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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report
(Date of Earliest Event Reported):
August 7, 2023
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY
New Jersey |
1-3822 |
21-0419870 |
State of Incorporation |
Commission File Number |
I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.
|
One Campbell Place
Camden, New Jersey 08103-1799
Principal Executive Offices
Telephone Number: (856) 342-4800
Check the appropriate box below if the form 8-K filing is intended
to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant
to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to
Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications
pursuant to Rule 14d-2 (b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications
pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
|
Trading
Symbol(s)
|
|
Name of each exchange
on which registered
|
Capital Stock, par value $.0375 |
|
CPB |
|
New York Stock Exchange |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth
company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant
to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ☐
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Agreement and Plan of Merger
On August 7, 2023, Campbell Soup Company, a New
Jersey corporation (“Campbell” or the “Company”), Sovos Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Sovos”),
and Premium Products Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”),
entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, on the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into Sovos, with Sovos surviving as a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”).
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
in the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each share of common stock, par
value $0.001 per share of Sovos (“Sovos Common Stock”) (other than shares of Sovos Common Stock (i) held by Sovos as
treasury stock or owned by the Company or Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time, (ii) held by any subsidiary of either Sovos
or the Company (other than Merger Sub) immediately prior to the Effective Time and (iii) any dissenting Sovos Common Stock) will be converted
into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to (x) $23.00 per share of Sovos Common Stock, without interest; plus (y) if
applicable, $0.00182 multiplied by the number of calendar days elapsed after nine months after the date of execution of the Merger
Agreement until and excluding the closing date of the Merger (the “Merger Consideration”).
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the Effective
Time:
| · | Each restricted share of Sovos Common Stock that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective
Time (each, “Sovos Restricted Stock”) will be canceled in exchange for the Merger Consideration; provided that each
share of Sovos Restricted Stock which vests solely based on the achievement of a performance condition and for which the applicable performance
condition remains unsatisfied (after giving effect to the Merger) shall, in accordance with its existing terms, be forfeited to the Sovos
Brands Limited Partnership as of immediately prior to the closing for no consideration to the applicable holder thereof and thereafter
shall be converted into the Merger Consideration in accordance with, and subject to the terms of, the Merger Agreement; and |
| · | Each outstanding award of restricted stock units in respect of shares of Sovos Common Stock, including
awards of performance-based restricted stock units (each, a “Sovos RSU Award”), that is held by any non-employee director
or former service provider of Sovos will be canceled at the Effective Time in exchange for the Merger Consideration. All other Sovos RSU
Awards will be converted upon the Effective Time into time-vesting restricted stock unit awards in respect of common stock of Campbell,
par value $0.0375 per share, having equivalent value and terms (including time-based vesting schedule). In the case of Sovos RSU Awards
subject to a performance-based vesting condition, such performance conditions will be deemed achieved at the target level (i.e., 100%),
or if applicable under the existing terms of such awards, the actual level of performance calculated as of the Effective Time (if greater). |
The consummation of the Merger (the “Closing”)
is subject to certain customary mutual conditions, including (i) the absence of any injunction or other order issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction in the United States or applicable law or legal prohibition in the United States that prohibits or makes illegal the consummation
of the Merger, (ii) the approval of Sovos’s shareholders holding at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Sovos Common Stock
entitled to vote on the adoption of the Merger Agreement (the “Requisite Sovos Vote”) and (iii) the expiration or termination
of any waiting period (and any extension thereof) applicable to the consummation of the Merger under the Hart-Scott-
Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as
amended (the “HSR Act”). The obligation of each party to consummate the Merger is also conditioned upon (a) the accuracy
of the representations and warranties of the other party as of the Closing (subject to customary materiality qualifiers), (b) compliance
by the other party in all material respects with its pre-Closing obligations and covenants under the Merger Agreement and (c) in Company’s
case, the absence of a material adverse effect with respect to Sovos.
Under the Merger Agreement, Sovos is subject
to customary “no-shop” restrictions on Sovos’s ability to solicit alternative acquisition proposals, to furnish
information to, and participate in discussions or negotiations with, third parties regarding any alternative acquisition proposals,
subject to a customary “fiduciary out” provision that allows Sovos, under certain specified circumstances, to furnish
information to, and participate in discussions or negotiations with, third parties with respect to an unsolicited, written
acquisition proposal from another third party if the board of directors of Sovos determines in good faith, after consultation with
its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that such alternative acquisition proposal either (i) constitutes a superior
proposal or (ii) would reasonably be expected to lead to a superior proposal, and that failure to engage in negotiations or
discussions with such third parties would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties. Under the Merger Agreement, Sovos is also
required to pay a termination fee of approximately $71 million to Campbell if the Merger Agreement is terminated due to Sovos’
board of directors changing its recommendation, if Sovos terminates the Merger Agreement to enter into an agreement for a Superior
Proposal, or if an alternative acquisition proposal has been publicly disclosed (and not withdrawn), the Merger Agreement is
terminated and Sovos consummates an alternative acquisition proposal, or signs a definitive agreement for an alternative acquisition proposal (that is subsequently
consummated), within twelve months of such termination.
The Merger Agreement contains certain customary
termination rights for the Company and Sovos, including the right of either party to terminate the Merger Agreement if the Merger is not
consummated on or before February 7, 2025 (the “End Date”) or on a change of recommendation of the Merger by Sovos’
board of directors.
If the Merger Agreement is terminated by either
party because (i) the Merger has not been consummated by the End Date or (ii) a court of competent jurisdiction or other governmental
authority in the United States issued an injunction, order or decree that prohibits or makes illegal consummation of the Merger or permanently
enjoins the Company, Merger Sub or Sovos from consummating the Merger, in each case, solely as a result of failure to obtain the expiration
or termination of the applicable waiting period relating to the Merger under the HSR Act or the issuance of an injunction, order or decree
relating to antitrust laws in the United States, then, in each case, the Company will be obligated to pay to Sovos a one-time fee equal
to $145 million in cash, minus any Reimbursed Expenses (as defined below).
Sovos has made customary representations,
warranties and covenants in the Merger Agreement, including, among others, covenants (i) to use reasonable best efforts to carry on
its business in all material respects in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice during the
period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Merger and (ii) not to engage in specified types of
transactions or take specified actions during this period unless agreed to in writing by the Company.
The Company is required to reimburse Sovos for
up to $10 million of the reasonable and documented fees and expenses incurred by Sovos in connection with obtaining (or seeking to obtain)
the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act (the “Reimbursed Expenses”).
If the Merger is consummated, the Sovos Common
Stock will be delisted from NASDAQ and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as promptly as practicable after the Effective
Time.
In addition, concurrently with the execution
of the Merger Agreement, and as a condition and inducement to the willingness of the Company and Merger Sub to enter into the Merger
Agreement, each of the members of the board of directors of Sovos that hold shares of Sovos Common Stock and certain shareholders
named on Exhibit A to the Merger Agreement (together, the “Supporting Shareholders”), have entered into Voting
Agreements (collectively, the “Voting Agreements”), pursuant to which such Supporting Shareholders agree, among
other things, to vote in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement. In the aggregate, the Voting Agreements obligate the
Supporting Shareholders to vote approximately 34% of the outstanding shares of Sovos Common Stock, as of the date hereof, in favor of adoption of the Merger
Agreement for so long as Sovos’s board of directors recommends the Merger. A copy of the Voting Agreement with certain
shareholders named on Exhibit A to the Merger Agreement and the form of Voting Agreement with each of the members of the board of
directors of Sovos that hold shares of Sovos Common Stock are attached as Exhibit 10.1 and 10.2, respectively.
The Merger Agreement and the Voting Agreements
and the above descriptions have been included to provide investors with information regarding each of their terms and conditions. They
are not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, Sovos or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates
or to modify or supplement any factual disclosures about the Company or Sovos included in their public reports filed with the SEC. The
representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement and the Voting Agreements were made only for purposes of the
Merger Agreement and the Voting Agreements, as applicable, and, as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the
Merger Agreement and the Voting Agreements, as applicable, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including
being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement
and the Voting Agreements, as applicable, instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality
that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions
thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the Company, Sovos or any of their respective subsidiaries or
affiliates.
The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement,
the Voting Agreements and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, does not purport to be complete and is qualified
in its entirety by reference to the actual Merger Agreement and Voting Agreements. A copy of the Merger Agreement is filed as Exhibit
2.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the Voting Agreement with certain shareholders
named on Exhibit A to the Merger Agreement and the form of Voting Agreement with each of the members of the board of directors of Sovos
that hold shares of Sovos Common Stock are filed as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein
by reference.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
Investor Presentation
On August 7, 2023, Campbell
posted on its website, www.campbellsoupcompany.com, under "Investor Center," an investor presentation (the "Investor
Presentation"). A copy of the Investor Presentation that was posted by Campbell is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and is incorporated
in this Item 7.01 by reference.
Press Release
On August 7, 2023, Campbell
issued a press release announcing the entry into the Merger Agreement. The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 hereto and
is incorporated in this Item 7.01 by reference.
The
information contained in this Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2 attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for
purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject
to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Report contains "forward-looking"
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect our current
expectations regarding our future results of operations, economic performance, financial condition and achievements. These forward-looking
statements can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend,"
"plan," "pursue," "strategy," "target," "will" and similar expressions. One can also
identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, and may reflect anticipated
cost savings or implementation of our strategic plan. These statements reflect our current plans and expectations and are based on information
currently available to us. They rely on several assumptions regarding future events and estimates which could be inaccurate and which
are inherently subject to numerous risks and uncertainties.
We wish to caution the reader that the following
important factors and those important factors described in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings, or in our 2022 Annual
Report on Form 10-K, could affect our actual results and could cause such results to vary materially from those expressed in any forward-looking
statements made by, or on behalf of, us:
| · | the conditions to the completion of the Sovos transaction, including obtaining Sovos stockholder approval, may not be satisfied, or
the regulatory approvals required for the transaction may not be obtained on the terms expected, on the anticipated schedule, or at all; |
| · | long-term financing for the Sovos transaction may not be obtained on favorable terms, or at all; |
| · | closing of the Sovos transaction may not occur or be delayed, either as a result of litigation related to the transaction or otherwise
or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; |
| · | the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the Sovos transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer or
cost more to be realized than expected, including that the Sovos transaction may not be accretive within the expected timeframe or the
extent anticipated; |
| · | completing the Sovos transaction may distract the Company’s management from other important matters; |
| · | the risks related to the availability of, and cost inflation in, supply chain inputs, including labor, raw materials, commodities,
packaging and transportation; |
| · | the Company’s ability to execute on and realize the expected benefits from its strategy, including growing sales in snacks and
growing/maintaining its market share position in soup; |
| · | the impact of strong competitive responses to the Company’s efforts to leverage its brand power with product innovation, promotional programs and new advertising;
|
| · |
the risks associated with trade and consumer acceptance of product improvements, shelving initiatives, new products and pricing and promotional strategies; |
| · | the ability to realize projected cost savings and benefits from cost savings initiatives and the integration of recent acquisitions; |
| · | disruptions in or inefficiencies to the Company’s or Sovos’ supply chain and/or operations, including reliance on key
supplier relationships; |
| · | the impacts of, and associated responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s and/or Sovos’s business,
suppliers, customers, consumers and employees; |
| · | the risks related to the effectiveness of the Company's hedging activities and the Company's ability to respond to volatility in commodity
prices; |
| · | the Company’s ability to manage changes to its organizational structure and/or business processes, including selling, distribution, manufacturing and information management systems or processes;
|
| · |
changes in consumer demand for the Company’s and/or Sovos’s products and
favorable perception of the Company’s and/or Sovos’s brands; |
| · | changing inventory management practices by certain of the Company’s and Sovos’ key customers; |
| · | a changing customer landscape, with value and e-commerce retailers expanding their market presence, while certain of the Company’s
key customers maintain significance to the Company’s business; product quality and safety issues, including recalls and product
liabilities; |
| · | the possible disruption to the independent contractor distribution models used by certain of the Company’s businesses, including
as a result of litigation or regulatory actions affecting their independent contractor classification; |
| · | the uncertainties of litigation and regulatory actions against the Company or Sovos; |
| · | the costs, disruption and diversion of management’s attention associated with activist investors; |
| · | a disruption, failure or security breach of the Company’s or the Company's vendors' information technology systems, including
ransomware attacks; |
| · | impairment to goodwill or other intangible assets; |
| · | the Company’s and Sovos’ ability to protect their respective intellectual property rights; |
| · | increased liabilities and costs related to the Company’s defined benefit pension plans; |
| · | the Company’s and Sovos’ ability to attract and retain key talent; |
| · | goals and initiatives related to, and the impacts of, climate change, including weather-related events; |
| · | negative changes and volatility in financial and credit markets, |
| · | deteriorating economic conditions and other external factors, including changes in laws and regulations; |
| · | unforeseen business disruptions or other impacts due to political instability, civil disobedience, terrorism, armed hostilities (including
the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine), extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, other pandemics or other calamities;
and |
| · | other factors described in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. |
This discussion of uncertainties is by no means exhaustive but is designed
to highlight important factors that may impact our outlook. The Company disclaims any obligation or intent to update the forward-looking
statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit No.
|
Description. |
|
|
2.1* |
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 7, 2023, by and among Campbell Soup Company, Premium Products Merger Sub, Inc. and Sovos Brands, Inc. |
10.1* |
Voting Agreement, dated as of August 7, 2023, by and among Campbell Soup Company and the stockholders of Sovos Brands, Inc. parties thereto |
10.2 |
Form of Voting Agreement |
99.1 |
Investor Presentation |
99.2 |
Press Release, dated as of August 7, 2023 |
104 |
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the inline XBRL document) |
|
|
* Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation
S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY |
|
|
|
|
|
Date: August 7, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Carrie L. Anderson |
|
|
|
Name: |
Carrie L. Anderson |
|
|
|
Title: |
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
|
Exhibit
2.1
Execution Version
AGREEMENT AND
PLAN OF MERGER
dated as of
August 7, 2023
among
Sovos Brands, Inc.,
Campbell Soup Company
and
Premium Products Merger Sub, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Article
1 Definitions |
1 |
Section
1.01. Definitions |
1 |
Section
1.02. Other Definitional and Interpretative Provisions |
13 |
Article
2 The Merger |
14 |
Section
2.01. The Merger |
14 |
Section
2.02. Conversion of Shares |
15 |
Section
2.03. Surrender and Payment |
15 |
Section
2.04. Dissenting Shares |
17 |
Section
2.05. Company Equity Awards |
18 |
Section
2.06. Adjustments |
20 |
Section
2.07. Withholding Rights |
21 |
Section
2.08. Lost Certificates |
21 |
Article
3 The Surviving Corporation |
21 |
Section
3.01. Certificate of Incorporation |
21 |
Section
3.02. Bylaws |
21 |
Section
3.03. Directors and Officers |
21 |
Article
4 Representations and Warranties of the Company |
22 |
Section
4.01. Corporate Existence and Power |
22 |
Section
4.02. Corporate Authorization |
22 |
Section
4.03. Governmental Authorization |
23 |
Section
4.04. Non-contravention |
23 |
Section
4.05. Capitalization |
24 |
Section
4.06. Subsidiaries |
25 |
Section
4.07. SEC Filings and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act |
26 |
Section
4.08. Financial Statements |
28 |
Section
4.09. Disclosure Documents |
28 |
Section
4.10. Absence of Certain Changes |
28 |
Section
4.11. No Undisclosed Material Liabilities |
28 |
Section
4.12. Compliance with Laws, Permits and Court Orders |
29 |
Section
4.13. Insurance |
30 |
Section
4.14. Litigation |
30 |
Section
4.15. Properties |
30 |
Section
4.16. Intellectual Property |
31 |
Section
4.17. Data Privacy & Cybersecurity |
32 |
Section
4.18. Taxes |
33 |
Section
4.19. Employee Benefit Plans |
34 |
Section
4.20. Labor Matters |
36 |
Section
4.21. Environmental Matters |
38 |
Section
4.22. Material Contracts |
38 |
Section
4.23. Affiliate Transactions |
41 |
Section
4.24. Customers; Suppliers |
41 |
Section
4.25. Food Regulatory Matters |
42 |
Section
4.26. Finders’ Fees |
43 |
Section
4.27. Opinion of Financial Advisor |
44 |
Section
4.28. Antitakeover Statutes |
44 |
Section
4.29. No Other Representations or Warranties |
44 |
Article
5 Representations and Warranties of Parent |
45 |
Section
5.01. Corporate Existence and Power |
45 |
Section
5.02. Corporate Authorization |
45 |
Section
5.03. Governmental Authorization |
46 |
Section
5.04. Non-contravention |
46 |
Section
5.05. Capitalization of Merger Sub |
46 |
Section
5.06. Financing |
46 |
Section
5.07. Disclosure Documents |
46 |
Section
5.08. Not an Interested Stockholder |
47 |
Section
5.09. Finders’ Fees |
47 |
Section
5.10. No Other Representations or Warranties |
47 |
Article
6 Covenants of the Company |
48 |
Section
6.01. Conduct of the Company |
48 |
Section
6.02. Access to Information |
52 |
Section
6.03. No Solicitation; Other Offers |
53 |
Article
7 Covenants of Parent |
57 |
Section
7.01. Obligations of Merger Sub |
57 |
Section
7.02. Director and Officer Liability |
57 |
Section
7.03. Employee Matters |
59 |
Article
8 Covenants of Parent and the Company |
62 |
Section
8.01. Reasonable Best Efforts |
62 |
Section
8.02. Certain Filings |
65 |
Section
8.03. Proxy Statement; Company Meeting |
65 |
Section
8.04. Public Announcements |
67 |
Section
8.05. Further Assurances |
68 |
Section
8.06. Section 16 Matters |
68 |
Section
8.07. Notices of Certain Events |
68 |
Section
8.08. Stock Exchange De-listing |
69 |
Section
8.09. Takeover Statutes |
69 |
Section
8.10. Stockholder Litigation |
69 |
Section
8.11. Financing Cooperation |
69 |
Article
9 Conditions to the Merger |
73 |
Section
9.01. Conditions to the Obligations of Each Party |
73 |
Section
9.02. Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub |
73 |
Section
9.03. Conditions to the Obligations of the Company |
74 |
Article
10 Termination |
75 |
Section
10.01. Termination |
75 |
Section
10.02. Effect of Termination |
76 |
Article
11 Miscellaneous |
77 |
Section
11.01. Notices |
77 |
Section
11.02. Survival of Representations, Warranties, Covenants and Agreements |
78 |
Section
11.03. Amendments and Waivers |
78 |
Section
11.04. Expenses |
79 |
Section
11.05. Disclosure Schedule and SEC Document References |
80 |
Section
11.06. Binding Effect; Benefit; Assignment |
81 |
Section
11.07. Governing Law |
81 |
Section
11.08. Jurisdiction |
81 |
Section
11.09. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL |
82 |
Section
11.10. Counterparts; Effectiveness |
82 |
Section
11.11. Entire Agreement |
82 |
Section
11.12. Severability |
82 |
Section
11.13. Specific Performance |
83 |
Section
11.14. Financing Matters |
83 |
Exhibit A – Voting Agreement Parties
Exhibit B – Certificate of Incorporation
of Surviving Corporation
AGREEMENT AND
PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT AND PLAN
OF MERGER (as amended in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, this “Agreement”) dated as of August 7,
2023 by and among Sovos Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Campbell Soup Company, a New Jersey
corporation (“Parent”), and Premium Products Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Parent (“Merger Sub”).
W I T N E S
S E T H :
WHEREAS, the respective
boards of directors of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub have approved and declared advisable the acquisition of the Company by Parent
by means of a merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement;
and
WHEREAS, concurrently
with the execution of this Agreement, and as a condition and inducement to the willingness of Parent and Merger Sub to enter into this
Agreement, each of the members of the Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) of the Company who holds Shares
and each of the Persons set forth on Exhibit A has entered into a Voting Agreement (the “Voting Agreement”)
with Parent pursuant to which each such Person has agreed to vote the number of Shares beneficially owned by it and set forth in the
Voting Agreement, in favor of the Merger and the approval and adoption of this Agreement, in accordance with the terms and conditions
thereof.
NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the foregoing and the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein, and for other good
and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally
bound agree as follows:
Article
1
Definitions
Section 1.01.
Definitions. (a) As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings:
“1933 Act”
means the Securities Act of 1933.
“1934 Act”
means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
“Acquisition
Proposal” means any proposal or offer (other than any proposal or offer by Parent or any of its Affiliates) with respect to
(i) any acquisition or purchase, direct or indirect, of 15% or more of the consolidated assets of the Company or 15% or more of any class
of equity or voting securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries whose assets, individually or in the aggregate, constitute 15%
or more of the consolidated assets of the Company, (ii) any tender offer (including a self-tender offer) or exchange offer that, if consummated,
would result in any Third Party beneficially owning 15% or more of any class of equity or voting securities of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries
whose assets, individually or in the
aggregate, constitute 15% or more of the consolidated assets of the Company, or (iii) a merger, consolidation, share exchange, business
combination, sale of substantially all the assets, reorganization, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or other similar transaction
involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries whose assets, individually or in the aggregate, constitute 15% or more of the consolidated
assets of the Company.
“Action”
means any action, cause of action, suit, audit, investigation, litigation, arbitration, mediation, complaint, citation, claim (including
any crossclaim or counterclaim), written demand, subpoena, enforcement action or proceeding (including any civil, criminal, administrative,
regulatory, appellate or other proceeding), whether at equity or at law, in contract, in tort or otherwise, by or before, or overseen
by, issued by, filed with or submitted to, any court or other Governmental Authority or any arbitrator or arbitral body.
“Additional
Consideration” means an amount in cash equal to (i) $0.00182 multiplied by (ii) the number of calendar days elapsed
after the Additional Consideration Date to and excluding the Closing Date; provided, however, “Additional Consideration”
means $0 if the Closing Date occurs on or prior to the Additional Consideration Date.
“Additional
Consideration Date” means the date that is nine months after the date of this Agreement.
“Advent”
means, collectively, all of the Persons identified under the heading “Advent” on Exhibit A.
“Affiliate”
means, with respect to any Person, any other Person who directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under common control
with such Person.
“Applicable
Data Protection Laws” means all Applicable Laws relating to data privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and/or the processing
of Personal Information, including the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020),
the EU 2016/679 General Data Protection Regulation and the equivalent thereof under the laws of the United Kingdom.
“Applicable
Data Protection Requirements” means all (i) Applicable Data Protection Laws and (ii) published external-facing privacy notices,
binding industry standards and restrictions and requirements contained in any Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is bound, in each case, under this clause (ii), relating to data privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and/or the processing of Personal
Information.
“Applicable
Law” means, with respect to any Person, any federal, state, local, foreign, international or transnational law (statutory,
common or otherwise), constitution, treaty, convention, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, permit, injunction, judgment, award,
decree or ruling enacted, adopted, promulgated or applied by a Governmental Authority (having competent jurisdiction) that is binding
on or applicable to such Person.
“Business
Day” means a day, other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or
required by Applicable Law to close.
“COBRA”
means the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985.
“Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
“Collective
Bargaining Agreement” means any agreement, memorandum of understanding or other contractual obligation between the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries and any labor or trade union or organization, works council or other authorized employee representative representing
Company Employees in their capacities as such.
