The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR; OTC: FLWPF)
(“
Flowr” or the “
Company”) is
pleased to announce the closing of its strategic acquisition of
Terrace Global Inc. (TSXV: TRCE) (“
Terrace
Global”) a multi-country operator led by experienced
cannabis entrepreneurs focused on the development and acquisition
of international cannabis assets (the
“
Acquisition”).
“We are very pleased to be able to close the
strategic acquisition of Terrace Global. The closing of the
Acquisition should allow Flowr to thrive in the global cannabis
industry over the long term. We have been working with the Terrace
Global team since April 2020 on our European joint venture and
together we are better equipped to grow our business in Canada and
abroad,” commented Steven Klein, Chairman and Chief Strategist of
Flowr. “The Terrace Global team share a similar vision, values and
have a high degree of inside ownership like Flowr does. The future
of our organization indeed looks very bright.”
“Terrace Global was founded by a group of
cannabis entrepreneurs who have built and exited several cannabis
businesses, including MedReleaf Corp., ICC Labs Inc. and Bedrocan
Canada Inc. We saw an opportunity in Flowr to enter the market at
the right time on the cusp of significant growth in the retail and
consumer side of the industry. We were attracted to Flowr because
of its state-of-the-art facilities in Kelowna and Portugal, its
experienced management team and founder base as well as its
strategic partnership with Hawthorne/Scotts to bring to life the
world’s first R&D facility dedicated to cannabis research,”
commented Stephen Arbib, Director and Co-Founder of Terrace Global.
“We see our re-entry in the Canadian market benefiting from second
mover advantage. Businesses that will thrive now must do so on
execution. We believe Flowr’s focus on the premium high THC segment
is the right strategy and one that has already been rewarded in the
market as evidenced by kind magazine’s recent recognition of
Flowr’s BC Pink Kush as the top indica strain in Canada in
2020.”
Transaction Terms
The Transaction was affected by way of a court
approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act
(Ontario) (the “Arrangement”). Under the terms of
the Transaction, each shareholder of Terrace Global
(“Terrace Global Shareholder”) received 0.4973 of
a Flowr Share per Terrace Global share resulting in the issuance of
144,558,919 common shares in the capital of Flowr for an aggregate
purchase price of approximately $60 million.
Balance Sheet Strength
As of closing of the Transaction, the combined
Company has $23.2 million of cash on its balance sheet which is
expected to be used to support brand building, outdoor grow
operations, and pursue strategic opportunities and investments that
maximize shareholder value. In addition, the Company cancelled
9,266,538 common shares and 9,266,538 warrants held by Terrace
Global and expects annual synergies to amount to approximately $2
million per year.
Liability Management
“The Acquisition of Terrace Global allowed the
Company to work constructively with its senior lenders and its
debentureholders to significantly improve our overall credit
position. We have obtained a great deal of flexibility with respect
to our financial covenants and expect to reduce the principal
amount of the Company’s convertible debentures by approximately
$16.4 million. These important changes along with the cash infusion
from Terrace Global will allow management to focus on operational
results in 2021,” commented Irina Hossu, Chief Financial Officer of
the Company. “Flowr is in a much better financial position today
than it was prior to this Acquisition as we now have total bank
debt and convertible debentures of $31.7 million. We would like to
thank our senior lenders and debentureholders for working with us
to improve the financial position of Flowr.”
The Company’s outstanding convertible debenture
is expected to be reduced by approximately $16.4 million upon
completion of the early conversion of debentures by those
debentureholders who elected to exercise their early conversion
right to convert their debentures into Flowr shares (“Early
Conversion Opportunity”). The Company believes the
aggregate reduction of approximately $16.4 million in debt will
improve its financial profile and outlook. Upon completion of the
debenture conversion, Flowr’s total principal amounts of bank debt
and convertible debentures will be reduced from $48.1 million to
$31.7 million, with $19.1 million representing a secured loan
facility against the Kelowna-1 facility.
To align with its business plan, and with
support from its senior lenders, the Company has made certain
amendments to its credit facility (the “ATB
Facility”) with its lending syndicate led by ATB
Financial. These amendments include, among others, (i) a
requirement for the Company to maintain certain minimum amounts of
cash in permitted accounts, (ii) a Senior Debt to Tangible Net
Worth requirement and (iii) a Total Leverage Ratio and fixed charge
requirement.
Management and Board
Changes
In 2021, Vinay Tolia, Chief Executive Officer of
Flowr, will be stepping down from his role as Chief Executive
Officer and will be relocating to the United States for personal
reasons. He will stay with the Company through the end of February
to ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Tolia will remain on the Board
of Directors. The current President of Flowr, Lance Emanuel, will
lead the Company as Interim Chief Executive Officer.
“While we are sad to see Vinay head home, on
behalf of myself and the Board of Directors, I would like to thank
him for his years of service and commitment in building the
company. Our very talented President, Lance Emanuel, has spent the
past two plus years doing great things for the company, and we’re
fortunate to have the management depth and expertise to ensure a
smooth transition,” commented Steve Klein, Chairman and Chief
Strategist of Flowr.
