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ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES  
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES

 

2.ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES

 

On August 14, 2014, the Company and The Coca-Cola Company (“TCCC”) entered into definitive agreements contemplating a long-term strategic relationship in the global energy drink category (the “TCCC Transaction”). In the TCCC Transaction, the Company, New Laser Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“NewCo”), New Laser Merger Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of NewCo (“Merger Sub”), TCCC and European Refreshments, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of TCCC, entered into a transaction agreement, and the Company, TCCC and NewCo entered into an asset transfer agreement. Pursuant to the agreements, the Company will reorganize into a new holding company by merging Merger Sub into the Company, with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of NewCo.  In the merger, each outstanding share of the Company’s common stock will be converted into one share of NewCo’s common stock.

 

Subject to the terms and conditions of the agreements, upon the closing of the TCCC Transaction, (1) TCCC will acquire newly issued NewCo common shares representing approximately 16.7% of the total number of outstanding NewCo common shares (giving effect to such issuance) and TCCC will be entitled to appoint two individuals (reduced to one in 36 months or if TCCC’s equity interest in NewCo exceeds 20%) to NewCo’s Board of Directors for a specified period, (2) TCCC will transfer all rights in and to its global energy drink business (including the NOS®, Full Throttle®, Burn®, Mother®, Play® and Power Play®, and Relentless® brands) to NewCo, and the Company will transfer all of its rights in and to its non-energy drink business (including the Hansen’s® Natural Soda, Peace Tea®, Hubert’s® Lemonade and Hansen’s® Juice Product brands) to TCCC, (3) the Company and TCCC will amend the distribution coordination agreements currently existing between them to govern the transition of third parties’ rights to distribute the Company’s energy products in most territories in the U.S. to members of TCCC’s distribution network, which consists of owned or controlled bottlers/distributors and independent bottling/distribution partners, and (4) TCCC or one of its subsidiaries will make a net cash payment to the Company of $2.15 billion, of which up to $625.0 million of which will be held in escrow (the “Escrow Agreement”), subject to release upon achievement of milestones relating to the transfer of distribution rights to TCCC’s distribution network.

 

Under the terms of the Escrow Agreement and the transition payment agreement expected to be entered into in connection therewith, if the distribution rights in the U.S. that are transitioned to TCCC’s distribution network represent case sales in excess of the following percentages of a target case sale amount agreed to by the parties, amounts in the escrow fund in excess of the applicable amounts below will be released to the Company:

 

Percentage Transitioned

Escrow Release

40%

Amounts in excess of $375 million

50%

Amounts in excess of $312.5 million

60%

Amounts in excess of $250 million

70%

Amounts in excess of $187.5 million

80%

Amounts in excess of $125 million

90%

Amounts in excess of $62.5 million

95%

All remaining amounts

 

On the one-year anniversary of the closing of the TCCC Transaction, the then-remaining escrow amount, less an amount sufficient to cover any unresolved claims, will be released to TCCC. Any severance or other release amount described above that becomes payable following the one-year anniversary will be paid directly from TCCC to the Company.

 

TCCC is contractually obligated to authorize payment to the Company of the funds in escrow upon achievement of the milestones referred to above. As of April 6, 2015, distribution rights in the U.S. representing approximately 84% of the target case sales have been transitioned to TCCC’s distribution network. In addition, the Company has sent notices of termination representing an additional 5% of the affected third-party distributors, and the associated distribution rights for those territories will be transitioned to TCCC’s distribution network effective as of May 11, 2015. As a result, it is anticipated that $125 million will be held in escrow at the closing, with the remaining $500 million to be paid to the Company at closing. The Company expects to commence steps to transition sufficient additional distribution rights following the closing of the TCCC Transaction, which will, in due course, result in the release of all remaining amounts held in escrow. Therefore, the Company believes that achievement of the milestones is probable.

 

The closing of the TCCC Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is now expected to close in the second quarter of 2015.