“Company
10-K” means the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
“Company
10-Q” means the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended April 1, 2023.
“Company
Balance Sheet” means the unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of the Company Balance Sheet Date and the footnotes
thereto set forth in the Company 10-Q.
“Company
Balance Sheet Date” means April 1, 2023.
“Company
Disclosure Schedule” means the disclosure schedule dated the date hereof regarding this Agreement that has been provided by
the Company to Parent and Merger Sub.
“Company
Employee” means, as of any time, any employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
“Company
Equity Awards” means the Company RSUs, the Company PSUs and the Company Restricted Stock.
“Company
Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), business, assets, or results
of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, excluding any event, change, circumstance, effect, occurrence, condition,
state of facts or development to the extent arising or resulting from or relating to (i) changes, developments or conditions after the
date hereof in financial or securities markets in the United States or in any other location throughout the world relevant to the operation
of the Company and its Subsidiaries or in the general economic or political conditions in the United States or in any other location
throughout the world relevant to the operation of the Company and its Subsidiaries, or in the industry in which the Company and its Subsidiaries
operate, (ii) any adoption, implementation, enforcement, promulgation, repeal, amendment, interpretation, reinterpretation or other changes,
or proposed adoption, implementation, enforcement,
promulgation, repeal, amendment, interpretation,
reinterpretation or other changes in Applicable Law or GAAP after the date hereof, (iii) acts of war (whether or not declared), the commencement,
continuation or escalation of a war, acts of armed hostility, sabotage or terrorism or any material worsening of such conditions threatened
or existing as of the date of this Agreement or natural disasters, calamities or force majeure events, (iv) any epidemic or pandemic
(including the COVID-19 pandemic), (v) the execution, public announcement or pendency of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby or the consummation of such transactions (including the identity of Parent or any of its Affiliates as the acquiror of the Company),
or communication by Parent or any Affiliate of Parent with respect to the post-Closing conduct of the business or deployment or disposition
of any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (it being understood that this clause (v) shall not apply to a breach
of any representation or warranty contained in Sections 4.04, 4.16(b)(iv) or 4.19(e) related to the announcement or consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby or the failure to satisfy the condition in Section 9.02(b) as a result of any breach of any such representation
or warranty), (vi) any failure of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to meet, with respect to any period or periods, any internal
projections, forecasts, estimates of earnings or revenues or business plans (but not the underlying facts or basis for such failure to
meet projections, forecasts, estimates of earnings or revenues or business plans, which, unless otherwise excepted pursuant to clauses
(i)-(v) or (vii)-(ix) of this definition, may be taken into account in determining whether there has been or would reasonably be expected
to be a Company Material Adverse Effect), (vii) any decline in the market price or trading volume of the Company’s common stock
(but not the underlying facts or basis for such decline, which, unless otherwise excepted pursuant to clauses (i)-(vi) or (viii)-(ix)
of this definition, may be taken into account in determining whether there has been or would reasonably be expected to be a Company Material
Adverse Effect), (viii) any actions taken by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as required by this Agreement or (ix) any action
explicitly required under this Agreement or any action taken or omitted to be taken at the written request of Parent; provided,
however, that if any event, change, circumstance, effect, occurrence, condition, state of facts or development described in any
of clauses (i) through (iii) has a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, relative to the other
participants in the industry in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate, such disproportionate effect shall be taken into account
in determining whether there has been, or would reasonably be expected to be, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
“Company
Modified IPO PSUs” means the performance-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plans that were modified
to provide that the award shall vest upon the earlier of a fixed date and the achievement of a volume-weighted average trading price
performance-based vesting condition.
“Company
Performance-Based Restricted Stock” means an award of Shares granted pursuant to the Equity Plans, including pursuant to an
agreement to which the Company is a party, that is subject to performance-based vesting conditions but that is not Company Time- and
Performance-Based Restricted Stock.
“Company
Post-IPO PSUs” means the performance-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plans that are not Company
Modified IPO PSUs or Company Unmodified IPO PSUs.
“Company
PSUs” means, collectively, the Company Modified IPO PSUs, the Company Unmodified IPO PSUs and the Company Post-IPO PSUs.
“Company
Restricted Stock” means, collectively, the Company Time-Based Restricted Stock, the Company Time- and Performance-Based Restricted
Stock and the Company Performance-Based Restricted Stock.
“Company
RSUs” means the time-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plans.
“Company
Time- and Performance-Based Restricted Stock” means an award of Shares granted pursuant to the Equity Plans, including pursuant
to an agreement to which the Company is a party, that is scheduled to vest upon the earlier of a fixed date and the achievement of a
performance-based vesting condition.
“Company
Time-Based Restricted Stock” means an award of Shares granted pursuant to the Equity Plans, including pursuant to an agreement
to which the Company is a party, that is subject only to time-based vesting conditions.
“Company
Unmodified IPO PSUs” means the performance-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plans that vest based
solely on the achievement of a volume-weighted average trading price performance-based vesting condition (and which, for the avoidance
of doubt, were not subsequently modified).
“Continuing
Employee” means each Company Employee employed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries immediately prior to the Effective
Time whose employment with the Surviving Corporation (or Parent or any of its Affiliates) continues after the Effective Time.
“Contract”
means any contract, binding letter of intent, lease, sublease, occupancy agreement, license, sublicense, indenture, note, bond, loan,
mortgage, agreement, deed of trust, franchise, license or other binding instrument, commitment or undertaking, including any exhibits,
annexes, appendices or attachments thereto, and any amendments, modifications, supplements, extensions or renewals thereto, excluding
sale and purchase orders.
“control”
(including the terms “controlled,” “controlled by” and “under common control with”) means the possession,
directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“COVID-19
Measures” means any quarantine, “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” workforce reduction, social distancing,
shut down, closure, sequester or any other Applicable Law related to COVID-19.
“COVID-19
Responses” means any reasonable action that is necessary to be taken in response to any COVID-19 Measures, including the establishment
of any reasonably necessary policy, procedure or protocol.
“Debt Financing
Sources” means the lenders, agents, underwriters, commitment parties and arrangers of any New Debt Financing, together with
their respective Affiliates and Debt Financing Sources Representatives and their successors and assigns, including any successors or
assigns via joinder agreements, indentures or credit agreements relating thereto.
“Debt Financing
Sources Representative” means, with respect to any Debt Financing Source, such Debt Financing Source’s directors, officers,
partners, principals, employees, counsel, financial advisors, auditors, agents and other authorized representatives.
“DGCL”
means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
“Employee
Plan” means any (i) “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA (regardless of whether such
plan is subject to ERISA), (ii) compensation, employment, independent contractor, severance, termination protection, change in control,
transaction bonus, retention or similar plan, agreement, arrangement, program or policy or (iii) other plan, agreement, arrangement,
program or policy providing for compensation, bonuses, profit-sharing, equity or equity-based compensation or other forms of incentive
or deferred compensation, vacation benefits, insurance (including any self-insured arrangement), medical, dental, vision, prescription
or fringe benefits, life insurance, relocation or expatriate benefits, perquisites, disability or sick leave benefits, employee assistance
program, or post-employment or retirement benefits (including compensation, pension, health, medical or insurance benefits), including,
for the avoidance of doubt, any Company Equity Award, in each case, whether or not written that is sponsored, maintained, administered,
contributed to (or required to be contributed to), or entered into, by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for the current or future
benefit of any current or former Service Provider or with respect to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has or would reasonably
be expected to have any direct or indirect liability.
“Environment”
means any air (whether ambient outdoor or indoor), surface water, drinking water, groundwater, land surface, wetland, subsurface strata,
soil, sediment, plant or animal life and any other natural resources.
“Environmental
Laws” means any Applicable Laws (including common law) or any legally binding consent order or decree issued by any Governmental
Authority, relating to (i) protection of the Environment, (ii) the prevention of pollution, (iii) the containment, clean-up, preservation,
protection and reclamation of the Environment, (iv) health and safety (as it relates to exposure to Hazardous Substances) or (v) the
generation, use, management, transportation, storage, disposal, treatment or release of Hazardous Substances.
“Environmental
Permits” means all Permits required under Environmental Laws.
“Equity
Award Exchange Ratio” means the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Merger Consideration by (ii) the volume-weighted average
closing price per share of Parent Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange for the five consecutive trading day period ending on the
last trading day preceding the Closing Date.
“Equity
Plans” means the Sovos Brands Limited Partnership 2017 Equity Incentive Plan and the Sovos Brands, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive
Plan.
“ERISA”
means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
“ERISA
Affiliate” of any entity means any other entity that, together with such entity, would be treated as a single employer under
Section 414 of the Code.
“GAAP”
means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
“Governmental
Authority” means any transnational, domestic or foreign federal, state, provincial, local or other governmental, regulatory
or administrative authority, department, court, agency, commission or official, including any political subdivision thereof, or any other
governmental or quasi-governmental (including self-regulatory) authority or instrumentality.
“Hazardous
Substance” means any pollutant, contaminant, waste or chemical or any toxic, radioactive, ignitable, corrosive, reactive or
otherwise hazardous substance, waste or material, or any substance, waste or material displaying any of the foregoing characteristics,
in each case, that is regulated under any Environmental Law, including (i) petroleum and petroleum products, including crude oil and
any fractions thereof, (ii) natural gas, synthetic gas and any mixtures thereof, (iii) polychlorinated biphenyls, (iv) asbestos or asbestos-containing
materials, (v) radioactive materials, (vi) produced waters and (vii) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
“HSR Act”
means the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
“Indebtedness”
means, with respect to any Person, without duplication, all obligations or undertakings by such Person: (a) for borrowed money; (b) evidenced
by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments; (c) pursuant to securitization or factoring programs or arrangements; (d) pursuant
to guarantees of any Indebtedness of any other Person (other than between or among any of the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries);
(e) net cash payment obligations of such Person under swaps, options, derivatives and other hedging Contracts or arrangements that will
be payable upon termination thereof (assuming termination on the date of determination); (f) letters of credit and bank guarantees entered
into by or on behalf of such Person; or (g) guarantees of any of the foregoing clauses (a)-(c) and (e).
“Intellectual
Property” means any and all intellectual property rights or similar proprietary rights arising from or under the Applicable
Laws of the United States or any
other jurisdiction, including rights
in all of the following: (a) trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, brand names, corporate names, trade dress, domain names,
social media identifiers and all other indications of origin (whether registered or not), including all goodwill associated with any
of the foregoing and all applications, registrations and renewals in connection therewith; (b) inventions, whether patentable or not,
all improvements thereto, patents and patent applications (together with any and all divisions, reissuances, continuations, continuations-in-part,
revisions, provisionals, renewals, extensions and reexaminations thereof); (c) Trade Secrets; (d) works of authorship, copyrights (whether
registered or not), all registrations or applications therefor and any and all renewals, extensions, reversions, restorations, derivative
works and moral rights in connection with any of the foregoing; (e) data, database and data collection rights; (f) design rights; and
(g) computer software (including source code, object code, firmware, operating systems and specifications).
“IT Assets”
means any and all computers, software, firmware, middleware, servers, networks, workstations, routers, hubs, circuits, switches, data
communications lines and all other information technology assets and equipment (including laptops and mobile devices), and documentation
related to any of the foregoing, in each case, owned by, or licensed or leased to (or purported to be owned by or licensed or leased
to) the Company or its Subsidiaries.
“Key Employee”
means a Company Employee who either (i) is an officer or director subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the 1934
Act with respect to the Company or (ii) has a title of vice president (or a more senior title) with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
“Knowledge”
means, with respect to the Company, the actual knowledge after reasonable investigation or inquiry (which shall include inquiry of the
applicable individual’s direct reports of the subject matter in question) of the individuals listed on Section
1.01(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule.
“Licensed
Intellectual Property” means any and all Intellectual Property owned by a third party and licensed or sublicensed to the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries or for which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has obtained a covenant not to be sued.
“Lien”
means, with respect to any property or asset, any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, license, pledge, option, hypothecation, adverse right,
restriction, charge, security interest, right of first refusal, right of first offer, restriction on transfer and assignment, easement,
servitude, encumbrance or other adverse claim of any kind, whether contingent or absolute, or any agreement, option, right or privilege
(whether by Applicable Law, Contract or otherwise) that would reasonably be expected (with notice or the lapse of time or both) to become
any of the foregoing, in respect of such property or asset. For purposes of this Agreement, a Person shall be deemed to own, subject
to a Lien, any property or asset that it has acquired or holds subject to the interest of a vendor or lessor under any conditional sale
agreement, capital lease or other title retention agreement relating to such property or asset.
“Multiemployer
Plan” means a “multiemployer plan” as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA.
“NASDAQ”
means Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC.
“New Debt
Financing” means the public offering of Parent’s debt securities or other incurrence of Indebtedness by Parent after
the date hereof and prior to the Closing, the proceeds of which would be used, in whole or in part, to pay the Merger Consideration.
“ordinary
course of business” means any action taken by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of the Company’s
and its applicable Subsidiaries’ business.
“Owned
Intellectual Property” means any and all Intellectual Property owned or purported to be owned by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
“Parent
Common Stock” means capital stock of Parent, par value $0.0375 per share.
“Parent
Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on Parent’s or Merger Sub’s ability to consummate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including to make all payments of the Merger Consideration in accordance with Section 2.02
in full.
“Partnership”
means the Sovos Brands Limited Partnership.
“PBGC”
means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
“Permits”
means each grant, license, franchise, permit, easement, variance, exception, exemption, waiver, consent, certificate, certification,
registration, accreditation, approval, order, qualification or other similar authorization of any Governmental Authority.
“Permitted
Liens” means (a) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, landlords’, laborers’,
suppliers’ and vendors’ liens and other similar Liens, if any, arising or incurred in the ordinary course of business that
do not, individually or in the aggregate, impair or interfere with the present use of the assets or otherwise impair present business
operations; (b) Liens for Taxes not yet delinquent or, if delinquent, that are being contested in good faith by appropriate actions and
that are adequately reserved for as of the date hereof in the applicable financial statements of the Company in accordance with GAAP;
(c) applicable zoning, planning, entitlement, conservation restrictions, land use restrictions, building codes and other governmental
rules and regulations imposed by a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the real property, none of which are violated by the
current use and operation of the real
property nor which would reasonably
be expected to have an adverse impact on the Company’s conduct of its business; (d) with respect to real property or any other
assets, Liens that do not materially interfere with the business as presently conducted and would not be reasonably expected to materially
detract from the use or operation of the property or other assets subject thereto as currently used or operated by the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries (or the value thereof); (e) Liens that affect the underlying fee interest of any Leased Real Property; and (f) non-exclusive
licenses to Intellectual Property.
“Person”
means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust or other entity or organization, including
a Governmental Authority or any “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act.
“Personal
Information” means “personal information,” “personally identifiable information,” “personal data,”
and any terms of similar import, in each case as defined under Applicable Laws relating to data privacy, data protection, cybersecurity
and/or the processing of such information or data.
“Required
Financial Statements” means (a) the audited consolidated balance sheets of the Company and related consolidated statements
of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows, for each of the three most recently completed fiscal years ended at least 60
days before Closing and (b) as soon as available and in any event within forty-five (45) days after the end of each subsequent fiscal
quarter, an unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the Company and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’
equity and cash flows for such fiscal quarter and for the elapsed interim period following the last completed fiscal year and for the
comparable periods of the prior fiscal year, in each case which has been reviewed by the Company’s auditors as provided by AS 4105,
Reviews of Interim Financial Information; provided, however, that financial statements of the Company shall only be provided to
the extent that such financial statements would be required by Rule 3-05 and Article 11 of Regulation S-X for an offering of securities
conducted on Form S-1 (even if the Company conducts an offering pursuant to Rule 144A) (it being understood and agreed by the parties
hereto that the Company’s public filing of any required financial statements with the SEC shall satisfy the requirements of clauses
(a) and (b), unless the Company’s auditors have withdrawn any audit opinion with respect to any such financial statements).
“Sarbanes-Oxley
Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
“SEC”
means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Service
Provider” means any director, officer, employee or individual independent contractor or consultant or other individual service
provider of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
“Subsidiary”
means, with respect to any Person, any other Person of which securities or other ownership interests having ordinary voting power to
elect a majority of the board of directors or other Persons performing similar functions are at any time directly or indirectly owned
or controlled by such Person.
“Tax”
means (i) all taxes, assessments, duties, levies, imposts or other similar charges imposed by a Governmental Authority (whether payable
directly or by withholding and whether or not requiring the filing of a tax return), including income, gross receipts, license, payroll,
employment, excise, escheat, abandoned property, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, windfall profits, environmental, customs duties,
capital stock, franchise profits, withholding (including backup withholding), social security, unemployment, disability, real property,
personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration, ad valorem, value added, alternative or add-on minimum or estimated tax or any
other tax of any kind whatsoever, together with any interest, penalty, addition to tax or additional amount, whether disputed or not.
“Tax Return”
means any report, return, document, claim for refund, information return, schedule, declaration or statement or filing supplied or required
to be filed with a Governmental Authority with respect to Taxes (and any amendments thereof).
“Tax Sharing
Agreement” means any agreement or arrangement binding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that provides for the allocation,
apportionment, sharing, indemnification or assignment of any Tax liability (other than customary Tax sharing or indemnification provisions
contained in an agreement (i) in conjunction with an acquisition or divestiture or (ii) entered into in the ordinary course of business,
in each case, the primary subject matter of which does not relate to Taxes).
“Third
Party” means any Person other than Parent or any of its Subsidiaries.
“Title
IV Plan” means any Employee Plan (including any Multiemployer Plan) that is subject to Title IV of ERISA.
“Trade
Secrets” means any and all of the following that are protected under applicable law as a trade secret: know-how (including
manufacturing and production processes and research and development information), confidential information, technical data, algorithms,
recipes, formulae, concepts, methods, techniques, procedures, processes, schematics, protocols, prototypes, models, designs, results
of experimentation and testing, and business information (including financial and marketing plans, customer and supplier lists, and pricing
and cost information), in each case, in any jurisdiction.
“WARN”
means the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. § 2101) and any similar applicable foreign, state or local
law.
“Willful
Breach” means a material breach of this Agreement that is a consequence of an act undertaken or a failure to take an act by
the breaching party with the knowledge that the taking of such act or the failure to take such act would cause, or would reasonably be
expected to cause, a breach of this Agreement.
(b)
Each of the following terms is defined in the Section set forth opposite such term:
Term |
Section |
Adverse Recommendation Change |
6.03(a) |
Agreement |
Preamble |
Board of Directors |
Recitals |
Burdensome Condition |
8.01(c) |
Certificates |
2.03(a) |
Closing |
2.01(b) |
Closing Date |
2.01(b) |
Company |
Preamble |
Company Board Recommendation |
4.02(b) |
Company Disclosure Documents |
4.09(a) |
Company Meeting |
4.03 |
Company SEC Documents |
4.07(a) |
Company Securities |
4.05(b) |
Company Subsidiary Securities |
4.06(b) |
Confidentiality Agreement |
6.02 |
Continuation Period |
7.03(a) |
D&O Indemnification Documents |
7.02(a) |
D&O Insurance |
7.02(c) |
Data Breach |
4.17 |
Effective Time |
2.01(c) |
Electronic Delivery |
11.10 |
End Date |
10.01(b) |
Exchange Agent |
2.03(a) |
FDA |
4.25(a) |
Food Authorities |
4.25(a) |
FTC |
4.25(a) |
Indemnified Person |
7.02(a) |
Indemnity Proceedings |
7.02(a) |
Intervening Event |
6.03(b) |
Lease |
4.15(b) |
Leased Real Property |
4.15(b) |
Material Contract |
4.22(b) |
Merger |
2.01(a) |
Merger Consideration |
2.02(a) |
Merger Sub |
Preamble |
Parent |
Preamble |
Parent Related Party |
11.04(c) |
Parent RSU |
2.05(b) |
Proxy Statement |
4.03 |
Registered Intellectual Property |
4.16 |
Representatives |
6.02 |
Requisite Company Vote |
4.02(a) |
Reverse Termination Fee |
11.04(c) |
Sanctions |
4.12(c) |
Shares |
2.02(a) |
Superior Proposal |
6.03(e) |
Surviving Corporation |
2.01(a) |
Surviving Economic Provisions |
10.02 |
Terminating Company PSU |
2.05(c) |
Terminating Company PSU Consideration |
2.05(c) |
Terminating Company Restricted Stock |
2.05(a) |
Terminating Company Restricted Stock Consideration |
2.05(a) |
Terminating Company RSU |
2.05(b) |
Terminating Company RSU Consideration |
2.05(b) |
Termination Fee |
11.04(b) |
Uncertificated Shares |
2.03(a) |
USDA |
4.25(a) |
Voting Agreement |
Recitals |
Section 1.02.
Other Definitional and Interpretative Provisions. The words “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder”
and words of like import used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this
Agreement. The captions herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation
hereof. References to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules are to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules of this Agreement
unless otherwise specified. All Exhibits and Schedules (including the Company Disclosure Schedule)
annexed hereto or referred to herein are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full herein. Any
capitalized terms used in any Exhibit or Schedule but not otherwise defined therein, shall have the meaning as defined in this Agreement.
Any singular term in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the plural, and any plural term the singular. Whenever the words “include”,
“includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without
limitation”, whether or not they are in fact followed by those words or words of like import. “Writing”, “written”
and comparable terms refer to printing, typing and other means of reproducing words (including electronic media) in a visible form. References
to any statute shall be deemed to refer to such statute as amended from time to time and, if applicable, to any rules, regulations or
interpretations promulgated thereunder. References to any agreement or contract are to that agreement or contract as amended, modified,
supplemented extended or renewed from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, provided that, with respect
to any agreement or contract listed on any schedule hereto, all amendments, modifications, supplements, extensions or renewals are also
listed in the appropriate schedule to the extent that any such amendment(s), modification(s), supplement(s), extension(s) or renewal(s)
are material to the agreement or contract to which it or they relate. References to any Person include the successors and permitted assigns
of that Person. References to a “party” or the “parties” means a party or the parties to this Agreement unless
the context otherwise requires. References from or through any date mean, unless otherwise specified, from and including or through and
including, respectively. The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement and each has
been represented by counsel of its choosing and,
in the event of an ambiguity or question
of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by such parties and no presumption or burden
of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party due to the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. Further, prior drafts
of this Agreement or the fact that any clauses have been added, deleted or otherwise modified from any prior drafts of this Agreement
will not be used as an aide of construction or otherwise constitute evidence of the intent of the parties, and no presumption or burden
of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of any such prior drafts. Unless otherwise specifically indicated, all
references to “dollars” and “$” will be deemed references to the lawful money of the United States of America.
The words “made available” shall be deemed to mean made continuously available or accessible to Parent or its representatives
not later than 5:00 pm Eastern Time two calendar days prior to the date hereof in the virtual data room (with anything in the “Clean
Room” folder therein being deemed to be included in such virtual data room) established by the Company and hosted by Datasite.
The phrase “substantially consistent with past practice” shall be disregarded in any case where there is no applicable past
practice.
Article
2
The Merger
Section 2.01.
The Merger. (a) At the Effective Time, Merger Sub shall merge (the “Merger”) with and into the Company
in accordance with the DGCL, whereupon, the separate existence of Merger Sub shall cease and the Company shall be the surviving corporation
as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent (the “Surviving Corporation”).
