Filing of Certain Prospectuses and Communications in Connection With Business Combination Transactions (425)
September 05 2018 - 5:19PM
Edgar (US Regulatory)
Filed by Essendant Inc.
pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule
14a-6(b)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filer: Essendant Inc.
Subject
Company: Essendant Inc.
SEC File No.:
333-225511
September 5, 2018
Dear Associates,
As you may have seen, Staples sent a letter to Essendant in which it reiterated its unsolicited offer to purchase Essendant for $11.50 per share in cash. A
copy of the press release we issued today acknowledging receipt of the Staples letter is attached.
It is important to note that our merger agreement with
Genuine Parts Company regarding the S.P. Richards transaction remains in effect, and the Essendant Board has not changed its recommendation that Essendants shareholders vote in favor of that transaction.
As you know, we did not seek the Staples proposal but our Board has a fiduciary duty to our shareholders to evaluate proposals like the one Staples put forth.
In keeping with our commitment to transparency, we will continue to update you on developments in this process as appropriate, but as a reminder, disclosure rules and other circumstances may affect the timing of our updates.
Essendants strategy is working. Our continued focus on successfully executing against our strategic initiatives, which enabled us to deliver improved
performance in the second quarter, will further power our momentum as we evolve our business and support our customers in a rapidly changing environment. As always, it is most important that we all stay focused and continue those efforts. I want to
thank you for your ongoing focus, commitment and dedication to Essendant.
Sincerely,
Ric Phillips
Essendant CEO
ESSENDANT One Parkway
North Boulevard, Suite 100, Deerfield, IL 60015
O
847 627 7000
Cautionary Statement
This letter contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the proposed business combination transaction between Essendant Inc.
(Essendant) and Genuine Parts Company (GPC) in which GPC will separate its Business Products Group and combine this business with Essendant. From time to time, oral or written forward-looking statements may also be included
in other information released to the public. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide managements current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be
valid. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as expects, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, will, is likely
to, scheduled, positioned to, continue, forecast, predicting, projection, potential or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements may include references
to goals, plans, strategies, objectives, projected costs or savings, anticipated future performance, results, events or transactions of Essendant or the combined company following the proposed transaction with GPC, the anticipated benefits of the
proposed transaction with GPC, including estimated synergies, the expected timing of completion of the transaction and other statements that are not strictly historical in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on managements
current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. This means they involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied here, including but not limited to: the ability of
Essendant and GPC to receive the required regulatory approvals for the proposed transaction and approval of Essendants stockholders and to satisfy the other conditions to the closing of the transaction with GPC on a timely basis or at all; the
occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of Essendant and GPC to terminate the merger agreement; negative effects of the announcement or the consummation of the transaction with GPC on the market price of Essendants
common stock and/or on its business, financial condition, results of operations and financial performance; risks relating to the value of the Essendant shares to be issued in the transaction with GPC, significant transaction costs and/or unknown
liabilities; the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the proposed transaction with GPC cannot be realized in full or at all or may take longer to realize than expected; risks associated with contracts containing consent and/or other
provisions that may be triggered by the proposed transaction with GPC; risks associated with transaction-related litigation; the possibility that costs or difficulties related to the integration of Essendant and GPCs S.P. Richards business
will be greater than expected; and the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel. There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction with GPC or any other transaction described above will in fact be consummated in the
manner described or at all. Stockholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these risks and uncertainties in evaluating forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements. It is not possible to anticipate or foresee all risks and uncertainties, and investors should not consider any list of risks and uncertainties to be exhaustive or complete. For additional information on identifying factors that may cause
actual results to vary materially from those stated in forward-looking statements, please see Essendants and GPCs statements and reports on Forms
S-4,
10-K,
10-Q
and
8-K
filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and other written statements made by Essendant and/or GPC from time
to time. The forward-looking information herein is given as of this date only, and neither Essendant nor GPC undertakes any obligation to revise or update it.
ESSENDANT One Parkway
North Boulevard, Suite 100, Deerfield, IL 60015
O
847 627 7000
Additional Information
The proposed transaction involving Essendant and GPC is being submitted to the stockholders of Essendant for their consideration. In connection with the
proposed transaction, Essendant filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form
S-4
(File
No. 333-225511)
containing a proxy statement/prospectus of Essendant,
and Rhino SpinCo, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of GPC created for the proposed transaction (
SpinCo
), filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form 10. Essendants proxy statement/prospectus has been declared
effective by the SEC, and Essendant may file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC.
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENTS, THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS
AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Investors and security holders may obtain the registration statements and the proxy statement/prospectus free of
charge from the SECs website or from Essendant or GPC. The documents filed by Essendant with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Essendants website at www.essendant.com, at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by contacting
Essendants Investor Relations Department at (847)
627-2900.
The documents filed by SpinCo with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at GPCs website at www.genpt.com, at the SECs website at
www.sec.gov or by contacting GPCs Investor Relations Department at (678)
934-5000.
No Offer or
Solicitation
This letter shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a
prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
ESSENDANT One Parkway
North Boulevard, Suite 100, Deerfield, IL 60015
O
847 627 7000
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