Naked Brand Group Inc. (“Naked”), an innovative fashion and lifestyle brand, and Bendon Limited, a global leader in intimate apparel and swimwear and Naked’s merger partner, announced today that Bendon has entered into an agreement to acquire full ownership of FOH Online Corp. (“FOH”), the exclusive licensee of the Frederick’s of Hollywood global online license. FOH was initially founded by and provided with funding from an affiliate of Bendon. Bendon has a Master Services Agreement with FOH, through which it helps manage the online brand in exchange for a management fee.
Naked, Bendon and Bendon Group Holdings Limited (“Holdco”) recently entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Merger Agreement”), under which both of Naked and Bendon will become wholly owned subsidiaries of Holdco, a newly formed Australian holding company.
As a result of the agreement between Bendon and FOH, Bendon will acquire all of the outstanding common stock of FOH in exchange for the forgiveness of debt owed by FOH to Bendon. As a result, Bendon will control FOH’s existing license to develop and sell online intimates products, sleepwear and loungewear products, swimwear and swimwear accessories and costumes products under the Fredrick’s of Hollywood name. As part of the transaction, Holdco will issue to FOH shares, which would have otherwise been issued to Bendon at the time of the merger. A substantial portion of these shares will be transferred to the affiliate of Bendon which initially funded FOH. The issuance of the Holdco shares is expected to have a minimal impact on the aggregate percentage of shares that Naked stockholders will hold in Holdco immediately following the closing of the business combination, while providing the shareholders with the benefit of being the Licensee of the “Frederick’s of Hollywood” License.
FOH sales for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2017, were approximately $18 million of direct to consumer e-commerce sales. FOH’s license has an initial term running through December 2020, with FOH having the right to renew the license 10 times for five year periods each.
Justin Davis-Rice, Executive Chairman of Bendon and Director of Naked, commented, “Frederick’s of Hollywood is an iconic lingerie brand with tremendous brand recognition that we believe will be an excellent complement to our portfolio. We believe the acquisition of this high growth e-commerce business provides a strong platform for the next phase of online growth for our business. We look forward to working closely with the Frederick’s of Hollywood team to create an exceptional offering for the brand’s loyal customers. In addition, we believe that there is great opportunity to leverage our well-established global wholesale and retail distribution channels as we look to further expand the Frederick’s of Hollywood brand throughout the United States. Overall, we are excited to bring the Frederick’s of Hollywood online business into the Bendon portfolio, and expect that this acquisition will enhance shareholder value for the combined Naked and Bendon business at closing and over the long-term.”
To accommodate the preparation of the financial and legal documentation related to the Frederick’s of Hollywood transaction, as well as the work required to incorporate information associated with the transaction, Naked and Bendon have entered into an amendment to the Merger Agreement. This will provide additional time to file the proxy statement/prospectus to be included in the registration statement on Form F-4 to be filed by Holdco related to the business combination with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The registration statement on Form F-4 containing the proxy statement/prospectus is now expected to be filed with the SEC on or before August 25, 2017, and the business combination is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Source : Digital Journal