(b)
Subject to the provisions of Article 9, the closing
of the Merger (the “Closing”) shall take place via the electronic exchange of documents and signature pages at 10:00
a.m., New York City time, as soon as possible, but in any event no later than two Business Days after the date the conditions set forth
in Article 9 (other than conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or, to the
extent permissible, written waiver of such conditions at the Closing by the party or parties entitled to the benefit of such conditions)
have been satisfied or, to the extent permissible, waived in writing by the party or parties entitled to the benefit of such conditions,
or at such other place (or by means of remote communication), at such other time or on such other date as Parent and the Company may
mutually agree. The date on which the Closing occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing Date.”
(c)
At the Closing, the Company and Merger Sub shall file a certificate of merger with the Delaware Secretary of State and make all
other filings or recordings required by the DGCL in connection with the Merger. The Merger shall become effective at such time (the “Effective
Time”) as the certificate of merger is duly filed with the Delaware Secretary of State (or at such later time as may be specified
in the certificate of merger).
(d)
From and after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall possess all the rights, powers, privileges and franchises and
be subject to all of the
obligations, liabilities, restrictions
and disabilities of the Company and Merger Sub, all as provided under the DGCL.
Section 2.02.
Conversion of Shares. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and automatically without any action on the part
of the holders thereof or the parties hereto:
(a)
Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.02(b),
Section 2.02(c), Section 2.02(d) or
Section 2.04, each share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (each a “Share” and
collectively, the “Shares”), outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (excluding each Share of Company
Restricted Stock, which Shares are subject to Section 2.05) shall be converted into the right to receive: (i) $23.00 in cash, without
interest; plus (ii) if applicable, the Additional Consideration (collectively, (i) and (ii)the “Merger Consideration”).
As of the Effective Time, all such Shares shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and retired and shall cease
to exist, and shall thereafter represent only the right to receive the Merger Consideration on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
(b)
Each Share held by the Company as treasury stock (other than Shares in an Employee Plan of the Company) or owned by Parent or
Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be canceled, and no payment shall be made with respect thereto.
(c)
Each share of common stock of Merger Sub outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into and become
one share of common stock of the Surviving Corporation with the same rights, powers and privileges as the shares so converted and shall
constitute the only outstanding shares of capital stock of the Surviving Corporation.
(d)
Each Share held by any Subsidiary of either the Company or Parent (other than Merger Sub) immediately prior to the Effective Time
shall be converted into such number of shares of common stock of the Surviving Corporation such that each such Subsidiary owns the same
percentage of the outstanding capital stock of the Surviving Corporation immediately following the Effective Time as such Subsidiary
owned of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time.
Section 2.03.
Surrender and Payment. (a) Prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall appoint an agent reasonably acceptable to the
Company (the “Exchange Agent”) for the purpose of exchanging for the Merger Consideration (i) certificates representing
Shares (the “Certificates”) or (ii) uncertificated Shares (the “Uncertificated Shares”). Parent
shall, at or prior to the Effective Time, deposit or cause to be deposited with the Exchange Agent cash sufficient to make all payments
of the Merger Consideration payable in respect of the Certificates and the Uncertificated Shares in accordance with Section 2.02. The
cash amount deposited with the Exchange Agent in accordance with this Section 2.03(a) shall not be used for any purpose other than as
set forth in this Article 2. The Exchange Agent shall invest the cash amount deposited with the Exchange Agent in accordance with this
Section 2.03(a) as directed by Parent solely in (A) direct short-term obligations of the United States of America, (B) obligations for
which the full faith
and credit of the United States of America
is pledged to provide for the payment of principal and interest, (C) commercial paper rated P-1 or A-1 or better by Moody’s Investors
Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation, respectively, (D) certificates of deposit, bank repurchase agreements or banker’s
acceptances of commercial banks with capital exceeding $1,000,000,000, (E) money market funds having a rating in the highest investment
category granted by a nationally recognized credit rating agency at the time of acquisition or (F) a combination of any of the foregoing,
provided that, in any such case, no such instrument shall have a maturity exceeding three months. No investment or losses of any
of the cash amounts deposited with the Exchange Agent in accordance with this Section 2.03(a) shall relieve Parent, the Surviving Corporation
or the Exchange Agent from making the payments required by this Article 2 or affect the amount of Merger Consideration payable to holders
of Shares, and to the extent that there are any losses with respect to any such investments, or the cash amount deposited with the Exchange
Agent diminishes for any reason below the level required for the Exchange Agent to make prompt cash payment in accordance with Section
2.02, Parent shall promptly provide additional cash to the Exchange Agent so as to ensure that the Exchange Agent has at and after the
Effective Time cash at a level sufficient for the Exchange Agent to make all payments in accordance with Section 2.02 that remain unpaid.
Parent shall pay all charges and expenses of the Exchange Agent in connection with the exchange of Shares for the Merger Consideration.
Promptly after the Effective Time (and in any event, not later than the fifth Business Day following the Effective Time), Parent shall
send, or shall cause the Exchange Agent to send, to each holder of Shares as of immediately prior to the Effective Time a letter of transmittal
and instructions in customary form (which shall specify that the delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title shall pass, only
upon proper delivery of the Certificates or transfer of the Uncertificated Shares to the Exchange Agent) for use in such exchange.
(b)
Each holder of Shares that have been converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration shall be entitled to receive,
upon (i) surrender to the Exchange Agent of a Certificate, together with a properly completed letter of transmittal, or (ii) receipt
of an “agent’s message” by the Exchange Agent (or such other evidence, if any, of transfer as the Exchange Agent may
reasonably request) in the case of a book-entry transfer of Uncertificated Shares, the Merger Consideration payable for each such Share
represented by such Certificate or for each such Uncertificated Share, and upon the occurrence of (i) or (ii) (as applicable), Parent
shall direct the Exchange Agent to issue and deliver to the relevant holder, by check or wire transfer (as specified in the letter of
transmittal), a cash amount equal the Merger Consideration payable for each Share held by such holder. Until so surrendered or transferred,
as the case may be, each such Certificate or Uncertificated Share shall represent after the Effective Time for all purposes only the
right to receive the Merger Consideration. No interest shall be paid or shall accrue on the cash payable upon surrender of any such Shares.
(c)
If any portion of the Merger Consideration is to be paid to a Person other than the Person in whose name the surrendered Certificate
or the transferred Uncertificated Share is registered, it shall be a condition to such payment that (i) either such Certificate shall
be properly endorsed or shall otherwise be in proper form for transfer or such Uncertificated Share shall be properly transferred and
(ii) the Person
requesting such payment shall pay to
the Exchange Agent any transfer or other Taxes required as a result of such payment to a Person other than the registered holder of such
Certificate or Uncertificated Share or establish to the reasonable satisfaction of the Exchange Agent and Parent that such Tax has been
paid or is not payable.
(d)
After the Effective Time, there shall be no further registration of transfers of Shares. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates
or Uncertificated Shares are presented to the Surviving Corporation, they shall be canceled and exchanged for the Merger Consideration
provided for, and in accordance with the procedures set forth, in this
Article 2.
(e)
Any portion of the Merger Consideration deposited with the Exchange Agent pursuant to Section 2.03(a)
(and any interest or other income earned thereon) that remains unclaimed by the holders of Shares that have been converted
into the right to receive the Merger Consideration 12 months after the Effective Time shall be returned to Parent, upon demand, and any
such holder who has not exchanged such Shares for the Merger Consideration in accordance with this
Section 2.03 prior to that time shall thereafter look only to Parent for payment of the Merger Consideration in respect of
such Shares without any interest thereon and subject to any withholding of Taxes required by Applicable Law in accordance with this
Section 2.03(e). Notwithstanding the foregoing, Parent shall not be liable to any holder of Shares for any amount paid to
any Governmental Authority pursuant to applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Applicable Law. Any amounts remaining unclaimed
by holders of Shares that have been converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration two years after the Effective Time (or
such earlier date immediately prior to such time when the amounts would otherwise escheat to or become property of any Governmental Authority)
shall become, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the property of Parent free and clear of any claims or interest of any Person
previously entitled thereto.
(f)
Any portion of the Merger Consideration made available to the Exchange Agent pursuant to Section 2.03(a) to pay for Shares for
which appraisal rights have been perfected shall be returned to Parent, upon demand.
Section 2.04.
Dissenting Shares. Notwithstanding Section
2.02, Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and held by a holder who has not voted in favor of the Merger or consented
thereto in writing with respect to such Shares and who has (or for which the “beneficial owner” (as defined, for purposes
of this Section 2.04, in Section 262(a) of the DGCL) has) demanded appraisal for such Shares in accordance with the DGCL shall not be
converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, but shall be entitled only to such rights as are granted by Section 262
of the DGCL, unless such holder (or beneficial owner) fails to perfect, withdraws or otherwise loses the right to appraisal under Section
262 of the DGCL. For the avoidance of doubt, Merger Consideration for Shares subject to appraisal shall not accrue interest. If, after
the Effective Time, any such holder (or beneficial owner) fails to perfect, withdraws or loses the right to appraisal under Section 262
of the DGCL, such Shares shall be treated as if they had been converted pursuant to Section 2.02(a) as of the Effective Time into, and
shall represent only, the right to receive the Merger Consideration in accordance with
Section 2.03, without interest. The Company shall give Parent prompt notice of any demands received
by the Company for appraisal of Shares and any withdrawals of any such demands, and Parent shall have the right to direct (in a reasonable
manner) and participate in all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such demands. Except with the prior written consent of Parent,
the Company shall not make any payment with respect to, or offer to settle or settle, any such demands, or agree to do any of the foregoing.
Section 2.05.
Company Equity Awards.
(a)
Company Restricted Stock. At the Effective Time, each Share of Company Restricted Stock that is outstanding as of immediately
prior to the Effective Time and is not described in the last sentence of this Section 2.05(a) (each, “Terminating Company Restricted
Stock”) shall be automatically converted into the right to receive (without interest) an amount in cash, subject to applicable
tax withholding, equal to the Merger Consideration (the “Terminating Company Restricted Stock Consideration”), subject
to the remainder of this Section 2.05(a) and, as applicable, the terms and conditions of Section 2.05(d). As of the Effective Time, all
such Shares of Terminating Company Restricted Stock shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and retired and
shall cease to exist, and shall thereafter represent only the right to receive the Merger Consideration on the terms and conditions set
forth herein. Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.01(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Share of Company Performance-Based
Restricted Stock that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time for which the applicable performance condition remains unsatisfied
at the Effective Time (as determined in accordance with Section 2.05(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule) shall, in accordance with
its terms, be forfeited to the Partnership as of the Effective Time for no consideration to the applicable holder thereof and shall then
be converted into the Merger Consideration in accordance with, and subject to the terms of, Section 2.02(a) of the Agreement.
(b)
Company RSUs.
(i)
At the Effective Time, each Company RSU that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time that is held by (A)
a non-employee director of the Company or (B) any Service Provider who is a former Service Provider as of immediately prior to the Effective
Time (in each case, whether vested or unvested, and, in the case of a former Service Provider, solely to the extent such Company RSU
was outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time in accordance with its existing terms in effect as of the date hereof)
(each, a “Terminating Company RSU”) shall be automatically canceled and converted into the right to receive (without
interest) an amount in cash, subject to applicable tax withholding, equal to the product of (i) the Merger Consideration and (ii) the
total number of Shares subject to such Terminating Company RSU as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “Terminating
Company RSU Consideration”), subject to the terms and conditions of Section 2.05(d).
(ii)
At the Effective Time, each Company RSU that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time that is not a Terminating
Company RSU shall be automatically cancelled and converted into a restricted stock unit award (each, a “Parent RSU”)
with respect to a number of shares of Parent Common Stock equal to the number of Shares underlying such Company RSU immediately prior
to the Effective Time multiplied by the Equity Award Exchange Ratio, rounded down to the nearest whole share. Each Parent RSU
shall continue to have, and shall be subject to, the same terms and conditions (including vesting and payment schedule) as applied to
the corresponding Company RSU immediately prior to the Effective Time. Parent acknowledges and agrees that the Merger constitutes a “change
in control,” “change of control” or term of similar import (as applicable) with respect to the Company RSUs such that
at the Closing a “change in control,” “change of control” or term of similar import shall have occurred with
respect to each corresponding Parent RSU issued hereunder.
(c)
Company PSUs.
(i)
At the Effective Time, each Company PSU that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time that is held by (A)
a non-employee director of the Company or (B) any Service Provider who is a former Service Provider as of immediately prior to the Effective
Time (in each case, whether vested or unvested, and, in the case of a former Service Provider, solely to the extent such Company PSU
was outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time in accordance with its existing terms in effect as of the date hereof)
(each, a “Terminating Company PSU”) shall be automatically canceled and converted into the right to receive (without
interest) an amount in cash, subject to applicable tax withholding, equal to the product of (i) the Merger Consideration and (ii) the
total number of Shares subject to such Company PSU as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (assuming that (1) in the case of a
Terminating Company PSU that is a Company Unmodified IPO PSU or a Company Modified IPO PSU, the applicable performance goals were achieved
at 100% and (2) in the case of a Terminating Company PSU that is a Company Post-IPO PSU, the greater of the target performance level
(i.e., 100%) and actual performance through the Effective Time in accordance with the terms of such Company Post-IPO PSU in effect as
of the date hereof) (the “Terminating Company PSU Consideration”), subject to the terms and conditions of Section
2.05(d).
(ii)
At the Effective Time, each Company PSU that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time that is not a Terminating
Company PSU shall be automatically cancelled and converted into a Parent RSU with respect to a number of shares of Parent Common Stock
equal to the number of Shares underlying the Company PSU immediately prior to the Effective Time (assuming for this purpose that (1)
in the case of a Company Unmodified IPO PSU or a Company Modified IPO PSU, the applicable performance goal was achieved at 100% and (2)
in the case of a Company Post-IPO PSU, the greater of the target performance level (i.e., 100%) and actual performance through the Effective
Time in accordance with the terms of such Company Post-IPO PSU in effect as of the date hereof) multiplied by the Equity Award
Exchange Ratio, rounded down to the nearest whole share. Each Parent RSU shall continue to have, and shall be subject to, the same terms
and conditions as applied to the
corresponding Company PSU immediately
prior to the Effective Time (including time-based vesting and payment schedule, but excluding any performance-based vesting conditions).
Parent acknowledges and agrees that the Merger constitutes a “change in control,” “change of control” or term
of similar import (as applicable) with respect to the Company PSUs such that at the Closing a “change in control,” “change
of control” or term of similar import shall have occurred with respect to each corresponding Parent RSU issued hereunder.
(d)
The Terminating Company Restricted Stock Consideration, the Terminating Company RSU Consideration and the Terminating Company
PSU Consideration shall be paid as soon as reasonably practicable following the Effective Time and in no event later than five Business
Days following the Effective Time, and shall be reduced by any withholding Taxes required to be paid by or collected on behalf of the
recipients of the Terminating Company Restricted Stock Consideration, the Terminating Company RSU Consideration and the Terminating Company
PSU Consideration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 2.05(a), Section 2.05(b)(i) or Section 2.05(c)(i), with respect
to any Terminating Company Restricted Stock, Terminating Company RSU or Terminating Company PSU that constitutes nonqualified deferred
compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code and that is not permitted to be paid at the Effective Time without triggering a Tax
or penalty under Section 409A of the Code, such payment shall be made at the earliest time permitted under the applicable Equity Plan
and award agreement that will not trigger a Tax or penalty under Section 409A of the Code.
(e)
Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall adopt resolutions, obtain all consents and take any other actions necessary or
appropriate (including amending any Equity Plan) to effectuate the provisions set forth in this Section 2.05 providing for the treatment
of Company Equity Awards. Upon or as soon as reasonably practical following the Effective Time, Parent shall file, or shall have on file,
one or more appropriate registration statements (on Form S-3 or Form S-8, or any successor or other appropriate forms), and shall maintain
the effectiveness of such registration statements, with respect to Parent Common Stock in respect of the Parent RSUs granted pursuant
to this Section 2.05.
Section 2.06.
Adjustments. If, during the period between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, the outstanding Shares
shall have been changed into a different number of shares or a different class (including by reason of any reclassification, recapitalization,
stock split (including reverse stock split) or combination, exchange or readjustment of Shares, or stock dividend thereon with a record
date during such period, but excluding any change that results from any: (a) exercise of options outstanding as of the date hereof to
purchase Shares granted under the Company’s stock option or compensation plans or arrangements; or (b) the vesting of any restricted
share units or performance share units outstanding as of the date hereof or granted prior to the Closing without violation of this Agreement),
the Merger Consideration and any other amounts payable pursuant to this Agreement shall be appropriately adjusted to provide the same
economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to any such change. Nothing in
this
Section 2.06 shall be construed to permit any party to take any action that is otherwise prohibited or restricted by any other
provision of this Agreement.
Section 2.07.
Withholding Rights. Notwithstanding any provision contained herein to the contrary, each of the Exchange Agent, Parent,
the Company, Merger Sub and the Surviving Corporation (without duplication) shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration
otherwise payable to any Person pursuant to this Agreement such amounts as it is required to deduct and withhold with respect to the
making of such payment under the Code, under any Tax law or pursuant to any other Applicable Law, and shall timely remit any amounts
so deducted or withheld to the applicable Governmental Authority. To the extent that the Exchange Agent, Parent, the Company, Merger
Sub or the Surviving Corporation, as the case may be, so deducts or withholds amounts and timely remits such amounts to the applicable
Governmental Authority, such amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to such Person in respect
of which the Exchange Agent, Parent, the Company, Merger Sub or the Surviving Corporation, as the case may be, made such deduction and
withholding.
Section 2.08.
Lost Certificates. If any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of
that fact by the Person claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by the Surviving Corporation, the
posting by such Person of a bond, in such reasonable amount as the Surviving Corporation may direct, as indemnity against any claim that
may be made against it with respect to such Certificate, the Exchange Agent shall pay, in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed
Certificate, the Merger Consideration to be paid in respect of the Shares represented by such Certificate, as contemplated by this
Article 2.
Article
3
The Surviving Corporation
Section 3.01.
Certificate of Incorporation. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger, the certificate of incorporation of the
Surviving Corporation shall be amended and restated in its entirety to read as set forth in Exhibit B and, as so amended and restated,
shall be the certificate of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation until further amended in accordance with Applicable Law.
Section 3.02.
Bylaws. At the Effective Time, the bylaws of the Company as in effect shall be amended and restated to read in their
entirety as set forth in the bylaws of Merger Sub in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time (except that references to the name
of Merger Sub shall be replaced by reference to the name of the Surviving Corporation), and as so amended and restated, shall be the
bylaws of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter amended in accordance with Applicable Law.
Section 3.03.
Directors and Officers. From and after the Effective Time, until their respective death, resignation or removal or
until their successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified in accordance with Applicable Law and the governing documents of the
Surviving Corporation, the parties shall cause (a) the directors of Merger Sub at the
Effective Time shall be the directors
of the Surviving Corporation and (b) the officers of Merger Sub at the Effective Time shall be the officers of the Surviving Corporation.
Article
4
Representations and Warranties of the Company
Subject to Section
11.05, except (x) as disclosed in any Company SEC Document filed with or furnished to the SEC and publicly available since September
23, 2021 through the second Business Day prior to the date of this Agreement (but excluding any general cautionary or forward-looking
statements contained in the “Risk Factors” section or “Forward-Looking Statements” and any other statements that
are similarly cautionary, predictive or forward-looking in nature) and (y) as set forth in the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Sub that:
Section 4.01.
Corporate Existence and Power. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Company has all corporate powers and all governmental licenses, authorizations, permits,
consents and approvals required to carry on its business as now conducted, except where the failure to have such corporate powers or
governmental licenses, authorizations, permits, consents or approvals has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually
or in the aggregate, a material impact on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The Company is duly qualified to do business
as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where such qualification is necessary, except for those jurisdictions
where failure to be so qualified has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material
impact on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company filed as exhibits
to the Company SEC Documents are true, correct and complete copies as of the date hereof. Prior to the date hereof, the Company has made
available to Parent true, correct and complete copies of the organizational documents of each of its “significant subsidiaries”
(as such term is defined in Section 1.02 of Regulation S-X under the 1934 Act). Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties
set forth in Section 5.08, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries is not in breach of any of its organizational documents in any material
respect.
Section 4.02.
Corporate Authorization. (a) The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, except
for, assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.08, the required approval of the holders of at
least a majority of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote in connection with the adoption of this Agreement, in accordance with Applicable
Law and the Company’s certificate of incorporation (the “Requisite Company Vote”). Assuming the accuracy of
the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.08, the Requisite Company Vote is the only vote of the holders of any of the
capital stock of the Company or the capital stock of any of its Subsidiaries (including any Company Securities or Company Subsidiary
Securities)
necessary in connection with consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement
and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action
on the part of the Company, except for, assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.08, the Requisite
Company Vote. The Company has duly executed and delivered this Agreement, and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by
each of Parent and Merger Sub and assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.08, this Agreement
constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (subject to applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and
general principles of equity).
(b)
At a meeting duly called and held, the Board of Directors has unanimously (i) determined that this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby, including the Merger, are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, (ii) approved,
adopted and declared advisable this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, in accordance with the
requirements of the DGCL, (iii) resolved, subject to Section 6.03(b), to recommend adoption of this Agreement by the stockholders of
the Company (such recommendation, the “Company Board Recommendation”) and (iv) directed that this Agreement be submitted
to the stockholders of the Company for their adoption. As of the date of this Agreement, the foregoing determinations and resolutions
have not been rescinded, modified or withdrawn in any way.
Section 4.03.
Governmental Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation
by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby require no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Governmental Authority,
other than (i) the filing of a certificate of merger with respect to the Merger with the Delaware Secretary of State, (ii) compliance
with any applicable requirements of the HSR Act, (iii) compliance with any applicable requirements of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and
any other applicable state or federal securities laws, including the filing with the SEC of a proxy statement relating to the matters
to be submitted to the stockholders of the Company (the “Proxy Statement”) at a meeting of such holders for the purpose
of adopting this Agreement (including any adjournment or postponement thereof, the “Company Meeting”), and (iv) any
actions or filings the absence of which has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate,
a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.04.
Non-contravention. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.08, the execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will
not (a) contravene, conflict with, or result in any violation or breach of any provision of the certificate of incorporation or bylaws
(or other organizational documents) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (b) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in
clauses (i) through (iv) of Section 4.03,
contravene, conflict with or result
in a violation or breach of any provision of any Applicable Law, (c) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in clauses (i)
through (iv) of Section 4.03, require any consent, notice
or other action by any Person under, constitute a breach or default, or an event that, with or without notice or lapse of time or both,
would constitute a violation or breach of, or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation, acceleration, payment or other change
of any right or obligation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the loss of any benefit to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is entitled under any provision of any Contract binding on the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any Permit affecting, or relating
to, the assets or business of the Company or its Subsidiaries or (d) result in the creation or imposition of any Lien (other than Permitted
Liens) on any asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries except, in the case of each of clauses (b) through (d), as have not had,
and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.05.