Lance Emanuel joined Flowr in
January 2019. Lance has been building seed and early-stage
companies into multi-million-dollar enterprises while overseeing
critical aspects of business operations in highly regulated markets
for more than a decade. He has a wealth of experience in the
management of sales, marketing, product management, R&D,
technology, legal, compliance and regulatory affairs as well as in
procuring both debt and equity financing and creating large scale
strategic partnerships. He holds a BBA, with distinction, from the
University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a Juris Doctor
from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City.
The Company is pleased to announce new
appointments to the Board of Directors which include Jörg
Cieslok, Michael Galego, Vincent
Gasparro and Joanne Lee. In
addition, Stephen Arbib, Jonathan
Goldman and Francisco Ortiz von Bismarck
have been appointed as observers to the Board of Directors. The
Board of Directors will continue to be led by current Chairman of
the Board & Chief Strategist, Steve Klein. These new appointees
join the following directors: Steve Klein (Chair),
Vinay Tolia, Thomas Flow,
Don Duet and Maurice
Levesque.
The biographies of the new directors are set out
below:
- Jörg Cieslok is an
executive with few peers in the world of out-of-home media. Known
for his industry foresight, out-of-the-box thinking, and sales and
marketing strategy, Mr. Cieslok has changed the landscape of
out-of-home media in Canada over the course of a 30-year career. By
embracing creativity and innovation, he takes advertising campaigns
from conceptual ideas to award-winning experiential media
placements. Jörg was the recipient of the prestigious 2017 CVCA
Private Equity deal of the year award for the sale of Cieslok Media
to Bell Media.
- Michael Galego is
an executive, lawyer and corporate director with extensive M&A
and corporate finance experience. Mr. Galego is currently CEO of
Apolo Capital Advisory Corp. and sits on the board of directors of
several public and private companies. Mr. Galego was a co-founder
and director of ICC Labs Inc. and was integral in its sale to
Aurora Cannabis Inc. in November 2018. Mr. Galego was a co-founder,
director and Chief Legal Officer of Terrace Global. Mr. Galego is a
lawyer by training with more than fourteen years of M&A and
corporate finance experience. His previous legal experience
includes being General Counsel, Secretary and Managing Director of
Acasta Enterprises Inc., Deputy General Counsel and Secretary of
Pacific Exploration & Production Corp. and General Counsel and
Secretary of CGX Energy Inc. Mr. Galego began his legal career as
an associate in the business law department of Osler, Hoskin &
Harcourt LLP. Mr. Galego also previously served as Chief Executive
Officer of the Agricultural Division of the Stronach Group. Mr.
Galego is a member of the TSX Venture Exchange
(“TSXV”) Ontario Advisory Committee providing
advice and recommendations to the TSXV on policy, operational and
strategic issues likely to have a significant impact on the public
venture capital market. Mr. Galego is currently on the board of
directors of Waterfront Toronto (www.waterfrontoronto.ca), which is
the advocate and steward of Toronto’s waterfront revitalization
project. Mr. Galego has also been active in a number of charitable
organizations and has served as a director of the Canadian Liver
Foundation (www.liver.ca) and the Trillium Gift of Life Network
(www.giftoflife.on.ca). Mr. Galego is a graduate of York University
(Hons. B.A.) and the University of Windsor (LL.B). In 2013, he was
recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” leading
lawyers. In 2015, Mr. Galego attended Harvard Business School’s
High Potentials Leadership Program after being nominated by Pacific
E&P.
- Vincent Gasparro
is currently the Managing Director, Corporate Development &
Clean Energy Finance, at Vancity Community Investment Bank. From
November 2018 to March 2020, he was the Principal Secretary in the
Office of the Mayor of Toronto where he had specific public policy
responsibilities including matters related to Toronto Hydro,
Toronto Parking Authority, Toronto Global, Toronto Community
Housing, CreateTo and the Toronto Police Service. Prior to that,
Mr. Gasparro had various roles in private equity with Lynx Equity
Ltd. and affiliates thereof, and from 2003 to 2006, served as
Special Assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
Mr. Gasparro has a BA from York University, an MSc from the London
School of Economics and an MBA from the Villanova School of
Business in Philadelphia. He currently sits on the board of Terrace
Global Inc. and has previously served on the board of directors and
was Chair of the Investment Advisory Committee of Toronto Community
Housing Corporation.
- Joanne Lee is a
seasoned business executive with strong Operations, Logistics and
Procurement expertise, underpinned by extensive financial and
M&A experience. She has held key roles in the Healthcare,
Consumer Packaging, Polymer and Chemical sectors. As a proven
organizational change leader, Ms. Lee has led teams through
challenging turnarounds as well as significant business
enhancements that have led to increased profitability. Ms. Lee
joined Premier Candle Corporation (PCC) in 2009 as General Manager
leading the corporation’s largest division. Today, as the company’s
CEO, Ms. Lee oversees all company functions and divisions,
providing both operational and strategic leadership. Her guidance
has led to sustained top and bottom-line growth, and has positioned
PCC as a North American industry leader known for its quality and
progressive capabilities. Prior to joining Premier Candle
Corporation Joanne spent several years with Bayer Inc, where she
progressed through roles of increasing responsibility including VP,
Head of Controlling, VP Business Partnering & Operations, VP
Corporate Controlling, Business Planning & Analysis. Ms. Lee
has demonstrated the ability to achieve results, resolve complex
issues, seek and develop business opportunities. Ms. Lee also held
an excellent track record for leading numerous M&A projects.
