Hellman & Friedman to Commence Tender Offer
for All of At Home’s Outstanding Shares
‘Best and Final’ Offer and Transaction
Structure Provide Certain, Immediate and Compelling Value
At Home Special Committee and Board of
Directors Unanimously Approved Amended Agreement and Recommend that
All Stockholders Tender Their Shares
At Home Group Inc. (NYSE: HOME), the home décor superstore, and
funds affiliated with Hellman & Friedman (H&F), a premier
global private equity firm, today announced that they have entered
into an amended and restated merger agreement under which H&F
will acquire all outstanding shares of At Home for $37.00 per share
in cash. Under the terms of the revised agreement, H&F will
commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of At
Home's common stock.
Following careful consideration and a unanimous recommendation
by the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of At Home, the
At Home Board of Directors unanimously approved the amended and
restated merger agreement and recommends that all At Home
stockholders tender their shares in support of the transaction once
launched.
The improved offer is an increase from the prior $36.00 per
share offer and delivers a significant premium of approximately 21%
to the Company's closing stock price of $30.67 on May 4, 2021, the
last trading day prior to media speculation regarding a possible
transaction, and a premium of approximately 28% to the 30-day
volume weighted average share price. On June 15, 2021 the Company
announced the expiration of the 40-day “go-shop” period under the
terms of the prior merger agreement, which resulted in no new
offers for the Company despite exhaustive solicitation efforts.
Phil Francis, At Home’s Lead Independent Director and Chair of
the Special Committee of the Board of Directors, said, “Throughout
this process the Special Committee has been singularly focused on
maximizing value for At Home stockholders, and the enhanced H&F
offer does just that. The Board unanimously recommends that all At
Home stockholders tender their shares into the increased H&F
offer, which provides substantial cash premium value in a timely
manner and limits stockholders’ exposure to the significant risks
inherent in the Company’s business plan, even with flawless
execution.”
Erik Ragatz, Partner at H&F, said, “This increased offer
represents our commitment to completing this transaction
expeditiously. We determined that the tender offer structure was
the appropriate step to achieve the most effective path to closing,
and we further believe that this path allows the At Home
stockholders to directly act to accept the compelling and immediate
value inherent in our transaction. H&F is a disciplined
investor, and this price increase represents our best and final
offer for the Company. We have appreciated the constructive
dialogue with the At Home Special Committee throughout this process
and look forward to completing this transaction.”
Key Transaction Terms
Under the terms of the revised agreement, H&F will commence
the tender offer on or before June 23, 2021. The consummation of
the tender offer will be conditioned on a majority of the
outstanding At Home shares being tendered in the offer, together
with other conditions consistent with those set forth in the
original merger agreement. Following completion of the tender
offer, H&F will complete a second-step merger in which any
remaining shares of At Home will be converted into the right to
receive the same per share price paid in the tender offer. Upon
completion of the merger, At Home will become a private company and
shares of At Home common stock will no longer be listed on any
public market.
Stockholders who would like to tender their shares or with
questions about the tender offer may contact Innisfree M&A
Incorporated, who will act as Information Agent for the tender
offer at (888) 750-5834 (toll free).
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial
advisor and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as
legal counsel to At Home’s Special Committee of the Board of
Directors. Guggenheim Securities, LLC is serving as financial
advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as legal counsel to
Hellman & Friedman.
About At Home
At Home (NYSE: HOME), the home decor superstore, offers up to
50,000 on-trend home products to fit any budget or style, from
furniture, mirrors, rugs, art and housewares to tabletop, patio and
seasonal decor. At Home is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and
currently operates 227 stores in 40 states. For more information,
please visit us online at investor.athome.com.
About Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity
firm with a distinctive investment approach focused on large-scale
equity investments in high quality growth businesses. H&F seeks
to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector
expertise, long-term orientation and collaborative partnership
approach enable companies to flourish. H&F targets outstanding
businesses in select sectors including software & technology,
financial services, healthcare, consumer & retail, and other
business services.