Capitalization. (a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of (i) 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock,
$0.001 par value per share, and (ii) 500,000,000 Shares. As of June 29, 2023, there were (A) no shares of preferred stock and (B) 101,318,245
Shares outstanding, of which 3,691 Shares constitute Company Time-Based Restricted Stock, 678,908 Shares constitute Company Time- and
Performance-Based Restricted Stock, and 1,160,760 Shares constitute Company Performance-Based Restricted Stock. As of June 29, 2023,
there were 9,313,546 Shares reserved for issuance under the Equity Plans, of which there were outstanding awards with respect to 1,692,815
Shares subject to issuance upon vesting of Company RSUs, 7,613 Shares subject to issuance upon vesting of Company Unmodified IPO PSUs
(assuming achievement of applicable performance objectives at 100% performance), 610,244 Shares subject to issuance upon vesting of Company
Modified IPO PSUs (assuming achievement of applicable performance objectives at 100% performance) and 755,501 Shares subject to issuance
upon vesting of Company Post-IPO PSUs (assuming target performance), or 1,511,002 Shares (assuming maximum performance). All issued and
outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been, and all shares that may be issued pursuant to any employee stock option,
restricted stock unit, performance stock unit or other compensation plan or arrangement will be, when issued in accordance with the respective
terms thereof, duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. A timely and properly
made election was made under Section 83(b) of the Code with respect to each outstanding Share of Company Restricted Stock.
Section 4.05(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth, for each Company Equity Award, the holder, type of award, grant
date, number of shares and vesting schedule and is redacted to the extent required by Applicable Law. All Company Equity Awards have
been, in all material respects, granted in compliance with the terms of the applicable Equity Plan and all applicable securities laws.
(b)
There are no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other Indebtedness of the Company having the right to vote (or convertible
into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matters on which stockholders of the Company may
vote. Except (x) for the outstanding securities described in the second and third sentences of
Section 4.05(a), (y) as set forth on Section 4.05(b) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule and (z) as permitted
by Section 6.01, there are no issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding (i) shares of capital stock or other voting securities of
or ownership interests in the Company, (ii) securities of the Company convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of capital
stock or other voting securities of or ownership interests in the Company, (iii) warrants, calls, options, subscriptions, commitments,
Contracts or other rights to acquire from the Company, or other obligation of the Company to issue, any capital stock or other voting
securities of, or ownership interests in, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or other
voting securities of or ownership interests in, the Company or (iv) restricted shares, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights,
performance units, contingent value rights, “phantom” stock or similar securities or rights that are derivative of, or provide
economic benefits based, directly or indirectly, on the value or price of, any capital stock or voting securities of, or ownership interests
in, the Company (the items in clauses (i) through
(iv), including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Shares, being referred to collectively as the “Company Securities”).
There are no outstanding obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of the
Company Securities. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any voting agreement with respect to the voting, registration
or transfer of any Company Securities.
(c)
None of (i) the Shares or (ii) any Company Securities are owned by any Subsidiary of the Company.
Section 4.06.
Subsidiaries. (a) Each Subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized, is validly existing and (where applicable)
in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, has all organizational powers and all governmental licenses, authorizations,
permits, consents and approvals required to carry on its business as now conducted, except where the failure to be so existing or in
good standing, or to have all powers, licenses, authorizations, permits, consents and approvals, has not had, and would not reasonably
be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material impact on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. Each
such Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where such qualification
is necessary, except for those jurisdictions where failure to be so qualified has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. All Subsidiaries of the Company and their respective jurisdictions
of organization are identified in the Company 10-K to the extent required to be identified thereunder under Applicable Law.
(b)
All of the outstanding capital stock or other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, each Subsidiary of the Company
have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and not subject to any preemptive rights and are owned
by the Company or a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, directly or indirectly, free and clear of any Lien (other than Permitted
Liens). There are no issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding (i) securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries convertible
into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, shares of capital stock or other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, any Subsidiary
of the Company, (ii) warrants, calls, options, subscriptions, commitments, rights of first offer or refusal,
preemptive rights or any similar rights,
Contracts or other rights to acquire from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or other obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to issue, any capital stock or other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, or any securities convertible into, or exchangeable
or exercisable for, any capital stock or other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, any Subsidiary of the Company or (iii)
restricted shares, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance units, contingent value rights, “phantom”
stock or similar securities or rights that are derivative of, or provide economic benefits based, directly or indirectly, on the value
or price of, any capital stock or other voting securities of, or ownership interests in, any Subsidiary of the Company (the items in
clauses (i) through
(iii) being referred to collectively as the “Company Subsidiary Securities”). There are no outstanding
obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of the Company Subsidiary Securities.
Except for ownership interests in its Subsidiaries, the Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or other voting
securities of, or ownership interests in, any Person. The Company and its Subsidiaries have no legally binding obligation to acquire
equity securities of, or make any capital contribution or investment in, any other Person. Except for any organizational documents of
any Subsidiary of the Company, there are no voting trusts or agreements, stockholder agreements, proxies or other contractual obligations
in effect with respect to the voting or transfer of any of the Company Subsidiary Securities to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is a party and the Company has not issued any outstanding bonds, notes, debentures or other obligations, the holders of which generally
have the right to vote on any matters submitted to the holders of such Company Subsidiary Securities.
Section 4.07.
SEC Filings and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. (a) Since September 23, 2021, the Company has timely filed with or furnished
to the SEC, all reports, schedules, forms, statements, prospectuses, registration statements and other documents required to be filed
with or furnished to the SEC by the Company (such reports, schedules, forms, statements, prospectuses, registration statements and other
documents so filed or furnished since September 23, 2021, collectively, together with any exhibits and schedules thereto and other information
incorporated therein, the “Company SEC Documents”). No Subsidiary of the Company is, and since September 23, 2021,
no Subsidiary of the Company has been, required to file any reports, schedules, forms, statements or other documents with the SEC. As
of the date of this Agreement, (i) there are no unresolved written comments from the SEC with respect to the Company SEC Documents and
(ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, none of the Company SEC Documents filed on or prior to the date hereof is the subject of ongoing
SEC review.
(b)
As of its filing date (and as of the date of any amendment), each Company SEC Document complied, and each Company SEC Document
filed subsequent to the date hereof will comply, as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of NASDAQ, the
1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act
and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as the case may be.
(c)
As of its filing date (or, if amended or superseded by a filing prior to the date hereof, on the date of such filing), each Company
SEC Document filed pursuant to the 1934 Act did not, and each Company SEC Document filed subsequent to the date hereof will not, contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(d)
Each Company SEC Document that is a registration statement, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, filed pursuant to the 1933
Act, as of the date such registration statement or amendment became effective, did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(e)
Since September 23, 2021, the Company and its Subsidiaries have established and maintained disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in Rule 13a-15 under the 1934 Act) as required by Rule 13a-5 under the 1934 Act. Such disclosure controls and procedures
are reasonably designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated Subsidiaries, that is
required to be disclosed by the Company is made known on a timely basis to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal
financial officer by others within the Company and its Subsidiaries. For purposes of this Agreement, “principal executive officer”
and “principal financial officer” shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(f)
Since September 23, 2021, the Company and its Subsidiaries have established and maintained a system of internal controls over
financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15 under the 1934 Act) that are reasonably designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
the reliability of the Company’s financial reporting and the preparation of Company financial statements for external purposes
in accordance with GAAP. Since September 23, 2021, neither the Company nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, the Company’s independent
registered accountant has identified or been made aware of (i) any significant deficiency or material weakness in the design or operation
of internal controls over financial reporting utilized by the Company which would reasonably be expected to adversely affect the Company’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information or (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves the
management or other employees of the Company who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
(g)
There are no outstanding loans or other extensions of credit made by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any executive officer
(as defined in Rule 3b-7 under the 1934 Act) or director of the Company.
(h)
Since September 23, 2021, each of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company (or each former
principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company, as applicable) has made all certifications required by Rule
13a-14 and 15d-14 under the 1934 Act and Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any related rules and regulations promulgated
by the SEC and
NASDAQ, and the statements contained
in any such certifications are complete and correct as of their respective dates.
(i)
The representations and warranties contained in this Section 4.07 will not apply to statements or omissions included or incorporated
by reference in the Proxy Statement based upon information supplied in writing by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their representatives
or advisors specifically for use or incorporation by reference therein.
Section 4.08.
Financial Statements. The audited consolidated financial statements and unaudited consolidated interim financial statements
of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Company SEC Documents (i) as of their respective dates of filing with the
SEC complied as to form in all material respects with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto and (ii) fairly
present in all material respects, in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto),
the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and their consolidated results
of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments, which are not material, individually
or in the aggregate, and the absence of footnotes in the case of any unaudited interim financial statements).
Section 4.09.
Disclosure Documents. (a) Each document required to be filed by the Company with the SEC or required to be distributed
or otherwise disseminated to the Company’s stockholders in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including
the Proxy Statement, and any amendments or supplements thereto (the “Company Disclosure Documents”), when filed, distributed
or disseminated, as applicable, (a) will comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the 1934 Act
and (b) at the time of such filing and the time of any distribution or dissemination thereof, will not contain any untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(b)
The representations and warranties contained in this Section 4.09 will not apply to statements or omissions included or incorporated
by reference in the Proxy Statement based upon information supplied in writing by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their representatives
or advisors specifically for use or incorporation by reference therein.
Section 4.10.
Absence of Certain Changes. Since the Company Balance Sheet Date through the date of this Agreement, (a) the business
of the Company and its Subsidiaries has been conducted in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice,
(b) there has not been any Company Material Adverse Effect and (c) none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has taken or agreed
or omitted to take any action that, if taken or omitted during the period from the date of this Agreement through the Effective Time
without Parent’s consent, would constitute a breach of Section 6.01.
Section 4.11.
No Undisclosed Material Liabilities. There are no liabilities or obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
whether or not accrued, contingent or
otherwise, that would be required to
be reflected on a balance sheet of the Company (including in the notes thereto) prepared in accordance with GAAP, whether due or to become
due or otherwise, other than: (i) liabilities or obligations disclosed and provided for in the Company Balance Sheet or in the notes
thereto; (ii) liabilities or obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice since
the Company Balance Sheet Date (but excluding liabilities or obligations arising from violations of Applicable Law, breaches of Contracts
or Permits, torts or infringement); and (iii) liabilities or obligations that have not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.12.
Compliance with Laws, Permits and Court Orders. (a) The Company, each of its Subsidiaries and each of their respective
assets and properties is, and since September 23, 2021, has been, in compliance with, and to the Knowledge of the Company, is not under
investigation with respect to, nor has been threatened in writing, to be charged with or given notice of any violation of, any Applicable
Law, except for failures to comply or violations that have not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in
the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. There is no judgment, decree, injunction, rule or order of any arbitrator or Governmental
Authority that is specific to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that is outstanding against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
that has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect or that in
any manner seeks to prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby.
(b)
Except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, (i) the
Company and each of its Subsidiaries has all Permits necessary to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to carry on its
business as now conducted, (ii) the Company and each of its Subsidiaries is in compliance with the terms and requirements of such Permits,
(iii) such Permits are in full force and effect and are not subject to any pending or threatened Action by any Governmental Authority
to suspend, cancel, modify, terminate or revoke any such Permit and (iv) since September 23, 2021, there has occurred no violation by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of, default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) that would reasonably be expected
to result in any suspension, cancellation, modification, termination or revocation of any such Permit.
(c)
The Company, each of its Subsidiaries, and each of their respective directors, officers and, to the Knowledge of the Company,
employees (in connection with their activities on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), are, and since September 23, 2021
have been, in compliance in all material respects with (i) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and all other applicable
anti-corruption laws, (ii) all economic sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign
Assets Control or the U.S. Department of State (collectively, “Sanctions”) and (iii) all applicable export controls
laws.
(d)
None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any director or officer, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any representative
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, is a Person that is, or is owned 50% or more by Persons that are: (i) the subject of any Sanctions
or (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or region that is the subject of comprehensive Sanctions (currently, Crimea, Cuba,
Iran, North Korea, Syria and so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions).
Section 4.13.
Insurance. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain insurance policies in such amounts and against such risks as the
management of the Company and its Subsidiaries has determined to be reasonable and sufficient for compliance in accordance with industry
practices of similarly sized companies in the consumer packaged goods industry or as required by Applicable Law. Except as would not
reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, (i) all insurance policies of the
Company and its Subsidiaries relating to the business, assets and operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries in effect as of the
date of this Agreement are in full force and effect and (ii) no notice of cancellation, modification or denial of coverage has been received
by the Company since September 23, 2021 and there is no existing default or event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or
both, would constitute a default by any insured under such insurance policies.
Section 4.14.
Litigation. There is no, and since September 23, 2021 has been no, Action pending (i) in which the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is a claimant or a plaintiff or (ii) against or threatened in writing against or, to the Knowledge of the Company, otherwise
threatened against or affecting, the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, any present or former officer, director or employee of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries or any Person for whom the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may be liable or any of their respective properties
before (or, in the case of threatened Actions, would be before) or by any Governmental Authority or arbitrator, that, individually or
in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. There has
not been since September 23, 2021 nor are there currently any internal investigations being conducted by the Company or the Board of
Directors (or any committee thereof) concerning any material allegations of fraud or malfeasance.
Section 4.15.
Properties. (a) Except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material
Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries have good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all property and assets reflected
on the Company Balance Sheet or acquired after the Company Balance Sheet Date, except as have been disposed of since the Company Balance
Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business. Except as set forth in Section 4.15(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or except as
would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, none of such property
or assets is subject to any Lien other than Permitted Liens.
(b)
Section 4.15(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a correct and complete list of all leases or subleases, in each
case, to the extent material to the Company and its Subsidiaries (each, a “Lease”, and the real property leased pursuant
to
each Lease, collectively, the “Leased
Real Property”) pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries leases or subleases any material real property, specifying
(i) the address of the Leased Real Property and (ii) the name of the lessor and lessee or sublessor and sublessee, as applicable. Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries owns any real property.
(c)
Except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, (i) each
Lease is valid, binding, in full force and effect and enforceable against the Company or its applicable Subsidiaries that are a party
thereto in accordance with its terms (subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and
other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity) and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries, nor to the Knowledge of the Company any other party to a Lease, has violated any provision of, or taken or failed to take
any act which, with or without notice, lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default under the provisions of such Lease, and neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice that it has breached, violated or defaulted under any Lease. To the Knowledge
of the Company, there are no material written or oral subleases, licenses, concessions or other Contracts granting to any Person other
than the Company or its Subsidiaries the right to use or occupy any Leased Real Property or any portion thereof. The Company has not
collaterally assigned or granted any security interest in any Lease or any interest therein. The Company has made available to Parent
a true and complete copy of each Lease (including all amendments, extension, renewals, guaranties and other agreements with respect thereto).
Except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, there are no
material defects in the Leased Real Property and the Leased Real Property is in good operating condition and repair, normal wear and
tear excepted, and is adequate and suitable for the operation of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, as currently conducted
in all material respects.
Section 4.16.
Intellectual Property. (a) Section 4.16(a)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and correct list of all registrations and applications for registration included
in the Owned Intellectual Property (“Registered Intellectual Property”).
(b)
Except as has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse
Effect (in each case of the following clauses (i) through (xii)): (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken collectively) solely and
exclusively own, free and clear of all Liens (other than any Permitted Liens), all Owned Intellectual Property; (ii) there exist no restrictions
on the disclosure, use, license or transfer of the Owned Intellectual Property; (iii) the Company and its Subsidiaries own or have a
valid and enforceable right to use any and all Intellectual Property used or held for use in, or otherwise necessary for, the conduct
of the businesses of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently conducted; (iv) the consummation of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement will not alter, encumber, impair or extinguish any Owned Intellectual Property; (v) none of the material Registered
Intellectual Property has been adjudged invalid or unenforceable in whole or
in part; (vi) none of the material Registered
Intellectual Property is subject to any pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened Action challenging the validity or enforceability
of such Registered Intellectual Property and, to the Knowledge of the Company, all material Registered Intellectual Property is otherwise
valid, subsisting and enforceable; (vii) the Company and its Subsidiaries have paid all registration, maintenance and renewal fees and
have made all filings required to maintain their respective ownership of, and the validity and enforceability of, the Registered Intellectual
Property; (viii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor the conduct of their respective businesses, has, since January
1, 2019, infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, or is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the Intellectual
Property of any Person; (ix) to the Knowledge of the Company, no Person has, since January 1, 2019, infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise
violated, or is infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating, any Owned Intellectual Property; (x) neither the Company nor any
of its Subsidiaries is subject to any pending, or the Knowledge of the Company, threatened written Action (A) based upon, or challenging
or seeking to deny, the rights of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in any of the Owned Intellectual Property or Licensed Intellectual
Property or (B) alleging that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or the conduct of their respective businesses, have, since January
1, 2019, infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated any material Intellectual Property of any Person; (xi) the Company and its
Subsidiaries have taken reasonable steps in accordance with normal industry practice to maintain the confidentiality of all Trade Secrets
contained in the Owned Intellectual Property, and none of such Trade Secrets have been disclosed to third parties, other than (1) to
employees, contractors, consultants, representatives and agents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under written confidentiality
agreements; or (2) to any suppliers, distributors, manufacturers or customers of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to a
written confidentiality agreement; and (xii) the Company and its Subsidiaries have entered into binding, written agreements with the
current and former employees and independent contractors of the Company and its Subsidiaries who have participated in the development
of any Intellectual Property for or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whereby such employees and independent contractors
presently assign to the Company or its applicable Subsidiary any ownership interest and right they may have in all such Intellectual
Property.
Section 4.17.
Data Privacy & Cybersecurity. Except as has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually
or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect: (a) the IT Assets operate and perform in a manner that permits the Company and
its Subsidiaries to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted; (b) the Company and its Subsidiaries have taken all actions,
consistent with current industry standards of similarly sized companies in the consumer packaged goods industry, to protect the confidentiality,
integrity and security of the IT Assets (and all information and transactions stored or contained therein or transmitted thereby) against
any unauthorized use, access, interruption, modification or corruption, including the implementation of (i) data backup, (ii) disaster
avoidance and recovery, (iii) business continuity and (iv) encryption and other security procedures, protocols and technologies; (c)
there has been no breach, or unauthorized use, access, interruption, modification, corruption or other compromise, of any of the IT Assets
(or any information or
transactions stored or contained therein
or transmitted thereby); (d) the Company and its Subsidiaries have at all times complied, and are currently in compliance, with all Applicable
Data Protection Requirements; (e) no Action is pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries by any Person alleging a violation of any Applicable Data Protection Requirement; (f) the Company and its Subsidiaries
have implemented and maintain commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures, in accordance with industry standards of
similarly sized companies in the consumer packaged goods industry, to protect all Personal Information in its possession or control against
a breach, or unauthorized use, access, exfiltration, destruction, alteration, disclosure, loss, theft, interruption, modification or
corruption thereof (each, a “Data Breach”); (g) the Company and its Subsidiaries have used commercially reasonable
efforts to ensure that all service providers, data processors and other third parties that process any Personal Information on behalf
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are bound by valid, written and enforceable agreements including any terms required by Applicable
Data Protection Laws and requiring such third parties to comply with Applicable Data Protection Laws and to maintain the privacy, security
and confidentiality of such Personal Information; (h) to the Knowledge of the Company, there has been no Data Breach with respect to
any Personal Information in the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ possession or control and the Company and its Subsidiaries
have not been required under any Applicable Data Protection Requirement to provide any notice to any Governmental Authority or Person
in connection with any Data Breach; and (i) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not breach any Applicable
Data Protection Requirement.
Section 4.18.
Taxes. Except as has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect:
(a)
All Tax Returns required to be filed by Applicable Law by, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries have been timely
filed (taking into account valid extensions of time to file), and all such Tax Returns are true, complete and correct in all respects.
Each of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries has timely paid (or has had paid on its behalf) to the appropriate Governmental Authority
all Taxes due and payable by it, whether or not shown as due on any Tax Returns.
(b)
Each of the Company and each its Subsidiaries has properly and timely withheld or collected and timely paid, or is properly holding
for timely payment, all Taxes required to be withheld, collected and paid over by it under Applicable Law.
(c)
There is no Action with respect to Taxes of the Company and its Subsidiaries that is currently being conducted nor, to the Knowledge
of the Company, has an Action with respect to Taxes been threatened in writing by a Governmental Authority within the three-year period
prior to the date of this Agreement.
(d)
No Tax deficiency has been asserted in writing against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that has not been resolved or paid
in full. No written claim has been made and not resolved in full by any Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction where the Company or
a Subsidiary of the Company does not file a particular type of Tax
Return or pay a particular type of Tax
that the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company is or may be required to file such Tax Return or pay such Tax.
(e)
There are no Liens on any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries attributable to Taxes, other than Permitted
Liens.
(f)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has waived any statute of limitation in respect of Taxes or agreed to any extension
of time with respect to an assessment or deficiency for Taxes, which waiver or extension is currently in effect (other than pursuant
to extensions of time to file Tax Returns obtained in the ordinary course of business).
(g)
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company (i) is, or has been, a member of any affiliated, consolidated, combined
or unitary Tax group, other than a group the common parent of which is the Company, or (ii) has any liability for Taxes of any Person
(other than the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company) arising from the application of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6 (or any
analogous provision of U.S. state or local or non-U.S. Tax law) or as a transferee or successor.
(h)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered into, or participated in, any “listed transaction” within
the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.6011-4(b)(2).
(i)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been a “distributing” corporation or a “controlled corporation”
(within the meaning of Section 355(a)(1)(A) of the Code) in any distribution of stock during the two-year period ending on the date of
this Agreement that was purported or intended to be governed by Section 355 of the Code (or so much of Section 356 of the Code as relates
to Section 355 of the Code).
(j)
The Company is not and has not been a United States real property holding corporation (as defined in Section 897(c)(2) of the
Code) during the applicable period specified in Section 897(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Code.
(k)
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is a party to, or is bound by or has any obligation under any Tax Sharing
Agreement (other than agreements solely by and among the Company and its Subsidiaries).
Section 4.19.
Employee Benefit Plans. (a) Section
4.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule contains a correct and complete list of each material Employee Plan. With respect to each
material Employee Plan, the Company has made available to Parent true, correct and complete copies of, to the extent applicable, (i)
such Employee Plan, including any amendment thereto (or, in the case of any unwritten Employee Plan, a written description thereof),
(ii) each trust, insurance, annuity or other funding arrangement or amendment related thereto, (iii) the most recent summary plan description
and any summary of material modifications prepared, (iv) the most recent financial statements and actuarial or other valuation reports
prepared with respect thereto, (v) the most recent determination or opinion letter from the Internal Revenue Service, (vi) the most recent
annual reports on Form 5500 (or comparable form) and accompanying
schedules and attachments and (vii)
all material, non-routine documents and correspondence related thereto received from or provided to the Internal Revenue Service, the
Department of Labor, the PBGC or any other Governmental Authority during the past three years.
(b)
Neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates (nor any predecessor of any such entity) sponsors, maintains, administers
or contributes to (or has any obligation to contribute to), or has in the past six years sponsored, maintained, administered or contributed
to (or had any obligation to contribute to), or has or is reasonably expected to have any direct or indirect liability with respect to,
any Title IV Plan, including any Multiemployer Plan.
