's Stores put in about $150 per active participant, below the typical peer ($650). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan reported late deposits of employee contributions. Compare your pay stubs with your account statements, and contact the plan administrator if money shows up late.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $1,122,457 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,725,561 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $244,071 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $10,806 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,318,417 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $49.6M / $52.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,259 / 9,741 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,479 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $10,806 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013172625NAL0000859155001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 59-0940416, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.