Since its founding in 1984, H&F has invested in over 100
companies. The firm is currently investing its tenth fund, with
over $23 billion of committed capital, and has over $70 billion in
assets under management as of March 31, 2021. Learn more about
H&F’s defining investment philosophy and approach to
sustainable outcomes at www.hf.com.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed acquisition of At Home Group
Inc. (the “Company”), Ambience Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”),
will commence a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of
the Company. The tender offer has not commenced. This communication
is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to
purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of
the Company. It is also not a substitute for the tender offer
materials that Merger Sub will file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) upon commencement of the tender
offer. Following the commencement of the tender offer, Merger Sub
will file tender offer materials on Schedule TO with the SEC, and
the Company will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on
Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC with respect to the tender offer. THE
TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND
THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT
INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY AND CONSIDERED BY THE
COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO
THE TENDER OFFER. Investors may obtain a free copy of both the
tender offer materials and the solicitation/recommendation
statement (when each become available) and other relevant documents
filed by Merger Sub or the Company with the SEC at the SEC’s Web
site at http://www.sec.gov. The tender offer materials and the
solicitation/recommendation statement once filed by Merger Sub or
the Company with the SEC may also be obtained for free from the
Investor Relations section of the Company’s web site
(http://investor.athome.com/) or by directing a request to: the
Company, 1600 East Plano Parkway, Plano, Texas, 75074, Attention:
Investor Relations. THE COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ
THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION
STATEMENT, AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO
TIME, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED BY MERGER SUB OR THE
COMPANY WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE THEY MAKE
ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TENDER OFFER. THESE MATERIALS WILL
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TENDER OFFER, MERGER SUB
AND THE COMPANY.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains forward-looking statements made pursuant
to and within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally
identify forward-looking statements by the Company’s use of
forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” "are confident,"
"assume," “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“intend,” “look ahead,” "look forward," “may,” “might,” "on track,"
"outlook," “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” "reaffirm," “seek,”
“should,” "trend," “will,” or “vision,” or the negative thereof or
comparable terminology regarding future events or conditions. The
forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based
upon the Company’s current expectations, beliefs, estimates and
projections, and various assumptions, many of which, by their
nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond its control. There can
be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates
and projections will be achieved and actual results may differ
materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the
forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and
unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results,
performance or achievements in future periods to differ materially
from those assumed, projected or contemplated in the
forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the
following factors: the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and related
challenges, risks and uncertainties, including historical and
potential future measures taken by governmental and regulatory
authorities (such as requiring store closures), which have
significantly disrupted the Company’s business, employees,
customers and global supply chain, and for a period of time,
adversely impacted its financial condition (including resulting in
goodwill impairment) and financial performance, and which
disruption and adverse impacts may continue in the future; the
recent and ongoing direct and indirect adverse impacts of the
global COVID-19 pandemic to the global economy and retail industry;
the eventual timing and duration of economic stabilization and
recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which depends largely on
future developments; general economic conditions in the United
States and globally, including consumer confidence and spending,
and any changes to current favorable macroeconomic trends of strong
home sales, nesting and de-urbanization (which were enhanced and
accelerated due to COVID-19, and may not continue upon a successful
vaccine rollout in significant numbers that impacts consumer
behavior); the Company’s indebtedness and its ability to increase
future leverage, as well as limitations on future sources of
liquidity, including debt covenant compliance; the Company’s
ability to implement its growth strategy of opening new stores,
which was suspended for fiscal 2021 (with the exception of stores
that were at or near completion) and, while ramping significantly,
will be limited in the near term; the Company’s ability to
effectively obtain, manage and allocate inventory, and satisfy
changing consumer preferences; increasing freight and
transportation costs (including the adverse effects of
international equipment shortages) and increasing commodity prices;
the Company’s reliance on third-party vendors for a significant
portion of its merchandise, including supply chain disruption
matters and international trade regulations (including tariffs)
that have, and may continue to, adversely impact many international
vendors; the loss or disruption to operating the Company’s
distribution network; significant competition in the fragmented
home décor industry, including increasing e-commerce; the
implementation and execution of the Company’s At Home 2.0 and
omnichannel strategies and related investments; natural disasters
and other adverse impacts on regions in the United States where the
Company has significant operations; the Company’s success in
obtaining favorable lease terms and of its sale-leaseback strategy;
the Company’s reliance on the continuing growth and utility of its
loyalty program; the Company ability to attract, develop and retain
employee talent and to manage labor costs; the disproportionate
impact of its seasonal sales activity to its overall results; risks
related to the loss or disruption of the Company’s information
systems and data and its ability to prevent or mitigate breaches of
its information security and the compromise of sensitive and
confidential data; the Company’s ability to comply with privacy and
other laws and regulations, including those associated with
entering new markets; and the significant volatility of the trading
price of the Company’s common stock; the possibility that the
Company may be unable to obtain required stockholder approval or
that other conditions to closing the proposed merger may not be
satisfied, such that the proposed merger will not close or that the
closing may be delayed; general economic conditions; the proposed
merger may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; risks
that the transaction disrupts current plans and operations of the
Company; the outcome of any legal proceedings related to the
proposed merger; the occurrence of any event, change or other
circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger
agreement. For more details on these and other potential risks and
uncertainties, please refer to the proxy statement when filed and
the documents that the Company files with the SEC. You are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof
or the date otherwise specified herein. Except as required by law,
the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
HOME-F
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005643/en/
Hellman & Friedman Contacts
Investor Relations: Scott Winter / Arthur Crozier Innisfree
M&A Incorporated (212) 750-5833
Media: Winnie Lerner / Andrew Johnson Finsbury Glover Hering
917.375.5652 / 914.497.5138 Winnie.Lerner@fgh.com /
Andrew.Johnson@fgh.com
At Home Contacts
Investor Relations: Arvind Bhatia, CFA 972.265.1299
ABhatia@AtHome.com
Bethany Johns 972.265.1326 BJohns@AtHome.com
Additional Investors:
Dan Burch MacKenzie Partners, Inc. 516.429.2722
Jeanne Carr MacKenzie Partners, Inc. 917.648.4478
Media:
Carey Marin 214.914.1157 MediaRelations@AtHome.com
Or
Sharon Stern / Adam Pollack / Joseph Sala Joele Frank, Wilkinson
Brimmer Katcher 212.355.4449 Home-JF@joelefrank.com
At Home (NYSE:HOME)
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