(c)
Each Employee Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination or
opinion letter, or has pending or has time remaining in which to file, an application for such determination from the Internal Revenue
Service, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no circumstances exist or have occurred that would reasonably be expected to result in
any such letter being revoked or not being issued or reissued or a penalty under the Internal Revenue Service Closing Agreement Program.
Each trust created under any such Employee Plan is exempt from Tax under Section 501(a) of the Code and has been so exempt since its
creation.
(d)
Each Employee Plan, including any award thereunder, that is or forms part of a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan”
within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code complies with, in all material respects, and has been operated in material compliance
with all applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
(e)
Except as expressly provided by this Agreement or as set forth in Section
4.19(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the execution of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby (either alone or together with any other event) will (i) entitle any current or former Service Provider to any payment or benefit,
including any bonus, retention, severance, retirement or job security payment or benefit, (ii) accelerate the time of payment or vesting,
or trigger any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise), of compensation or benefits, or increase the amount payable
or trigger any other obligation, in each case, under any Employee Plan, (iii) limit or restrict the right of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or, after the Closing, Parent, to merge, amend or terminate any Employee Plan, other than any Employee Plan disclosed on
Section 4.19(e)(iii) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, or (iv) result in the payment of any amount that would not be deductible by
reason of Section 280G of the Code or would be expected to be subject to an excise Tax under Section 4999 of the Code.
(f)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any obligation to gross-up, indemnify or otherwise reimburse any current or
former Service Provider for any Tax incurred by such Service Provider, including under Section 409A or 4999 of the Code.
(g)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any current or projected liability for, and no Employee Plan provides or
promises, any post-employment or post-retirement medical, dental, disability, hospitalization, life or similar benefits (whether insured
or self-insured) to any current or former Service Provider (other than coverage mandated by Applicable Law, including COBRA).
(h)
Each Employee Plan has been established, operated and maintained in compliance with its terms and all Applicable Law, including
ERISA and the Code, except for failures to comply that have not had, and could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in
the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. Since September 23, 2021, no Action (or any basis therefore) (other than routine claims
for benefits) is pending against or involves or, to the Knowledge of the Company, is threatened against or threatened to involve, any
Employee Plan before any arbitrator or any Governmental Authority, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor or
the PBGC, which, individually or in the aggregate, if determined or resolved adversely in accordance with the plaintiff’s demands,
could reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(i)
All material contributions, premiums and payments required by and due under the terms of any Employee Plan and Applicable Law
and accounting principles, have been paid, accrued, or otherwise adequately reserved to the extent required by, and in accordance with
GAAP.
(j)
Since January 1, 2023 through the date of this Agreement, there has been no amendment to, or written announcement by the Company
or any of its Affiliates relating to, an Employee Plan which would materially increase the expense to the Company of maintaining such
Employee Plan above the level of expense incurred in respect thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Section 4.20.
Labor Matters. (a) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or subject to, or is currently negotiating
in connection with entering into, any Collective Bargaining Agreement, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no current Company Employee
is covered by, any Collective Bargaining Agreement in his or her capacity as such. To the Knowledge of the Company, there has not been
any organizational campaign, petition or other unionization activity seeking recognition of a collective bargaining unit representing
any Company Employee in his or her capacity as such.
(b)
There are no unfair labor practice complaints pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board or any other Governmental Authority involving Company Employees. There
is no, and there has not been since September 23, 2021 any, material labor strike, slowdown, stoppage, picketing, interruption of work
or lockout pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(c)
No consent or consultation of, or the rendering of formal advice by, any labor or trade union, works council or other employee
representative body is reasonably expected to be required for the Company to enter into this Agreement or to consummate any of the transactions
contemplated hereby.
(d)
The Company and its Subsidiaries are, and have been since September 23, 2021, in compliance with all Applicable Laws relating
to labor and employment, including those relating to labor management relations, wages, hours, overtime, employee classification, discrimination,
sexual harassment, civil rights, affirmative action, work authorization, immigration, safety and health, information privacy and security,
workers compensation, continuation coverage under group health plans, wage payment, the payment and withholding of Taxes, except for
failures to comply that have not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material
Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has taken any action that would reasonably be expected to cause Parent
or any of its Affiliates to have any material liability or other material obligation following the Closing Date under WARN.
(e)
Since September 23, 2021, (i) there has not been any Action commenced relating to, or any allegation by any Service Provider of
or relating to, sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct against any Key Employee in such person’s capacity
as such, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no such Action has been threatened and (ii) there have not been any settlement agreements
or similar out-of-court pre-litigation agreements resolving such matters.
(f)
As of the date of this Agreement, no Key Employee has provided written notice to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of his
or her intention to resign or retire from employment with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a result of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement or otherwise within one year after the anticipated Closing Date.
(g)
Section 4.20(g)(1) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list, as of the date of this Agreement and redacted to the
extent required by Applicable Law, containing, for each Company Employee, such employee’s name, employer, title, hire date, location,
full- or part-time status, leave of absence status (and, if on leave, the nature of the leave and the expected return date to active
employment, if any), whether classified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, current annual salary or wage rate, and current
target annual bonus opportunity. Section 4.20(g)(2) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list, as of the date of this Agreement
and redacted to the extent required by Applicable Law, containing, for each independent contractor who is an individual currently engaged
by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and who received aggregate payments from the Company and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2022, or is reasonably expected to receive aggregate payments from the Company and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2023, in excess of $100,000, such contractor’s name, required termination notice period, if any, and rate
of compensation.
Section
4.21. Environmental Matters. (a) Except
as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect: (i) no written notice,
notification, demand, request for information from a Governmental Authority, summons or order has been received, no complaint has been
filed, and no penalty has been assessed, and no Action is pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, by any Person against
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit that now remains pending or unresolved; (ii)
the Company and its Subsidiaries are and since September 23, 2021 have been in compliance with all Environmental Laws, and such compliance
includes obtaining, maintaining, timely renewing, and complying with, all Environmental Permits; (iii) the Company and its Subsidiaries
have not caused, and to the Knowledge of the Company, there has been no release of any Hazardous Substance at, from, in, on, under, to
or about (A) any property currently or formerly owned, leased or operated by, or (B) to the Knowledge of the Company, any property or
facility to which any Hazardous Substance has been transported for disposal, recycling or treatment by or on behalf of, in each case
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or any of their respective predecessors); and (iv) the Company has made available to Parent complete
and accurate copies of all environmental assessment and audit reports and studies that relate to the Company or its Subsidiaries (or
any of their respective predecessors), in each case that are in the Company’s possession, custody or control.
(b)
Except as set forth on Section 4.21(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby
requires no filings or notifications to be made or actions to be taken pursuant to (A) the New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act and
the Connecticut Property Transfer Law and (B) any financial assurance, bond, letter of credit or similar instrument required for the
operations of the Company or its Subsidiaries under any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit.
Section 4.22.
Material Contracts. (a) As of the date hereof, except as set forth in
Section 4.22(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is party to or bound by
any Contract, which is in effect as of the date hereof:
(i)
that would be required to be filed by the Company as a “material contract” pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation
S-K under the 1933 Act;
(ii)
that (A) are employment, independent contractor, consulting, severance or similar agreements with individuals (but not entities)
under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or could become obligated to provide annual base compensation or payments in excess
of $175,000, other than any offer letter that does not materially deviate from the form offer letter made available to Parent or (B)
provide for any change in control, retention, transaction or similar bonus or payments;
(iii)
that (or, together with additional related Contracts with the same Person or its Affiliates) involves the payment of amounts by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of more than $5,000,000 in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 or more than $3,000,000 in
the 6-month period ended on July 1, 2023 and that cannot be
cancelled by the Company or its applicable
Subsidiary without penalty or further payment on no more than ninety (90) calendar days’ notice;
(iv)
that (or, together with additional related Contracts with the same Person or its Affiliates) involves the receipt of amounts by
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of more than $20,000,000 in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 or more than $14,000,000 in
the 6-month period ended on July 1, 2023;
(v)
relating to any material partnership, strategic alliance or joint venture;
(vi)
any material co-packing or co-manufacturing Contract or other material Contract providing for the manufacture or production of
products of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by a third party that provides for annual payments by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(collectively) of $5,000,000 or more in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 or $3,000,000 or more in the 6-month period ended on
July 1, 2023;
(vii)
that provides for the acquisition or disposition, directly or indirectly (by merger or otherwise) of assets or capital stock (other
than acquisitions or dispositions of inventory or raw materials and supplies in the ordinary course of business) (A) for aggregate consideration
under such Contract in excess of $5,000,000 or (B) pursuant to which the Company or its Subsidiaries has continuing material “earn-out”
or other contingent payment obligations or any material indemnification obligations;
(viii)
providing for indemnification by the Company or any its Subsidiaries and that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, other than indemnification obligations entered into with commercial counterparties in the ordinary course of business;
(ix)
that contains a put, call, right of first refusal or similar right pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries could
be required to purchase or sell, as applicable, any assets or any equity interests of any Person;
(x)
that restricts or purports to restrict the ability of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to compete with or to provide services
in any line of business or with any Person or in any geographic area or market segment;
(xi)
that is a Collective Bargaining Agreement;
(xii)
containing any swap, cap, floor, collar, futures contract, forward contract, option and any other derivative financial instrument,
contract or arrangement, based on any commodity, security, instrument, asset, rate or index of any kind or nature whatsoever that is
material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(xiii)
(A) that requires payments in excess of $120,000 in any 12-month period with (1) any beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3
under the 1934 Act) of 5% or more of any class of securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (2) any
Affiliate or “associate”
or any member of the “immediate family” (as such terms are respectively defined in Rules 12b-2 and 16a-1 of the 1934 Act)
of any of the foregoing, including any stockholders agreement, investors’ rights agreement, registration rights agreement, tax
receivable agreement or similar or related Contracts or (3) any director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (B)
that is required to be disclosed under Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the 1933 Act;
(xiv)
that (A) evidences Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in excess of $10,000,000, (B) evidences a material
capitalized lease obligation that is required to be classified as a balance sheet liability of the Company in accordance with GAAP or
(C) restricts the payment of dividends or other distribution of assets by any of the Company or its Subsidiaries;
(xv)
requiring future capital expenditures by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in excess of $1,000,000 in the aggregate;
(xvi)
any agency, dealer, sales representative, marketing or other similar Contract that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole;
(xvii)
pursuant to which (A) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries grants any right, license or covenant not to sue with respect to
any material Owned Intellectual Property (other than non-exclusive licenses granted in the ordinary course of business) or (B) the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries obtains any right, license or covenant not to sue with respect to any material Intellectual Property (other
than (1) licenses for commercial off-the-shelf software which are generally available on non-discriminatory pricing terms, including
open source software, (2) non-disclosure agreements, (3) any agreements with employees, contractors, consultants, representatives and
agents of the Company or (4) non-exclusive licenses which are ancillary to the primary purpose of the Contract, including to the extent
granted in connection with trademark licenses or licenses for IT and other equipment);
(xviii)
any settlement agreement (A) under which there are outstanding obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than
immaterial obligations) or (B) imposing material future limitations on the operations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; or
(xix)
any enforceable commitment (orally or in writing) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to enter into any of the foregoing.
(b)
The Company has made available to Parent a true and complete copy of each Contract listed or required to be listed in
Section 4.22(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule (each, a “Material Contract”). Except for breaches,
violations or defaults which would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect,
(i) each of the Material Contracts is valid, binding and in full force and effect and (ii) since September 23, 2021, neither the Company
nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor to the Knowledge of the Company any other party to a Material Contract, has breached or violated any
provision of, or taken or failed to take
any act which, with or without notice,
lapse of time, or both, would constitute a breach or default under the provisions of such Material Contract, and neither the Company
nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice that it has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract, except for breaches,
violations or defaults that have been cured. Since September 23, 2021, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice
of any party’s intent to terminate, materially modify or not renew any Material Contract.
Section 4.23.
Affiliate Transactions. As of the date of this Agreement, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is
a party to any Contract or other transaction, agreement or binding arrangement or understanding between the Company or its Subsidiaries,
on the one hand, and any Affiliates thereof (other than wholly owned Subsidiaries of such Person) on the other hand, that would be required
to be disclosed under Item 404 of Regulation S-K (except for amounts due as normal salaries and bonuses and in reimbursement of expenses
in the ordinary course of business) and that has not been disclosed in the Company SEC Documents. Except as set forth on Section 4.23
of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is a party to any Contract in effect as of
the date hereof or other transaction, agreement or binding arrangement or understanding between the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the
one hand, and Advent or any of its Affiliates (including any affiliated funds or management entities, but excluding portfolio companies
of funds managed or affiliated with Advent or any of its Affiliates), on the other hand.
Section 4.24.
Customers; Suppliers.
(a)
Section 4.24(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true, correct and complete list of the top 10 largest customers
(based on gross revenue received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) for each of the fiscal years ended 2021 and 2022 and the
6-month period ended July 1, 2023. Opposite the name of each customer is the approximate percentage of revenues of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken in the aggregate attributable to such customer for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
(b)
Section 4.24(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true, correct and complete list of the 20 largest suppliers (based
on spend by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) for the fiscal year ended 2022 and the 6-month period ended July 1, 2023. Opposite
the name of each such supplier is the approximate percentage of dollars paid by the Company and its Subsidiaries taken in the aggregate
to such supplier for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
(c)
Except for completions or expirations of contracts in accordance with their terms or as otherwise set forth on Section 4.24(c)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule, since January 1, 2023, no customer or supplier listed on Section 4.24(a) or Section 4.24(b) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule has notified the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in writing that it shall, or intends to, terminate its
relationship with or stop, materially decrease the rate or volume of, or materially increase the price of buying or selling products
and services from or to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in
the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect, no material
disagreement, indemnity claim, claim for damages or other dispute has been asserted by the customers or suppliers listed on Section 4.24(a)
or Section 4.24(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, on the one hand, and the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the other hand, with
respect to the business relationship or any agreements between such customers or suppliers and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
Prior to the date hereof, the Company has made available to Parent true, correct and complete copies of all material written correspondence
within the last three years (i) from any supplier listed on Section 4.24(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule to the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries or (ii) from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any such supplier, in each case of (i) and (ii), solely to
the extent related to any proposals to purchase, acquire, sell or transfer all or any portion of equity securities or substantially all
of the assets of such supplier or any of its Affiliates (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, purchases of products from any such supplier
or any of its Affiliates in the ordinary course of business) or suggesting any obligation on the part of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to make any payment upon a change of control, merger, consolidation, business combination or other similar transaction involving the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section 4.25.
Food Regulatory Matters. Since September 23, 2021:
(a)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, each
of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries has been, and each is, in compliance with (i) the applicable provisions of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and the applicable regulations, standards, guidance and requirements adopted
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) thereunder, Applicable Law of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(the “USDA”), all Applicable Law enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), including
the Federal Trade Commission Act and the applicable FTC regulations and requirements and any applicable requirements established by any
state, local or foreign Governmental Authority (together with the FDA, FTC and the USDA, collectively, the “Food Authorities”)
and (ii) all terms and conditions imposed in any Permits granted by any Food Authority, including, in each case, any applicable good
manufacturing practices and sanitation requirements, labeling and advertising requirements, requirements relating to food or color additives,
requirements relating to food contact substances, food standards, product composition requirements, testing requirements, recordkeeping
or reporting requirements, monitoring requirements, packaging (including co-packing and re-packing) requirements, laboratory requirements,
storage and warehousing requirements, shipping requirements, export and import requirements and shelf-life requirements;
(b)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, none
of (i) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) to the Knowledge of any Company, with respect to the Company’s or any of
its Subsidiaries’ products, the Persons that manufacture, process, package, or supply ingredients and packaging materials for or
distribute such products, has received or is subject to, or has been subject to, (A) any warning letter, untitled letter, notice of inspectional
observation (FDA Form 483) or other adverse correspondence or notice
from the FDA alleging or asserting material
noncompliance with any legal requirement, Notice of Suspension or Notice of Intended Enforcement or other adverse correspondence or notice
from the USDA or any other Food Authority or (B) any import detention, investigation, suspension or withdrawal of inspection or registration,
penalty assessment or other compliance or enforcement action by any Food Authority;
(c)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, none
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has committed any act, made any statement or failed to make any statement that would reasonably
be expected to provide a basis for the FDA to invoke its policy with respect to “Fraud, Untrue Statements of Material Facts, Bribery,
and Illegal Gratuities” or any such similar policies set forth by other Governmental Authorities;
(d)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, neither
the Company and its Subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any officer, employee or agent of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
has been convicted of any crime or engaged in any conduct for which debarment is authorized by 21 U.S.C. § 335a(b) or any similar
laws;
(e)
the Company and its Subsidiaries have not received written notice of any pending or threatened Action from any Food Authorities
or any other Governmental Authority alleging that any operation or activity of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in material
violation of the FDCA, any other Applicable Law with respect to the formulation, manufacturing, labeling, advertising, or distributing
of food, or the respective counterparts thereof promulgated by applicable state Governmental Authorities or Governmental Authorities
outside the United States;
(f)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, there
has not been any material violation of any Applicable Law by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in its product development efforts,
submissions or reports to any Governmental Authority that could reasonably be expected to require investigation, corrective action or
enforcement action;
(g)
except as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is engaging in or has since September 23, 2021 engaged in, unfair competition or trade practices
or any false, deceptive, unfair, or misleading advertising or promotional practices under Applicable Law of any jurisdiction in which
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries operates or markets or sells its products; and
(h)
the Company has not received any written notification from or, to the Knowledge of the Company, been subject to any action or
threatened action by any Governmental Authority or private party in California alleging a violation of Proposition 65 with respect to
any of the Company and its Subsidiaries’ products.
Section 4.26.
Finders’ Fees. Except for Centerview Partners LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, copies of whose engagement
agreements have been provided to Parent, there
is no financial advisor, investment
banker, broker, finder or other similar intermediary that has been retained by or is authorized to act on behalf of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries who is entitled to any fee or commission from the Company or any of its controlled Affiliates in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 4.27.
Opinion of Financial Advisor. The Board of Directors has received the opinion of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, financial
advisor to the Company, to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion and based upon and subject to the various qualifications,
assumptions, limitations and other matters set forth therein, the $23.00 in cash per Share to be received pursuant to, and in accordance
with, the terms of this Agreement by holders of Shares is fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders. A written copy of such
opinion will be delivered promptly after the date hereof to Parent for informational purposes only.
Section 4.28.
Antitakeover Statutes. (a) Assuming that none of Parent, Merger Sub or any of their “affiliates” and “associates”
are or have been at any time within the past three years, an “interested stockholder” of the Company, as those terms are
defined in Article X of the Company’s certificate of incorporation as in effect on the date hereof, the Company has taken all action
necessary to exempt the Merger, this Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby from the limitations on business combinations
set forth in Article X of the Company’s certificate of incorporation, and, accordingly, neither such provisions of the Company’s
certificate of incorporation nor any antitakeover or similar statute or regulation applies or purports to apply to any such transactions.
Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub, no other “control share acquisition,”
“fair price,” “moratorium” or other antitakeover laws enacted under U.S. state or federal laws apply to this
Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(b)
Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub, no “fair price,” “moratorium,”
“control share acquisition,” “business combination” or other similar antitakeover statute or regulation or any
antitakeover provision in the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws is applicable to the Company, Parent, Merger Sub,
the Shares, this Agreement, the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no rights agreement, stockholder
rights plan, tax preservation plan, net operating loss preservation plan or “poison pill” antitakeover plan in effect to
which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, party to or otherwise bound.
Section 4.29.
No Other Representations or Warranties. The representations and warranties by Parent and Merger Sub set forth in this
Agreement constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of such parties in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby, and the Company understands, acknowledges and agrees that all other representations and warranties of any kind or nature whether
express, implied or statutory are specifically disclaimed by Parent and Merger Sub. The Company represents, warrants, acknowledges and
agrees that (a) neither Parent nor Merger Sub has made or is making any representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the subject
matter of this Agreement, express or implied, except as provided in Article 5, (b) it is not
relying and has not relied on any representations
or warranties whatsoever regarding the subject matter of this Agreement, express or implied, except as provided in Article 5 and (c)
no employee, agent, advisor or other representative of Parent or Merger Sub has made or is making any representations or warranties whatsoever
regarding the subject matter of this Agreement. Except as provided in Article 5, without limiting the foregoing, the Company represents,
warrants, acknowledges and agrees that (i) neither Parent nor any of its Representatives has made any representation or warranty, whether
express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of any information regarding Parent or its Affiliates furnished or made available
to the Company and its Representatives, except as expressly set forth in this Agreement and (ii) none of Parent, Merger Sub or any other
Person shall be subject to any liability to the Company or any other Person resulting from Parent’s or Merger Sub’s making
available to the Company or the Company’s use of such information, or any information, documents or material made available to
the Company in any due diligence materials provided to the Company, including in the “data room,” management presentations
(formal or informal) or in any other form in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Article
5
Representations and Warranties of Parent
Parent represents and warrants to the Company
that:
Section 5.01.
Corporate Existence and Power. Each of Parent and Merger Sub is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and
in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has all corporate powers and all governmental licenses, authorizations,
permits, consents and approvals required to carry on its business as now conducted, except for those licenses, authorizations, permits,
consents and approvals the absence of which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate,
a Parent Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of its incorporation, Merger Sub has not engaged in any activities other than in connection
with or as contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 5.02.
Corporate Authorization. Each of Parent and Merger Sub has all requisite corporate power and authority, as applicable,
to perform its respective obligations hereunder and consummate the Merger. The execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger
Sub of this Agreement and the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby are within the corporate
powers of Parent and Merger Sub and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of Parent and Merger Sub.
Each of Parent and Merger Sub has duly executed and delivered this Agreement, and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery
by the Company, this Agreement constitutes a valid and binding agreement of each of Parent and Merger Sub, enforceable against Parent
and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms (subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium
and other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity).
Section
5.03. Governmental
Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger Sub of this Agreement and the consummation by Parent
and Merger Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby require no action by or in respect of, or filing by or with respect to Parent
or Merger Sub with, any Governmental Authority, other than (a) the filing of a certificate of merger with respect to the Merger with
the Delaware Secretary of State, (b) compliance with any applicable requirements of the HSR Act, (c) compliance with any applicable
requirements of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and any other state or federal securities laws and (d) any actions or filings the absence
of which would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.04.
Non-contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger Sub of this Agreement and the consummation
by Parent and Merger Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (a) contravene, conflict with, or result in any
violation or breach of any provision of the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of Parent or Merger Sub, (b) assuming compliance with
the matters referred to in clauses (a) through (d) of Section 5.03, contravene, conflict with, or result in a violation or breach of
any provision of any Applicable Law or (c) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in clauses (a) through (d) of
Section 5.03, require payment or notice to, or any consent or other action by any Person under, constitute a breach or default,
or an event that, with or without notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute violation or breach of, or give rise to any right
of termination, suspension, cancellation, acceleration or any other change of any rights or obligations of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries,
or loss of any benefit to which Parent or any of its Subsidiaries is entitled under any provision of any Contract binding on Parent or
any of its Subsidiaries or any Permit affecting, or relating to, the assets or business of the Parent and its Subsidiaries or (d) result
in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, except, in the case of each of clauses
(b) through (d), as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.05.
Capitalization of Merger Sub. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of, and other equity, voting,
beneficial or ownership interests in, Merger Sub are held of record and beneficially owned solely by Parent.