Ms. Lee is recognized as a creative and outstanding leader in
organizational development. She has been recognized with many
leadership awards, and has been twice nominated for the RBC
Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award. Ms. Lee graduated from
University of Ryerson and majored in Finance and Accounting.
“The Company would like to thank Karen Basian,
Pauric Duffy, Dr. Lyle Oberg and David Miller for all of their hard
work and dedication as members of our Board of Directors since the
Company’s founding and who have been instrumental in helping Flowr
become the global cannabis company it is today,” commented Steve
Klein, Chairman and Chief Strategist of Flowr. “We also want to
welcome our new Board members, Jörg, Michael, Vince and Joanne, to
the Company. Their diverse experience and expertise will serve us
well as we embark on the next chapter in our evolution,” added Mr.
Klein.
Advisors and Counsel
ATB Capital Markets Inc. acted as the exclusive
financial advisor to Flowr and provided an independent Fairness
Opinion to the Flowr Board of Directors. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin
LLP acted as legal counsel to Flowr. Hyperion Capital Inc. acted as
the exclusive financial advisor to Terrace Global. Wildeboer
Dellelce LLP acted as legal counsel to Terrace Global. Norton Rose
Fulbright Canada LLP acted as legal counsel to the Board of
Directors of Terrace Global.
About The Flowr Corporation
The Flowr Corporation is a Toronto-headquartered
cannabis company with operations in Canada, Europe, and
Australia. Its Canadian operating campus, located in Kelowna,
BC, includes a purpose-built, GMP-designed indoor cultivation
facility; an outdoor and greenhouse cultivation site; and a
state-of-the-art R&D facility. From this campus, Flowr
produces recreational and medicinal products.
Internationally, Flowr intends to service the global medical
cannabis market through its subsidiary Holigen, which has a license
for cannabis cultivation in Portugal and operates GMP licensed
facilities in both Portugal and Australia. In 2020, Flowr’s BC Pink
Kush was recognized as the top indica strain in Canada by kind
magazine.
Flowr aims to support improving outcomes through
responsible cannabis use and, as an established expert in cannabis
cultivation, strives to be the brand of choice for consumers and
patients seeking the highest-quality craftsmanship and product
consistency across a portfolio of differentiated cannabis
products.
For more information, please visit flowrcorp.com
or follow Flowr on Twitter: @FlowrCanada and LinkedIn: The Flowr
Corporation.
On behalf of The Flowr Corporation:Lance
EmanuelInterim CEO
CONTACT INFORMATION:
INVESTORS & MEDIA:Thierry ElmalehHead of Capital
Markets(877) 356-9726 ext.
1528thierry@flowr.caForward-Looking Information and
Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which
may include but is not limited to statements made concerning: the
Company’s financial position, management of liabilities, completion
of the early conversion of the debentures, overall debt reduction,
strength of the Company’s balance sheet, statements with respect to
new management and board members and Flowr’s positioning in the
global cannabis space. Often, but not always, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”,
“is expected”, “expects”, “scheduled”, “intends”, “contemplates”,
“anticipates”, “believes”, “proposes” or variations (including
negative and grammatical variations) of such words and phrases, or
state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”,
“would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Such
information and statements are based on the current expectations of
Flowr’s management and are based on assumptions and subject to
risks and uncertainties. Although Flowr’s management believes that
the assumptions underlying such information and statements are
reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking
events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not
occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ
materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and
uncertainties affecting Flowr, including risks relating to:
completion of the early conversion of the debentures; the issuance
of Flowr shares upon conversion of the debentures; overall debt
reduction; general economic and stock market conditions; adverse
industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory
developments in Canada and elsewhere; the cannabis industry in
Canada generally; the ability of Flowr to implement its business
strategies; Flowr’s inability to produce or sell premium quality
cannabis, risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in
Flowr’s filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators; the
Company’s inability to raise capital or have the liquidity to
operate or advance its strategic initiatives and many other factors
beyond the control of Flowr.
Although Flowr has attempted to identify
important factors that could cause actual actions, events or
results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking information or statements, there may be other
factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those
anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking information
or statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable
securities laws, forward-looking information and statements speak
only as of the date on which they are made and Flowr undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
information or statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. When considering such forward-looking
information and statements, readers should keep in mind the risk
factors and other cautionary statements in Flowr’s Annual
Information Form dated April 29, 2020 (the “AIF”) and filed with
the applicable securities regulatory authorities in Canada. The
risk factors and other factors noted in the AIF could cause actual
events or results to differ materially from those described in any
forward-looking information or statements.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
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