Section 5.06.
Financing. Parent has, or will have as of the Effective Time, sufficient cash on hand to enable Parent and Merger Sub
to consummate the Merger and to pay all fees, expenses or other amounts payable by Parent or Merger Sub under or in connection with this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, including the aggregate Merger Consideration payable to all holders of Shares under
Section 2.02 and all amounts payable to holders of Shares of Company Restricted Stock under Section 2.05.
Section 5.07.
Disclosure Documents. The information with respect to Parent, Merger Sub and their Subsidiaries that Parent supplies
to the Company, and any other information Parent supplies or that is supplied on behalf of Parent (at Parent’s direction), in writing
specifically for use in any Company Disclosure Document will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Section 5.08.
Not an Interested Stockholder. None of Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective “affiliates” or “associates”
is, or has been at any time within the last three years, an “interested stockholder” (in each case as such terms are defined
in Article X of the Company’s certificate of incorporation as in effect on the date hereof) of the Company. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, neither Parent nor Merger Sub has taken, or has authorized or directed any of their respective officers,
directors, employees, investment bankers, attorneys or other advisors or representatives to take, any action that would cause either
Parent or Merger Sub to be deemed an “interested stockholder” (as such term is defined in Article X of the Company’s
certificate of incorporation as in effect on the date hereof) of the Company. Neither Parent nor any of Parent’s Affiliates directly
or indirectly owns or holds, and at all times within the last three years, neither Parent nor any of Parent’s Affiliates has owned
or held, beneficially or otherwise, any Shares or any securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable
for Shares.
Section 5.09.
Finders’ Fees. Except for Evercore Group L.L.C., whose fees will be paid by Parent, there is no investment banker,
broker, finder or other similar intermediary that has been retained by or is authorized to act on behalf of Parent who might be entitled
to any fee or commission in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 5.10.
No Other Representations or Warranties. The representations and warranties by the Company set forth in this Agreement
constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby,
and each of Parent and Merger Sub understands, acknowledges and agrees that all other representations and warranties of any kind or nature
whether express, implied or statutory are specifically disclaimed by the Company. In connection with their due diligence investigation
of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub have received and may continue to receive after the date hereof from the Company certain estimates,
projections, forecasts and other forward-looking information regarding the Company and its businesses and operations. Parent and Merger
Sub acknowledge that there are uncertainties inherent in attempting to make such estimates, projections, forecasts and other forward-looking
statements and that Parent and Merger Sub will have no claim against the Company with respect thereto unless any such information is
expressly included in a representation or warranty contained in this Agreement. Each of Parent and Merger Sub represents, warrants, acknowledges
and agrees that (a) none of the Company, any of its Affiliates or any Representative of any of the foregoing has made or is making any
representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the subject matter of this Agreement, express or implied, except as provided in Article
4, (b) it is not relying and has not relied on any representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the subject matter of this Agreement,
express or implied, except as provided in Article 4 and (c) no employee, agent, advisor or other Representative of the Company or any
Affiliate thereof has made or is making any representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the subject matter of this Agreement.
Except as provided in Article 4, without limiting the foregoing,
each of Parent and Merger Sub represents,
warrants, acknowledges and agrees that (i) none of the Company, any of its Affiliates or any of their respective Representatives has
made any representation or warranty, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of any information regarding the
Company or its Affiliates furnished or made available to Parent or Merger Sub or their respective Representatives, except as expressly
set forth in this Agreement and (ii) none of the Company, any of its Affiliates, any of their respective Representatives or any other
Person shall be subject to any liability to Parent or Merger Sub or any other Person resulting from the Company’s or any such other
Person’s making available to Parent or Merger Sub or their respective Representatives or Parent’s or Merger Sub’s or
their respective Representatives’ use of such information, or any information, documents or material made available to Parent or
Merger Sub or any their respective Representatives in any due diligence materials provided to any such person, including in the “data
room,” management presentations (formal or informal) or in any other form in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
Article
6
Covenants of the Company
The Company covenants
and agrees that:
Section 6.01.
Conduct of the Company. During the period from the date hereof until the Effective Time, except (A) as expressly required
or permitted by this Agreement, (B) with the prior written consent of Parent in each instance (which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld, conditioned or delayed), (C) as required by Applicable Law or (D) as set forth in
Section 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (1) the Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable
best efforts to conduct its business in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice and use its reasonable
best efforts to (i) preserve intact its present business organization, (ii) comply with Applicable Laws and its Contracts, and maintain
in effect all necessary material Permits, (iii) keep available the services of its directors, officers and key employees on commercially
reasonable terms (other than for routine terminations of employment services in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent
with past practice) and (iv) preserve satisfactory business relationships with its material customers, lenders, suppliers and others
having material business relationships with it; provided, however, that no COVID-19 Response shall be deemed to be a breach of
this clause (1), so long as, to the extent reasonably practicable, prior to taking any COVID-19 Response, the Company provides advance
notice to and consults with Parent in good faith with respect thereto, and (2) the Company shall not, nor shall it permit any of its
Subsidiaries to:
(a)
amend, supplement or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other similar organizational documents (whether
by merger, consolidation or otherwise);
(b)
enter into any new line of business outside the existing businesses of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the date of this
Agreement;
(c)
(i) adjust, split (including any reverse stock split), combine, subdivide, recapitalize, exchange or reclassify any shares of
its capital stock, (ii) declare, authorize, establish a record date for, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether
in cash, stock or property or any combination thereof) in respect of its capital stock (including any Shares), except for dividends by
any of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries or (iii) redeem, repurchase or otherwise purchase or acquire or offer to redeem, repurchase, or
otherwise acquire any shares of its capital stock (including any Shares), Company Securities or any Company Subsidiary Securities;
(d)
(i) issue, deliver, sell, dispose, encumber, grant, confer, award or authorize the issuance, delivery, sale, disposal, encumbrance,
grant, conferral or award of, any Company Securities or Company Subsidiary Securities, other than the issuance of (A) any Shares upon
the vesting or settlement, as applicable, of any Company Equity Award that are outstanding on the date of this Agreement in accordance
with the terms of those awards as in effect on the date of this Agreement, and (B) any Company Subsidiary Securities to the Company or
any other wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company or (ii) amend or otherwise change any term of any Company Security or any Company Subsidiary
Security (in each case, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise);
(e)
incur any capital expenditures or any obligations or liabilities in respect thereof, except for (i) those contemplated by the
capital expenditure budget that has been made available to Parent prior to the date of this Agreement and (ii) any unbudgeted capital
expenditures not to exceed $1,000,000 individually or $2,500,000 in the aggregate;
(f)
acquire (by merger, consolidation, acquisition of stock or assets or otherwise), directly or indirectly, any assets, securities,
properties, interests or businesses, other than (i) in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice, (ii)
supplies, assets, securities, properties, interests or business with a value not exceeding $1,000,000 individually or $2,500,000 in the
aggregate or (iii) supplies pursuant to Contracts in effect on the date hereof;
(g)
adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other
reorganization;
(h)
sell, lease, license or otherwise transfer, or dispose of, mortgage, sell and lease back or create or incur any Lien on, any of
the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ assets, securities, properties, interests or businesses or other interests therein whether
tangible or intangible (including securitizations) (other than Intellectual Property) that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, other than (i) sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice or
sales of or disposals of obsolete or worthless assets at the end of their scheduled retirement, (ii) pursuant to Contracts in effect
on the date hereof or entered into in compliance with this Section 6.01, (iii) Permitted Liens, (iv) transfers among the
Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries,
or among the wholly owned Subsidiaries of the Company, in the ordinary course of business and (v) transactions involving assets, securities,
properties, interests or businesses or other interests with a value not exceeding $1,000,000 in the aggregate;
(i)
sell, assign, lease, license, sublicense, transfer, convey, abandon, permit to lapse, incur any Lien (other than a Permitted Lien)
on, or otherwise dispose of or fail to maintain, enforce or protect any material Owned Intellectual Property or Licensed Intellectual
Property (except for (A) non-exclusive licenses or sublicenses of Intellectual Property granted by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to its suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, or customers, or otherwise, in each case, in the ordinary course of business substantially
consistent with past practice or (B) abandonments, lapses or failures to maintain in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent
with past practice);
(j)
make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person, other than (i) routine travel or payroll
advances made to employees or independent contractors, (ii) for indemnification, attorneys’ fees and expenses or other business
expenses paid or advanced to or on behalf of directors, officers, employees or independent contractors, (iii) extended payment terms
for customers, (iv) transactions solely between or among the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (v) in the ordinary course of business
substantially consistent with past practice;
(k)
(i) create, incur, assume, suffer to exist, provide any guarantee of or otherwise become liable with respect to any Indebtedness
other than in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice, or (ii) repay, redeem, repurchase or otherwise
retire any material Indebtedness (other than as required by its terms or in connection with the Closing as contemplated by this Agreement);
(l)
other than in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice, as provided in Section 6.01(m) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule or as required by Applicable Law or by any Employee Plan or Contract in effect as of the date of this Agreement:
(i) enter into, amend or modify in any material respect or terminate or fail to renew any Material Contract or any Contract that would
constitute a Material Contract (in either case, under which the Company and its Subsidiaries has made or received or is expected to make
or receive, aggregate payments under such Contracts in excess of $3,000,000) if it were in effect on the date of this Agreement or (ii)
waive, release or assign any material rights, claims or benefits of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any such Material Contract
(it being understood for purposes of this clause (l) only, that the reference in Section 4.22(a)(iv) to “$20,000,000” shall
be deemed to be a reference to “$10,000,000” and the reference in Section 4.22(a)(vi) to “$5,000,000” shall be
deemed to be a reference to “$3,000,000”);
(m)
except as required by Applicable Law or the terms of an Employee Plan or Contracts, each as in effect on the date of this Agreement,
(i) increase any compensation or grant, amend or increase any bonus or welfare or similar benefits or grant, amend or increase any severance,
retention, change in control or termination pay payable or
provided to any current or former Service
Provider; provided, however, that, for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not prohibit (A) grants of annual bonus or
commission opportunities to newly hired employees consistent with existing bonus plans as in effect on the date hereof in the ordinary
course of business substantially consistent with past practice and (B) in the event the Closing does not occur prior to the regularly
scheduled payment date of 2023 annual cash bonuses by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the payment of 2023 annual cash bonuses
(as applicable) in the ordinary course of business in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable Employee Plan as in
effect on the date hereof, (ii) the grant of any equity or equity-based awards to, or the discretionary acceleration of the vesting or
payment of any equity or equity-based awards held by, any current or former Service Provider, (iii) entering into or amending any employment,
independent contractor, severance, retention, change in control, termination pay, retirement, deferred compensation, transaction bonus
or similar agreement or arrangement with any current or former Service Provider, except with respect to (A) offer letters with newly
hired or promoted employees who, following such hire or promotion, will not be Key Employees, in the ordinary course of business and
(B) consulting agreements with individual independent contractors with annual base compensation of less than $100,000 in the ordinary
course of business, provided that, such offer letters and consulting agreements under clauses (A) and (B), respectively, do not
provide for severance benefits (other than, in the case of an offer letter, providing that the employee will be eligible to participate
in the severance programs listed on Section 7.03(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule) or change in control, retention, or transaction
payments or benefits, (iv) establish, adopt, enter into or amend any Employee Plan or Collective Bargaining Agreement other than (A)
de minimis administrative amendments made in the ordinary course of business or (B) amendments made in connection with the annual
renewal of a health and welfare benefit plan in the ordinary course of business, provided, in each case, that such changes do
not, individually or in the aggregate, materially increase the cost of maintaining such Employee Plan as compared to the cost of maintaining
such Employee Plan as of the date of this Agreement, (v) recognize any new union, works council or similar employee representative representing
any Company Employee in his or her capacity as such, (vi) hire any employees who, upon hire, would be a Key Employee or (vii) terminate
the employment of any Key Employee other than for cause;
(n)
change the Company’s methods of accounting, except as required by concurrent changes in GAAP or in Regulation S-X of the
1934 Act, as agreed to by its independent public accountants;
(o)
settle, release, waive, discharge or compromise, (i) any Action or threatened Action (excluding any Action or threatened Action
relating to Taxes) involving or against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that results in a payment obligation (net of insurance
proceeds) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in excess of $250,000 individually or $500,000 in the aggregate, or that imposes
any material restrictions or limitations upon the operations or business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or equitable or injunctive
remedies or the admission of any criminal wrongdoing or any admission of guilt (through a plea or otherwise) or (ii) any Action or
threatened Action (excluding any Action
or threatened Action relating to Taxes) that relates to the transactions contemplated hereby;
(p)
(i) make, change or revoke any material election with respect to Taxes, (ii) file any amended material Tax Return, (iii) settle
or compromise any material Tax claim, audit or assessment, (iv) prepare or file any material Tax Return in a manner inconsistent with
past practice, (v) change any material Tax accounting method, (vi) change any Tax accounting period, (vii) enter into any closing agreement
with respect to any material Tax or surrender any right to claim a material Tax refund, offset or reduction in Tax or (viii) consent
to any extension or waiver of the limitations period applicable to any material Tax claim or assessment (other than any such extensions
or waivers automatically granted);
(q)
(i) take any action that would reasonably be expected to result in the cancellation of existing material insurance policies or
material insurance coverage of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) fail to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain
in full force and effect existing material insurance policies (or substantially similar replacements thereto) in the ordinary course
of business, provided that in the event of a termination, cancellation or lapse of any material insurance policy, the Company
shall use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly obtain replacement policies providing substantially comparable insurance coverage
with respect to the material assets, operations and activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently in effect as of the date
hereof; or
(r)
agree, resolve or commit to do any of the foregoing.
Section 6.02.
Access to Information. From the date hereof until the Effective Time and subject to Applicable Law and (x) the Confidentiality
Agreement dated as of June 22, 2023 between the Company and Parent, (y) the Clean Team Agreement dated as of June 23, 2023 between the
Company and Parent and (z) the Common Interest and Joint Defense Agreement dated as of July 17, 2023 between the Company and Parent (collectively,
(x), (y) and (z) are referred to as the “Confidentiality Agreement”), the Company shall (and shall cause its Subsidiaries
to) (or in the case of work papers, shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to), upon reasonable prior written notice (a) provide
Parent and its officers, directors, employees, investment bankers, attorneys, lenders, underwriters, accountants, consultants or other
agents, advisors or other representatives (“Representatives”) reasonable access to the Representatives properties,
books and records, work papers and other documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries (including existing financial and operating data
relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries), in each case consistent with the access provided to Parent and its Representatives during
the due diligence investigation conducted by Parent in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement prior to the date
hereof and (b) furnish to Parent and its Representatives such existing information as such Persons may reasonably request within a reasonable
time of such request, including copies of such existing information. Any investigation pursuant to this Section shall be conducted during
normal business hours and in such manner as not to interfere unreasonably with the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
Notwithstanding
anything in this Section 6.02 to the
contrary: (i) nothing in this Section 6.02 shall require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to (A) make any work papers of its auditors
or accountants available to any Person unless and until such Person has signed a customary agreement relating to such access to work
papers in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Company and such auditors or accountants or (B) provide any information, documents
or access that would impair (based on the advice of the Company’s outside legal counsel) any attorney-client privilege of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Representative of the foregoing, or any protection under the work product doctrine or any similar
privilege or protection, provided that, with respect to this clause (B), the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to implement
appropriate and mutually agreeable measures to permit the disclosure of any such information in a manner to remove the basis for the
non-disclosure to the greatest extent possible, including by arrangement of appropriate clean room procedures, redaction of text from
documents or entry into a customary joint defense agreement with respect to any information to be so provided; and (ii) any access to
the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ properties shall be subject to the Company’s reasonable security and insurance
measures and shall not include the right to conduct any environmental testing, sampling or other intrusive investigations of any kind.
No information or knowledge obtained by Parent in any investigation pursuant to this Section shall affect or be deemed to modify any
representation or warranty made by the Company hereunder.
Section 6.03.
No Solicitation; Other Offers. (a) General Prohibitions. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall,
nor shall the Company or any of its Subsidiaries authorize, allow or permit any of its or their Representatives (other than non-officer
employees) to (and the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its and its Subsidiaries’ non-officer employees to
not), directly or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate or knowingly take any action to facilitate or encourage the submission of any Acquisition
Proposal, (ii) enter into, engage in or participate in any discussions or negotiations with, furnish any non-public information relating
to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or afford access to the business, properties, assets, books, records work papers and other
documents related to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to, otherwise cooperate in any way with, or knowingly assist, participate
in, facilitate or encourage any effort by any Third Party that is seeking to make, or has made, an Acquisition Proposal, in each case
with respect to an Acquisition Proposal, (iii) (A) qualify, withdraw or modify in a manner adverse to Parent or Merger Sub, or propose
publicly to qualify, withdraw or modify in a manner adverse to Parent or Merger Sub, the Company Board Recommendation, (B) adopt, endorse,
approve or recommend, or propose publicly to adopt, endorse, approve or recommend, any Acquisition Proposal, or resolve to take any such
action, (C) publicly make any recommendation in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer other than a recommendation against
such offer or a temporary “stop, look and listen” communication by the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee
thereof) of the type contemplated by Rule 14d-9(f) under the 1934 Act, (D) other than with respect to a tender or exchange offer in a
manner described in clause (C), following the date any Acquisition Proposal or any material modification thereto is first publicly announced,
fail to issue a press release reaffirming the Company Board Recommendation within ten Business Days after a request by Parent to do so
or (E) fail to include the Company Board Recommendation in the Proxy Statement when
disseminated to the Company’s
stockholders (any of the foregoing in this clause (iii), an “Adverse Recommendation Change”), (iv) fail to enforce
or grant any waiver or release under any standstill or similar agreement with respect to any class of equity securities of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries or (v) enter into any agreement in principle, letter of intent, indication of interest, term sheet, merger
agreement, acquisition agreement, option agreement or other similar instrument relating to an Acquisition Proposal.
(b)
Exceptions. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, at any time prior to the receipt of the Requisite
Company Vote:
(i)
the Company, directly or indirectly through its Representatives, may (A) engage in discussions and negotiations (and otherwise
cooperate) with (and may assist and participate in and facilitate any effort by) any Third Party (or any Representative of any Third
Party) that has made after the date of this Agreement a bona fide, written Acquisition Proposal that the Board of Directors (or any duly
authorized committee thereof) determines in good faith, after consultation with its legal counsel and financial advisors, is, or would
reasonably be expected to become, a Superior Proposal, provided that such Acquisition Proposal did not result from a breach by
the Company of Section 6.03(a), and (B) furnish to such Third Party or its Representatives non-public information relating to the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries (and access of the type described in Section 6.03(a)) pursuant to a confidentiality agreement (a copy of which
shall be provided for informational purposes only to Parent) with such Third Party with terms no less favorable in any material respect
to the Company than those contained in the Confidentiality Agreement (including standstill obligations, with the understanding that:
(1) no such standstill obligations shall prohibit such Third Party from submitting to the Company a confidential Acquisition Proposal
(even if: (I) such Acquisition Proposal would be required by the Company to be publicly disclosed; or (II) such submission would arguably
violate other clauses of such standstill, such as a prohibition on attempting to influence the Company) and (2) notwithstanding anything
in this Agreement or in any confidentiality agreement with a Third Party to the contrary, nothing in this Agreement shall limit the Company’s
ability to waive any such standstill obligations if the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof determines in good
faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that the failure to grant such waiver would be inconsistent with its fiduciary
duties under Delaware law), provided that all such information that has not been previously provided or made available to Parent
or its Representatives, other than immaterial information, is provided or made available to Parent prior to or substantially concurrently
with the time it is provided or made available to such Third Party or its Representatives; and
(ii)
subject to compliance with Section 6.03(d), the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) may make an Adverse
Recommendation Change (A) following receipt by the Company of an Acquisition Proposal that the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized
committee thereof) determines in good faith, after consultation with its legal counsel and financial advisors, constitutes a Superior
Proposal (provided that such Superior Proposal did not result from a breach by the Company or the Board of Directors of Section
6.03) or (B) in response to events, changes or developments in circumstances that are material to the Company and
its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
that were not known to or reasonably foreseeable by the Board of Directors as of or prior to the date hereof (or if known, the consequences
of which were not known or reasonably foreseeable) and that become known to the Board of Directors after the date hereof (an “Intervening
Event”); provided that in no event shall the receipt, existence or terms of any Acquisition Proposal or any inquiry,
offer, request or proposal that would reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal constitute or contribute to an Intervening
Event;
in each case referred to in the foregoing
clauses (i) and (ii) only if the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof determines in good faith (after consultation
with outside legal counsel) that the failure to take any such action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
In addition, nothing contained herein shall prevent the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) from complying
with Rule 14e-2(a) or Rule 14d-9 under the 1934 Act with regard to an Acquisition Proposal so long as any action taken or statement made
to so comply is consistent with this Section 6.03; provided, however, that the foregoing shall in no way eliminate or modify the
effect that any such action taken or statement made has under this Agreement.
(c)
Required Notices. The Company shall notify Parent promptly (but in no event later than 48 hours) after receipt by the Company
(or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any of its Representatives) of any Acquisition Proposal, any definitive indication that a Third
Party is intending to make or will be making an Acquisition Proposal or any request for information relating to the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries or for access to the business, properties, assets, books, records, work papers or other documents relating to the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries by any Third Party that has definitively indicated that it is intending to make or will be making, or has
made, an Acquisition Proposal. Such notice shall be in writing and shall identify the Third Party making, and the terms and conditions
(other than immaterial terms and conditions) of, any such Acquisition Proposal, indication or request. The Company shall keep Parent
reasonably informed, on a reasonably current basis, of the status and material details of any such Acquisition Proposal, indication or
request and shall promptly (but in no event later than 48 hours after receipt) provide to Parent copies of all correspondence and written
materials sent or provided by such Third Party or any of its Affiliates or Representatives to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
that describes any terms or conditions (other than immaterial terms and conditions) of any Acquisition Proposal. Any material amendment
to any Acquisition Proposal will be deemed to be a new Acquisition Proposal for purposes of the Company’s compliance with this
Section 6.03(c).
(d)
“Last Look”. Further, the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) shall not make an Adverse
Recommendation Change in response to an Acquisition Proposal or terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 10.01(d)(i), unless (i)
the Company notifies Parent, in writing at least four Business Days before taking that action, of its intention to do so, specifying
in reasonable detail the reasons for such Adverse Recommendation Change and/or such termination, attaching (A) in the case of an Adverse
Recommendation Change to be made in connection with a Superior
Proposal or a termination of this Agreement
pursuant to Section 10.01(d)(i), a substantially final version of the proposed agreement under which such Superior Proposal is proposed
to be consummated and identifying the Third Party making the Acquisition Proposal, or (B) in the case of an Adverse Recommendation Change
to be made pursuant to an Intervening Event, a reasonably detailed description of the reasons for making such Adverse Recommendation
Change, and (ii) the Company has negotiated, and has caused its Representatives to negotiate in good faith with Parent during such notice
period any revisions to the terms of this Agreement that Parent proposes and (iii) following the end of such notice period, the Board
of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) shall have determined, in consultation with outside legal counsel and its independent
financial advisor, and giving due consideration to such revisions as are proposed by Parent in writing in an unconditional offer by which
Parent intends to be legally bound, that (A) in the case of any Adverse Recommendation Change to be made in connection with a Superior
Proposal or a termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 10.01(d)(i), such Superior Proposal would nevertheless continue to constitute
a Superior Proposal (assuming such revisions proposed by Parent are in writing in an unconditional offer by which Parent intends to be
legally bound and assuming such revisions were to be given effect) (it being understood and agreed that any amendment to the financial
terms, and any amendment to any of the other material terms, of such Superior Proposal shall require a new written notification from
the Company under this Section 6.03(d); provided that for the purposes of such new notification the reference to “four Business
Days” in Section 6.03(d)(i) shall be deemed to be “three Business Days”) and (B) in the case of an Adverse Recommendation
Change to be made pursuant to an Intervening Event, such Intervening Event would nevertheless necessitate the need for such Adverse Recommendation
Change (it being understood and agreed that any material change to the facts and circumstances relating to such Intervening Event shall
require a new written notification from the Company; provided, however, that for the purposes of any such new notification the
reference to “four Business Days” in Section 6.03(d)(i) shall be deemed to be “three Business Days”), and, in
either case, the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof determines in good faith that the failure to take any such
action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
(e)
Definition of Superior Proposal. For purposes of this Agreement, “Superior Proposal” means any bona
fide, written Acquisition Proposal (that is not made as a result of breach of this Section 6.03) after the date of this Agreement
for at least a majority of the outstanding Shares or all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries
on terms that, after taking into account all the terms and conditions of the Acquisition Proposal (including any break-up fees, expense
reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation), the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof), determines,
in good faith (after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisors) are more favorable from a financial point of
view to the Company’s stockholders than the terms provided hereunder (taking into account: (i) any proposal by Parent to amend
the terms of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.03(d),
and (ii) all financial, legal, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal, including the timing and likelihood of consummation
thereof).
(f)
Obligation of the Company to Terminate Existing Discussions. The Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and its
and their Representatives to, cease immediately and cause to be terminated any and all existing activities, discussions or negotiations,
if any, with any Third Party (or any Representatives of any Third Party) conducted prior to the date hereof with respect to any Acquisition
Proposal made by such Third Party. The Company shall promptly request that each Third Party, if any, that has executed a confidentiality
agreement within the 12-month period prior to the date hereof in connection with its consideration of any Acquisition Proposal return
or destroy (subject to customary limitations) all confidential information heretofore furnished to such Person by or on behalf of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries (and all analyses and other materials prepared by or on behalf of such Person that contain, reflect
or analyze that information), and the Company confirm to Parent that is has received certifications of such return or destruction from
such other Persons as promptly as practicable after receipt thereof. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to secure all
such certifications as promptly as practicable. Following any notice from the Company under
Section 6.03(d) which results in an amendment to the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall be required to perform its
obligations again under this Section 6.03(f) promptly following the execution of any such amendment.
Article
7
Covenants of Parent
Parent covenants
and agrees that:
Section 7.01.
Obligations of Merger Sub. Parent shall take all action necessary to cause Merger Sub to perform its obligations under
this Agreement and to consummate the Merger on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. Immediately following the execution
and delivery of this Agreement by each of the parties hereto, Parent shall duly execute and deliver a written consent in its capacity
as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub duly adopting this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby in accordance with the DGCL
and the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of Merger Sub.
Section 7.02.
Director and Officer Liability. Parent shall, and, as applicable, shall cause the Surviving Corporation, to, and the
Surviving Corporation shall, do the following:
(a)
For six years after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless the present and former officers
and directors of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries and any present and former officers and directors of the Company or one of
its Subsidiaries who is or was serving at the request of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a director, officer, manager, employee,
fiduciary, agent or trustee (or equivalent position) of another Person (each, an “Indemnified Person”) against and
from any and all losses, claims, damages, costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements), fines, liabilities, judgments,
and amounts that are paid in settlement in any threatened (in writing) or actual claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether
civil, criminal or administrative, based in whole or
in part on, or arising in whole or in
part out of, or pertaining to (i) the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
or served at the request of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a director, officer, manager, employee, fiduciary, agent or trustee
of another Person prior to the Effective Time, (ii) matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time, including this Agreement
and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (iii) the enforcement of any Indemnified Person’s rights under this Section
7.02 (each of (i), (ii) and (iii), collectively “Indemnity Proceedings”), in each case (it being agreed that the following
(A) and (B) shall only apply to the Surviving Corporation’s obligations under this sentence and not Parent’s obligations):
(A) whether asserted or claimed prior to, at, or after the Effective Time; and (B) to the same extent such Indemnified Persons are indemnified
as of the date of this Agreement by the Company pursuant to Applicable Law, the organizational documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries
and indemnification agreements in existence on the date of this Agreement (collectively, the “D&O Indemnification Documents”);
provided, however, that, in each case, such indemnification shall be subject to any limitation imposed from time to time under
Applicable Law. To the extent permitted under Applicable Law, Parent shall, or shall cause the Surviving Corporation to, promptly advance
all out-of-pocket expenses of each Indemnified Person in connection with any Indemnity Proceeding as such expenses (including attorneys’
fees, expenses and disbursements) are incurred upon receipt from such Indemnified Person of a request therefor (accompanied by invoices
or other relevant documentation); provided, however, that the director or officer of the Company and its Subsidiaries to whom
expenses are advanced undertakes, to the extent required under Applicable Law, to repay such advanced expenses to Parent or the Surviving
Corporation if it is ultimately determined that such director or officer is not entitled to indemnification under Applicable Law or the
D&O Indemnification Documents.
(b)
Without limiting Section 7.02(a), for six years after the Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation and its
Subsidiaries to, fulfill and honor in all respects the obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries pursuant to: (i) each indemnification
agreement in effect between any of the Company and its Subsidiaries and any Indemnified Person; and (ii) any indemnification provision,
expense advancement provision and any exculpation provision set forth in the organizational documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries
in effect on the date of this Agreement. The certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Surviving Corporation and equivalent organizational
documents of the Surviving Corporation’s Subsidiaries shall contain the provisions with respect to indemnification, expense advancement
and exculpation from liability that are no less advantageous than the indemnification, expense advancement and exculpation from liability
provisions set forth in the organizational documents of the Company and its Subsidiaries on the date of this Agreement, and, during the
period commencing at the Effective Time and ending on the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Effective Time, such provisions shall
not be amended, repealed or otherwise modified (whether by merger, consolidation, division, conversion, domestication, transfer, continuance,
operation of law or otherwise) in any manner that could adversely affect the rights thereunder of any Indemnified Person.
(c)
Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall or, if the Company is unable to, Parent shall (or shall cause the Surviving Corporation
to), as of the Effective Time, obtain and fully pay the premium for the non-cancellable extension of the directors’ and officers’
liability coverage of the Company’s existing directors’ and officers’ insurance policies and the Company’s existing
fiduciary liability insurance policies (collectively, “D&O Insurance”), in each case for a claims reporting or
discovery period of at least six years from and after the Effective Time with respect to any claim related to any period of time at or
prior to the Effective Time with terms, conditions, retentions and limits of liability that are no less favorable than the coverage provided
under the Company’s existing policies with respect to any actual or alleged error, misstatement, misleading statement, act, omission,
neglect, breach of duty or any matter claimed against a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by reason of him
or her serving in such capacity that existed or occurred at or prior to the Effective Time (including in connection with this Agreement
or the transactions or actions contemplated hereby). The Company shall give Parent a reasonable opportunity to participate in the selection
of such tail policy and the Company shall give reasonable and good faith consideration to any comments made by Parent with respect thereto
and the cost of any such tail policy shall not exceed 300% of the aggregate annual premium paid by the Company in respect of the D&O
Insurance (which amount is set forth in Section 7.02(c)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule).
(d)
If either Parent or the Surviving Corporation or any of their respective successors or assigns (i) consolidates with or merges
into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger, or (ii) transfers
or conveys all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any Person or consummates any division transaction, then, and in
each such case, to the extent necessary, proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of Parent or the Surviving
Corporation (as applicable) shall assume the obligations set forth in this
Section 7.02.
(e)
The rights of each Indemnified Person under this Section 7.02 shall be in addition to any rights such Person may have under the
organizational documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, under the DGCL or any other Applicable Law or under any agreement
of any Indemnified Person with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The rights of each Indemnified Person under this Section 7.02
shall survive consummation of the Merger and are intended to benefit, and shall be enforceable by, each Indemnified Person.
Section 7.03.
Employee Matters.(a) For the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the first anniversary thereof (the
“Continuation Period”), Parent shall provide, or shall cause its Affiliates (including the Surviving Corporation)
to provide, each Continuing Employee, to the extent employed by Parent or one of its Affiliates (including the Surviving Corporation),
with (i) a base salary or wage rate and target cash annual bonus opportunity that is no less favorable than such Continuing Employee’s
base salary or wage rate and target cash annual bonus opportunity as of immediately prior to the Closing, (ii)
employee benefits, including any executive
benefit programs, that are no less favorable in the aggregate than such employee benefits as were provided to such Continuing Employee
by the Company and its Subsidiaries as of immediately prior to the Closing, in each case excluding only defined benefit pension benefits,
non-qualified deferred compensation benefits, retiree health and welfare benefits, severance benefits, equity and equity-based compensation
and change in control, transaction or retention bonuses or payments and (iii) severance benefits consistent with the severance benefits
set forth on Section 7.03(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule For the Continuation Period, Parent shall, or shall cause its Affiliates
(including the Surviving Corporation) to honor and perform the plans, programs and arrangements disclosed on Section 7.03(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule (it being understood that Parent acknowledges and agrees that the Merger constitutes a “change in control,”
“change of control” or term of similar import under such plans, programs and arrangements such that at the Closing a “change
in control,” “change of control” or term of similar import shall have occurred under each such plan, program and arrangement).
(b)
With respect to annual cash incentives, Parent shall, or shall cause its Affiliates to, pay to each Continuing Employee who is
a participant in an Employee Plan that is an annual cash incentive plan, including for the avoidance of doubt, the Sovos Brands, Inc.
Annual Incentive Plan, a cash bonus as follows: (i) in the event the Closing occurs prior to the regularly scheduled payment date with
respect to fiscal year 2023 bonuses, each Continuing Employee will be eligible to receive his or her annual cash bonus for 2023 (which
shall not be prorated based on the Closing Date), the amount of which will be determined in good faith by the Compensation Committee
of the Company’s Board of Directors (as constituted prior to the Closing) in accordance with the applicable Employee Plan (to the
extent consistent with this Section 7.03(b)) and based on the achievement of the applicable performance targets set by the Compensation
Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors for 2023 (measured as of the Closing Date if the Closing occurs in 2023) (the “2023
Annual Bonuses”), which such 2023 Annual Bonuses shall be payable on the earlier of the date contemplated by the last sentence
of this Section 7.03(b) and the Company’s regularly
scheduled annual bonus payment date, subject to the Continuing Employee’s employment with Parent and its Affiliates (including
the Surviving Corporation) through the applicable payment date (it being understood that, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this
clause (i) shall limit or modify any rights any Person has under the plans, programs and arrangements disclosed on Section 7.03(a) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule, but in no event shall result in the duplication of any annual bonus-based payment (including any pro-rata
bonus payment) thereunder); and (ii) in the event the Closing occurs in 2024, each Continuing Employee will be eligible to receive a
prorated annual cash bonus for the pre-Closing stub portion of 2024, the amount of which will be determined in good faith by the Compensation
Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (as constituted prior to the Closing) in accordance with the applicable Employee
Plan (to the extent consistent with this Section 7.03(b)) and based on the achievement of the applicable performance targets set by the
Company, in accordance with Item 8 of Section 6.01(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, in the ordinary course of business, which shall
be measured as of the Closing Date and prorated based on the number of days elapsed between January 1, 2024 and the Closing Date (the
“2024 Annual Bonuses”), which
such 2024 Annual Bonuses shall be payable
on the earlier of the date contemplated by the last sentence of this Section 7.03(b) and the Company’s scheduled annual bonus date
(to be scheduled in the ordinary course of business), subject to the Continuing Employee’s employment with Parent and its Affiliates
(including the Surviving Corporation) through the applicable payment date (it being understood that, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing
in this clause (ii) shall limit or modify any rights any Person has under the plans, programs and arrangements disclosed on Section 7.03(a)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule, but in no event shall result in the duplication of any annual bonus-based payment (including any
pro-rata bonus payment) thereunder). For the avoidance of doubt, following the Closing, and in furtherance of its obligations pursuant
to Section 7.03(a)(i), the applicable Continuing Employees will be eligible to participate in an annual cash bonus program established
by Parent for the post-Closing portion of 2024, with the applicable performance targets thereunder determined in good faith by Parent.
The 2023 Annual Bonus or the 2024 Annual Bonus, as applicable, shall be paid to the applicable Continuing Employee no later than 75 days
following the end of the applicable calendar year.
(c)
With respect to any “employee benefit plan,” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA, maintained by Parent or its Affiliates
in which any Continuing Employee is eligible to participate on or after the Closing (except with respect to any retiree health or welfare
plan, or defined benefit pension plan or, solely with respect to benefit accrual and vesting, any future long-term incentive program
awards (in each case, except as may be used for purposes of determining comparability under Section 7.03(a) above, and for the avoidance
of doubt, including any Parent equity awards granted in respect of Company Equity Awards pursuant to Section 2.05)), for purposes of
determining eligibility to participate and vesting (but not for benefit accrual purposes, except for paid time off and severance), such
Continuing Employee’s service with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any predecessor of the Company, prior to the Closing
shall be treated as service with Parent and its Affiliates to the same extent as such Continuing Employee was entitled, before the Closing,
to credit for such service under any analogous Employee Plan; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to the extent
that it would result in any duplication of benefits for the same period of service.
(d)
With respect to any health and welfare plan maintained by Parent or its Affiliates in which any Continuing Employee is eligible
to participate on or after the Closing and any employee benefit that Parent is required to honor pursuant to Section 7.03(a) above, Parent
shall, or shall cause its Affiliates (including the Surviving Corporation) to, use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) waive, or cause
to be waived, eligibility conditions, preexisting conditions, limitations and exclusions, and waiting periods with respect to participation
by and coverage of the any Continuing Employees and their eligible dependents to the same extent such eligibility conditions, preexisting
conditions, limitations, exclusions and waiting periods were satisfied, or were waived, under any comparable Employee Plan prior to the
Closing, and (ii) recognize, or cause to be recognized, the dollar amount of all co-payments, deductibles, maximum out-of-pocket requirements,
and similar expenses incurred by each Continuing Employee or their covered dependents during the calendar year in which the Closing,
to the same extent recognized under any comparable Employee Plan prior to the Closing, occurs as if
such amounts had been paid under and
in accordance with any similar plans maintained by Parent or its Affiliates.
(e)
Unless otherwise determined by Parent, prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall take all actions that may be necessary or
appropriate to terminate, as of the day immediately preceding the Closing Date, each Employee Plan that contains a Code Section 401(k)
feature and that, not later than five Business Days prior to the Closing Date, Parent requests that the Company terminate. All resolutions,
notices, participant communications or other documents issued, adopted or executed in connection with the termination of such Employee
Plans shall be subject to Parent’s prior review and approval (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or
delayed). The Company shall provide Parent with evidence that such plan has been terminated prior to the Closing Date.
(f)
Five calendar days prior to the Closing, the Company will provide Parent with a revised version of Section 4.05(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule and Section 4.20(g)(1) and (2) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, in each case updated as of the most recent practicable
date.
(g)
Nothing in this Section 7.03, express or implied,
(i) is intended to or shall confer upon any Person other than the parties hereto, including any current or former Service Provider, Company
Employee or Continuing Employee (or any of their respective dependents or beneficiaries), any right, benefit or remedy of any nature
whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement, (ii) shall establish, or constitute an amendment, termination or modification of, or
an undertaking to amend, establish, terminate or modify, any Employee Plan or other benefit plan, program, agreement or arrangement,
(iii) shall alter or limit the ability of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries (or, following the Effective Time, the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries) to amend, modify or terminate any Employee Plan or any other benefit plan, program, agreement or arrangement at any
time assumed, established, sponsored or maintained by any of them or (iv) shall create any obligation on the part of Parent or its Subsidiaries
(or, following the Effective Time, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) to employ or engage any Service Provider for any period following
the Effective Time.
Article
8
Covenants of Parent and the Company
The parties hereto
covenant and agree that:
Section 8.01.
Reasonable Best Efforts. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company and Parent shall use
their reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper
or advisable under Applicable Law to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including (i) preparing and filing as
promptly as practicable with any Governmental Authority or other third party all documentation to effect all necessary filings, notices,
petitions, statements, registrations, submissions of information, applications and other documents and (ii) using reasonable best efforts
in connection with
obtaining as promptly as practicable
and maintaining all approvals, consents, registrations, permits, authorizations and other confirmations required to be obtained from
any Governmental Authority or other third party that are necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement; provided, however, that this clause (ii) shall not require Parent or the Company to settle or otherwise resolve
any claim, suit, action or other proceeding, including any administrative or judicial claim, suit, action or other proceeding, challenging
this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby as promptly as practicable, provided that Parent or the Company,
as the case may be, does not unreasonably delay any such settlement or resolution.
(b)
In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, each of Parent and the Company shall make or cause to be made an appropriate
filing of a Notification and Report Form pursuant to the HSR Act with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby as promptly as
practicable and in any event within ten Business Days after the date hereof. Each of Parent and the Company agrees (x) not to extend
any waiting period under the HSR Act or enter into any agreement with any Governmental Authority to delay the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, except with the prior written consent of the other parties to this Agreement (which consent shall not
be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed), (y) to respond as promptly as practicable to any inquiries received from any Governmental
Authority for additional information or documentary material and (z) to use its reasonable best efforts to take all other actions necessary
to cause the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act as soon as practicable following the date of
this Agreement. Each party hereto shall (i) notify the other parties of any substantive communication to that party from any Governmental
Authority, and, subject to Applicable Law, permit the other parties to review and discuss in advance, and consider in good faith the
views of the other parties in connection with, any proposed written communication to any Governmental Authority, (ii) promptly furnish
the other parties with copies of all correspondence, filings and written communications between it and its Representatives, on the one
hand, and such Governmental Authority, on the other hand, with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, (iii)
not agree to participate in any substantive meeting or discussion with any Governmental Authority in respect of any filing, investigation
or inquiry concerning any competition or antitrust matters in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby
unless it consults with the other parties in advance and, to the extent permitted by such Governmental Authority, gives the other parties
the opportunity to attend and participate therein and (iv) furnish the other parties with copies of all correspondence, filings, and
communications (and memoranda setting forth the substance thereof) between it and its Affiliates and their respective Representatives
on the one hand, and any Governmental Authority or members of their respective staffs on the other hand, with respect to any competition
or antitrust matters in connection with this Agreement. Any materials exchanged in connection with this Section 8.01 may be redacted
or withheld as necessary to address reasonable privilege or confidentiality concerns, and to remove references concerning valuation or
other competitively sensitive material, and the parties may, as they deem advisable and necessary, designate any materials provided to
the other under this Section 8.01 as “outside counsel only.” Parent shall be responsible for paying all
filing fees under the HSR Act and any
other Applicable Laws relating to antitrust or competition with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. All reasonable
and documented, out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred by the Company or Parent or any of their respective Affiliates in connection
with obtaining (or seeking to obtain) the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act shall be borne
by Parent and reimbursed to the Company (to the extent incurred by the Company or any of its Affiliates) on a monthly basis, as incurred,
provided, that (A) any outside legal counsel to the Company (other than Hogan Lovells US LLP ) with respect to antitrust or competition
in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be satisfactory to Parent (in its sole discretion), (B) any such fees shall
be charged at no greater than each applicable third party firm’s regular third party rates without any premium or similar amount
charged or applied thereon or thereto and (C) all expenses of the Company and its Affiliates payable by Parent pursuant to this Section
8.01(b) shall not exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate without the prior written consent of Parent.
(c)
Nothing in this Section 8.01 or anything else in this Agreement shall require Parent or any of its Subsidiaries to (and neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall, or shall offer or agree to, do any of the following without Parent’s prior written
consent): (i) propose, negotiate, commit to or effect, by consent decree, hold separate orders or otherwise, the sale, divesture, disposition
or license of any assets, properties, products, rights, services or businesses of Parent, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates,
or any interest therein, or agree to any other structural or conduct remedy; or (ii) otherwise take or commit to take any actions that
would limit Parent’s, the Company’s or any of their respective Affiliates’ freedom of action with respect to, or its
or their ability to retain any assets, properties, products, rights, services or businesses, or any interest therein (any of the actions
described in the preceding clauses (i) and (ii), a “Burdensome Condition”); provided, however, that Parent
agrees to defend through litigation on the merits any claim, suit, action or other proceeding, including any administrative or judicial
claim, suit, action or other proceeding, challenging this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby as violative of, or
otherwise in contravention of, the HSR Act, the Clayton Act, the Sherman Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act or any other federal or
state statute, rule, regulation, order, decree, administrative or judicial doctrine, or any other Applicable Law that is designed or
intended to prohibit, restrict or regulate actions in the United States having the purpose or effect of monopolization or restraint of
trade, that is commenced or asserted by any Governmental Authority or any other party, in order to avoid entry of, or to have vacated
or terminated, any decree, order or judgment (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent) that could prevent the Closing from occurring
prior to the End Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the written request of Parent, the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries
to, agree to take any action that would constitute a Burdensome Condition so long as such action shall not result in a reduction in the
Merger Consideration payable to holders of Shares in the Merger and is conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing.
(d)
Without limiting Parent’s other obligations under this Section 8.01, Parent shall be entitled to direct the defense of this
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby before any Governmental Authority and take the lead in the scheduling of, and
strategic planning for, any meetings
with, and the conducting of negotiations with, Governmental Authorities regarding (i) the expiration or termination of any applicable
waiting period relating to the Merger under the HSR Act or (ii) obtaining any consent, approval, waiver, clearance, authorization or
permission from a Governmental Authority, so long as Parent uses reasonable best efforts (to the extent reasonably practicable) to consult
(A) in advance with the Company and in good faith takes the Company’s views into account regarding the overall strategic direction
of any such defense, meetings or negotiations and (B) with the Company prior to taking any material substantive positions, making dispositive
motions or other material substantive filings or submissions or entering into any negotiations concerning such defense, meetings or negotiations.
(e)
During the period starting on the date of this Agreement and ending upon the earlier of termination of this Agreement in accordance
with its terms and the Effective Time, none of Parent, Merger Sub or the Company shall, and Parent, Merger Sub and the Company shall
not permit any of their respective Subsidiaries to, enter into any acquisition, joint venture, exclusive arrangement or other similar
arrangement, or any agreement to effect, or any letter of intent or similar document contemplating, any acquisition (including by merger
or acquisition), joint venture, exclusive arrangement or other similar arrangement, that would reasonably be expected to prevent, materially
hinder or materially delay the ability of the parties to (i) obtain the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the HSR
Act or any other Applicable Laws relating to antitrust or competition applicable to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or
(ii) obtain any authorizations, consents, orders, and approvals of any Governmental Authorities necessary for the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 8.02.
Certain Filings. The Company and Parent shall cooperate with one another (i) in connection with the preparation of
the Company Disclosure Documents and (ii) in determining whether any action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Governmental Authority
is required (including under any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit, or related to any financial assurance, bond, letter of credit
or similar instrument required for the operations of the Company or its Subsidiaries under any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit),
or any actions, consents, approvals or waivers are required to be obtained from parties to any Contracts, in connection with the consummation
of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 8.03.
Proxy Statement; Company Meeting. (a) Promptly following the date of this Agreement and no later than 45 calendar days
after the date hereof (subject to Parent’s compliance in all material respects with this Section 8.03 and, with the understanding
that, if a material event or circumstance requiring disclosure shall have occurred or arisen within the period of 10 calendar dates commencing
35 days after the date hereof, the Company shall be entitled to delay the filing of the Proxy Statement for an additional five Business
Days), the Company will prepare (with Parent’s reasonable assistance) and the Company will file with the SEC the Proxy Statement.
The Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall cooperate with each other in the preparation of the Proxy Statement and furnish all information
concerning itself and its Affiliates that is required or reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation of the
Proxy
Statement, including any information
required by the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to cause
the Proxy Statement to be mailed to the stockholders of the Company as promptly as practicable following the clearance of the Proxy Statement
by the SEC. No filing of, or amendment or supplement to, the Proxy Statement will be made by the Company without providing Parent a reasonable
opportunity to review and comment thereon and the Company shall give reasonable consideration to any comments made by Parent and its
Representatives; provided, however, that, following any Adverse Recommendation Change, the obligations of the Company in this
sentence shall not apply with respect to any information relating to such Adverse Recommendation Change. If at any time prior to the
Company Meeting (or any adjournment or postponement thereof) any information relating to the Company or Parent, or any of their respective
Affiliates, directors or officers, is discovered by the Company or Parent that should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the
Proxy Statement, so that the Proxy Statement would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, the party that discovers
such information will promptly notify the other party hereto and an appropriate amendment or supplement describing such information will
be promptly filed with the SEC and, to the extent required by Applicable Law, disseminated to the stockholders of the Company. The Company
will notify Parent promptly of the receipt of any comments or other communications, whether written or oral, that the Company or its
Representatives may receive from time to time from the SEC or the staff of the SEC in connection with the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement and of any request by the SEC or the staff of the SEC for amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement or for additional
information with respect to the Proxy Statement or the transactions contemplated hereby and the Company will supply Parent with copies
of all correspondence between it or any of its Representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC or the staff of the SEC, on the other hand,
with respect to the Proxy Statement or the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company shall provide Parent and its Representatives
a reasonable opportunity to participate in the Company’s response to those comments and to provide comments on that response (to
which reasonable consideration shall be given), including by participating with the Company or its counsel in any discussions or meetings
with the SEC, to the extent permitted by the SEC and Applicable Law; provided, however, that, following any Adverse Recommendation
Change, the obligations of the Company in this sentence shall not apply with respect to any comments, responses, discussions or meetings
relating to such Adverse Recommendation Change.
(b)
The Company will, as soon as reasonably practicable following the date of this Agreement, establish a record date for, and as
soon as reasonably practicable following the clearance of the Proxy Statement by the SEC, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold,
the Company Meeting (it being understood that, subject to Parent’s compliance in all material respects with, and the other provisions
of, this Section 8.03 (including with respect to postponement and adjournment of the Company Meeting), the Company Meeting shall be on
a date no later than 35 calendar days after the date of such clearance). Subject to Section
6.03, the Proxy Statement shall include the Company Board Recommendation, and the Company shall (unless the Company Board
Recommendation is withdrawn in accordance
with this Agreement) use its reasonable best efforts to obtain and solicit votes in favor of the adoption of this Agreement by the holders
of Shares. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company may, and shall at Parent’s reasonable request,
postpone or adjourn the Company Meeting (i) to solicit additional proxies for the purpose of obtaining the Requisite Company Vote, (ii)
if there are not holders of a sufficient number of shares of Company common stock present or represented by proxy at the Company Meeting
to constitute a quorum at the Company Meeting and (iii) to allow reasonable additional time for the filing or mailing of any supplemental
or amended disclosure that the Company has determined in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel, is necessary under
Applicable Law and for such supplemental or amended disclosure to be disseminated and reviewed by the stockholders of the Company prior
to the Company Meeting; provided, however, that the Company Meeting shall not be postponed or adjourned as a result of clause
(i) or clause (ii) above for a period of more than 15 Business Days in the aggregate without the prior written consent of Parent (which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the record date
of the Company Meeting be changed without Parent’s prior written consent, unless required by Applicable Law.
(c)
Within five Business Days after the date of this Agreement (and thereafter, upon the reasonable request of Parent), the Company
shall conduct a “broker search” in accordance with Rule 14a-13 of the 1934 Act for a record date for the Company Meeting
that is 20 Business Days after the date of such “broker search”.
(d)
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company’s obligations pursuant to this Section 8.03 shall not be affected
by the commencement, public proposal, public disclosure or public or private communication to the Company of any Company Acquisition
Proposal or by an Adverse Recommendation Change unless this Agreement has been terminated in accordance with Section 10.01.
Section 8.04.
Public Announcements. The initial press release issued by Parent and the Company with respect to the execution of this
Agreement shall be agreed upon by Parent and the Company. Thereafter, Parent and the Company shall consult with each other before issuing
any press release, having any communication with the press (whether or not for attribution) or making any other statement to the public
generally, or scheduling any press conference or conference call with investors or analysts, with respect to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby and shall not issue any such press release or make any such other public statement or schedule any such press conference
or conference call before such consultation, except in respect of any public statement or press release that Parent or the Company determines
in good faith (after consultation with its outside legal counsel) is required by Applicable Law or any listing agreement with or rule
of any national securities exchange or association (in which case, such disclosing party will endeavor, on a basis reasonable under the
circumstances, to provide a meaningful opportunity to the other party to review and comment upon such public statement or press release).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) without prior consultation, each party may disseminate the information (and substantially similar
or consistent information) included in a press release or other document previously
approved for external distribution by
the other parties, (b) without limiting any other provision of this Agreement, the restrictions set forth in this Section 8.04 shall
not apply to the Company in connection with any press release, public statement or filing to be issued or made with respect to any Acquisition
Proposal (including any “stop, look and listen” release) or Adverse Recommendation Change and (c) the restrictions set forth
in this Section 8.04 shall not apply in connection with
any dispute between the parties regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 8.05.
Further Assurances. At and after the Effective Time, the officers and directors of the Surviving Corporation shall
be authorized to execute and deliver, in the name and on behalf of the Company or Merger Sub, any deeds, bills of sale, assignments,
assurances or other instruments and to take and do, in the name and on behalf of the Company or Merger Sub, any other actions and things
to vest, perfect or confirm of record or otherwise in the Surviving Corporation any and all right, title and interest in, to and under
any of the rights, properties or assets of the Company acquired or to be acquired by the Surviving Corporation as a result of, or in
connection with, the Merger.
Section 8.06.
Section 16 Matters. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall take actions reasonably necessary to cause any dispositions
of (or other transactions in) Shares (including derivative securities with respect to such Shares) resulting from the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement by each officer or director who is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act with respect
to the Company to be exempt under Rule 16(b)-3 under the 1934 Act. All resolutions or other documents adopted or executed by the Company
in connection with the Company’s obligations under this Section 8.06 shall be subject to Parent’s reasonable prior review
and comment.
Section 8.07.
Notices of Certain Events. Each of the Company and Parent shall promptly notify the other, to the extent permitted
by Applicable Law, of:
(a)
any notice or other communication from any Person alleging that the consent of such Person is or may be required in connection
with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(b)
any notice or other communication from any Governmental Authority in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
(other than such communications contemplated in Section
8.01, which shall be governed by such Section);
(c)
any Actions commenced or, to its Knowledge, threatened against, relating to or involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
or Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, that, if pending on the date of this Agreement, would have been required to
have been disclosed pursuant to any Section of this Agreement or that relate to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement; and
(d)
any fact, event or circumstance, that would reasonably be expected to cause any condition to the Merger not to be satisfied.
provided, however, that the delivery
of any notice pursuant to this Section 8.07 shall not limit or otherwise affect the remedies available hereunder to the party
receiving such
notice. Notwithstanding anything herein
to the contrary, in no event shall any breach of this Section 8.07 (but not, for the avoidance of doubt, the underlying information in
any notice provided pursuant to this Section 8.07) be taken into account in determining whether the condition set forth in Section
9.02(a) or Section 9.03(a) has been satisfied or be used or taken into account as a basis for Parent to terminate this Agreement under
Section 10.01(c)(ii) or for the Company to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(d)(ii).
Section 8.08.
Stock Exchange De-listing. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall cooperate with Parent and use its reasonable
best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable
on its part under Applicable Laws and rules and policies of NASDAQ to enable the de-listing by the Surviving Corporation of the Shares
from NASDAQ and the deregistration of the Shares under the 1934 Act as promptly as practicable after the Effective Time.
Section 8.09.
Takeover Statutes. If any “control share acquisition,” “fair price,” “moratorium”
or other antitakeover or similar statute or regulation shall become applicable to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, each
of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub and the respective members of their boards of directors shall, to the extent permitted by Applicable
Law, use reasonable best efforts to grant such approvals and to take such actions as are reasonably necessary so that the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms contemplated herein and otherwise to take all
such other actions as are reasonably necessary to eliminate or minimize the effects of any such statute or regulation on the transactions
contemplated hereby.
Section 8.10.
Stockholder Litigation. The Company shall promptly advise Parent of any Action commenced after the date hereof against
the Company or any of its directors by any stockholder of the Company (on their own behalf or on behalf of the Company) relating to this
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, and shall keep Parent reasonably informed on a reasonably current
basis regarding any such Action. The Company shall (a) give Parent the opportunity to participate in the defense (but not control) and
settlement of any stockholder litigation against the Company and/or its officers or directors relating to the Merger or any of the other
transactions contemplated hereby, (b) provide Parent with the opportunity to consult with the Company regarding the defense of any such
litigation, and shall consider Parent’s views regarding such defense in good faith and (c) not settle any such litigation without
the prior written consent of Parent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned).
Section 8.11.
Financing Cooperation(a). (a) From the date hereof until the earlier of (x) the termination of this Agreement in accordance
with its terms and (y) Closing, in order to assist Parent and Merger Sub in obtaining its New Debt Financing, the Company shall, and
shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts, at Parent’s sole expense, to cooperate with Parent and Merger Sub
as reasonably requested by Parent in a manner that is customary in connection with the arrangement and implementation of the New Debt
Financing, which is expected to be a
public or institutional offering of Parent’s debt securities. Such reasonable best efforts by the Company to provide such cooperation
shall include, at the reasonable request of Parent, (i) reasonable best efforts to provide cooperation in the preparation of any offering
documents, offering memoranda, prospectuses, bank books, lender and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations and similar
documents used in connection with the syndication and/or marketing of the New Debt Financing (including any authorization letter), provided
that Parent is solely responsible for the content of any pro forma financial statements, synergies, projections or adjustments
contained therein, in each case other than any such content that consists of, or is derived from, historical financial information of
the Company, (ii) furnishing Parent and its debt financing sources, promptly after Parent’s request, with the Required Financial
Statements and consenting to the inclusion or incorporation by reference in any SEC filing and/or offering materials related to the New
Debt Financing of the Required Financial Statements, (iii) using reasonable best efforts to participate in and provide reasonable assistance
in connection with the due diligence of the Debt Financing Sources for the New Debt Financing; provided, however (A) that in the
case of any non-public or otherwise confidential information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries provided to Parent in connection
with this clause (iii), Parent provides the Company with a draft of any disclosure that is based on or references such information included
in any offering documents, offering memoranda, prospectuses, bank books, lender and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations
and similar documents used in connection with the offering of Parent’s debt securities reasonably in advance of distribution thereof,
(B) confidential information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of the type included in such draft offering documents,
offering memoranda, prospectuses, bank books, lender and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations or similar documents is
customarily disclosed or otherwise required to be disclosed in offering documents, offering memoranda, prospectuses, bank books, lender
and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations or similar documents for public offerings of debt securities or offerings of
debt securities pursuant to Rule 144A of a type similar to that being arranged by Parent and (B) to the extent the Company determines
that it is necessary or desirable for Company (or its Subsidiaries) to file a Current Report on Form 8-K pursuant to the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, that contains material non-public information with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries contained in
any such offering documents, offering memoranda, prospectuses, bank books, lender and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations
or similar documents, Parent shall give Company (or its Subsidiary (including following the consummation of the Transactions)) a reasonable
opportunity to file such Current Report on Form 8-K before Parent distributes such offering documents, offering memoranda, prospectuses,
bank books, lender and investor presentations, ratings agency presentations or similar documents, (iv) using reasonable best efforts
with respect to the participation by members of management of the Company with appropriate seniority in any presentations, road shows,
sessions with rating agencies and due diligence meetings, as applicable, in each case, upon reasonable advance notice, during normal
business hours, and at a mutually agreed time, (v) solely as required in connection with the offering of Parent’s debt securities,
assisting Parent in securing the customary cooperation of the independent accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries by providing
customary authorization
letters or auditor representation letters
and requesting that such independent accountants provide customary comfort letters (including “negative assurance” comfort)
and consents for use of their reports, on customary terms and consistent with their customary practice in connection with such offering
of Parent’s debt securities, (vi) providing documents reasonably requested by Parent relating to the repayment or refinancing of
any indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to be repaid or refinanced on the Closing Date and the
release of related liens or guarantees, including customary payoff letters and evidence that notice of any repayment has been timely
delivered to the holders of such indebtedness in each case in accordance with the terms of the definitive documents governing such indebtedness,
and (vii) providing at least three Business Days in advance of the Closing Date such documentation and other information about the Company
and its Subsidiaries as is reasonably requested in writing by Parent at least 10 Business Days in advance of the Closing Date in connection
with the New Debt Financing that relates to applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations,
including without limitation the USA PATRIOT ACT, and, to the extent required, a beneficial ownership certificate (substantially similar
in form and substance to the form of Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers published jointly, in May 2018,
by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) in respect of any of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries that qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation
(31 C.F.R. § 1010.230). All non-public or otherwise confidential information regarding the Company obtained by the Parent and Merger
Sub pursuant to this Section 8.11 shall be kept confidential in accordance with the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement.
(b)
Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall “reasonable best efforts”
of the Company require it to, or require it to cause its Subsidiaries to, (i) take any action to the extent it would materially interfere
with the management, business or operations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or create a risk of damage or destruction to any
property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) pay any fee or make any other payment in connection with the New Debt
Financing unless and until the Closing occurs, (iii) pass resolutions or consents to approve or authorize the New Debt Financing or the
execution and delivery of the definitive documentation related thereto or require the board of directors (or any similar governing body)
to take any action or cause any of its representatives to waive or amend any terms of this Agreement, agree to pay any commitment, financing
or other fees or reimburse any expenses or to approve the execution or delivery of any document or certificate in connection with the
New Debt Financing, in each case that is not contingent on, or that would be effective prior to, the occurrence of the Closing, (iv)
take any action that will conflict with or violate any formation or organizational documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
or any applicable legal requirements, or that will result in the contravention of, or would reasonably be expected to result in a violation
or breach of, or default under, any Applicable Law or material agreement (in each case prior to the Closing), (v) take any action that
could reasonably be expected to result in any officer, director, employee, agent, attorney, accountant or advisor of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries incurring any liability with respect to any matters related to the New Debt Financing (other than
any such liability resulting from such
Person’s actual fraud or willful misconduct), (vi) take any action that would cause any condition to Closing set forth in this
Agreement to fail to be satisfied, or any representation or warranty set forth in this Agreement to be inaccurate, or otherwise cause
any breach of this Agreement that would provide Parent the right to terminate this Agreement (unless, in each case, waived in advance
by Parent), (vii) incur any liability (or cause its directors, officers or employees to incur any liability) under or with respect to
the New Debt Financing prior to the Closing Date, (viii) cause the execution or delivery of any definitive financing documents or any
certificate (including as to solvency) by the Company or its Subsidiaries or their advisors or other representatives, except for documents
executed by the Company or its Subsidiaries that would not be effective prior to the Closing Date (except the customary authorization
letter pursuant to the paragraph above), (ix) cause the execution or delivery of any legal opinions, (x) deliver any projections or pro
forma financial information to any third parties, (xi) take any action that the Company believes would result in the loss of attorney-client
privilege or other similar legal privilege, (xii) consent to the pre-filing of UCC-1s or the grant of liens on the Company’s assets
prior to Closing, (xiii) approach any third-parties prior to Closing to discuss agreements limiting the rights of such third parties,
(xiv) give representation or warranties to or indemnify any third-party, prior to Closing, (xv) obtain, compile or provide any financial
statements other than Required Financial Statements or (xvi) obtain, compile, or provide any other information, if obtaining, compiling
or providing such information would impose a material and unreasonable burden on the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their
respective Representatives.
(c)
Parent acknowledges and agrees that none of the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their respective directors, officers, employees,
representatives and advisors (including legal, financial and accounting advisors) shall have any responsibility for, or shall be required
to incur any liability (personal or otherwise, other than any such liability resulting from bad faith or willful misconduct of the Company,
any of its Subsidiaries or their respective Representatives or Affiliates) to any Person under or in connection with, the arrangement
of the New Debt Financing that Parent may raise in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and that Parent shall
indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its Subsidiaries and their respective Representatives, directors, officers, employees, representatives
and advisors (including legal, financial and accounting advisors) from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, costs or
expenses suffered or incurred by them in connection with the arrangement or implementation of the New Debt Financing or any information
utilized in connection therewith, except to the extent such losses, damages, claims, costs or expenses result from the bad faith or willful
misconduct of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or their respective Representatives or Affiliates. Parent shall promptly reimburse
the Company for all out-of-pocket costs or expenses incurred by the Company and its Subsidiaries in connection with cooperation provided
for in this Section 8.11. This Section 8.11(c) shall survive the consummation of the Merger and the Closing and any termination of this
Agreement, and is intended to benefit, and may be enforced by, the officers and directors of the Company, its Subsidiaries and their
Affiliates and their and their Affiliates’ respective heirs, executors, estates and personal representatives who are each third
party beneficiaries of this Section 8.11(c).
(d)
Parent shall keep Company informed on a reasonably current basis and in reasonable detail with respect to all material activity
and developments concerning the status of Parent’s efforts to arrange the New Debt Financing.
(e)
The Company hereby consents, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries, to the use of the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’
logos in connection with the New Debt Financing; provided that such logos are used in a manner that is not intended to harm or disparage
the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ reputation or goodwill.
(f)
For the avoidance of doubt and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, each of Parent and Merger Sub acknowledges
and agrees that its obligation to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement on the terms and subject to the conditions
set forth herein are not conditioned upon the availability or consummation of the New Debt Financing or any other debt financing, the
availability of any alternate debt financing, the availability of any equity financing or receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(g)
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall any breach of this Section 8.11 be taken into account
in determining whether any condition contained in this Agreement (including the condition set forth in Section 9.02(a)) has been satisfied
or be used or taken into account as a basis for Parent to terminate this Agreement unless such breach is the proximate cause of the failure
to procure the New Debt Financing in a manner that resulted in a breach of Parent’s obligations under this Agreement.
Article
9
Conditions to the Merger
Section 9.01.
Conditions to the Obligations of Each Party. The obligations of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the
Merger are subject to the satisfaction (or the waiver by the Company and Parent) of the following conditions:
(a)
no injunction or other order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States or Applicable Law or legal prohibition
in the United States shall prohibit or make illegal the consummation of the Merger;
(b)
the Requisite Company Vote shall have been obtained; and
(c)
any applicable waiting period under the HSR Act relating to the transactions contemplated hereby shall have expired or been terminated.
Section 9.02.
Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. The obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the
Merger are subject to the satisfaction (or the waiver by Parent) of the following conditions:
(a)
the Company shall have performed in all material respects all of its obligations under this Agreement required to be performed
by it at or prior to the Effective Time;
(b)
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Sections 4.01,
4.02, 4.04(a),
4.26, 4.27 and 4.28 of this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and at and
as of the Effective Time (except to the extent any such representation or warranty expressly relates to an earlier date or period, in
which case as of such date or period), (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in the first three sentences
of Section 4.05, the first two sentences of Section 4.05(b) and the second sentence of Section 4.06(b) of this Agreement shall be true
and correct, other than in de minimis respects, as of the date of this Agreement and at and as of the Effective Time (except to
the extent any such representation or warranty expressly relates to an earlier date or period, in which case as of such date or period);
(iii) the representation and warranty of the Company set forth in Section
4.10(b) of this Agreement shall be true and correct in all respects as of the date of this Agreement and at and as of the Effective Time;
and (iv) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement (other than those referred to in the preceding
clauses (i)-(iii)) shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and at and as of the Effective Time (except to the extent
any such representation or warranty expressly relates to an earlier date or period, in which case as of such date or period), except
where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct has not had a Company Material Adverse Effect that
is continuing, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, in
the case of clauses (i), (ii), and (iv) disregarding for this purpose all “Company Material Adverse Effect” and “materiality”
qualifications contained in such representations and warranties;
(c)
since the date hereof, no event, occurrence, change, state of circumstances or facts has occurred or arisen, that, individually
or in the aggregate with all other events, occurrences, changes, states of circumstances or facts occurring or arising since the date
hereof, would reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect; and
(d)
the Company shall have delivered to Parent a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by an executive officer of the Company
dated as of the Closing Date certifying that the conditions specified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) have been satisfied.
Section 9.03.
Conditions to the Obligations of the Company. The obligations of the Company to consummate the Merger are subject to
the satisfaction (or waiver by the Company) of the following conditions:
(a)
Parent and Merger Sub shall have performed in all material respects all of their obligations under this Agreement required to
be performed by them at or prior to the Effective Time;
(b)
the representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date
of this Agreement and at and as of
the Effective Time (except to the extent
any such representation or warranty expressly relates to an earlier date or period, in which case as of such date or period), except
where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct has not had a Parent Material Adverse Effect that
is continuing, and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect, disregarding
for this purpose all “Parent Material Adverse Effect” and “materiality” qualifications contained in such representations
and warranties; and
(c)
Parent shall have delivered to the Company a certificate signed on behalf of Parent by an executive officer of Parent dated as
of the Closing Date certifying that the conditions specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) have been satisfied.
Article
10
Termination
Section 10.01.
Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, may be
abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time:
(a)
by mutual written agreement of the Company and Parent;
(b)
by either the Company or Parent, if:
(i)
the Effective Time has not occurred on or before February 7, 2025, as such may be extended pursuant to Section 11.13 (such date
as it may be extended, the “End Date”); provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant
to this Section 10.01(b)(i) shall not be available to any party whose material breach of any provision of this Agreement has been
the proximate cause of or has resulted in the failure of the Merger to be consummated by the End Date;
(ii)
any court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority in the United States shall have issued an injunction, order
or decree that (A) prohibits or makes illegal consummation of the Merger or (B) permanently enjoins Parent, Merger Sub or the Company
from consummating the Merger, and, with respect to any injunction, order or decree referenced in clause (A) or (B), such injunction,
order or decree shall have become final and nonappealable; provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant
to this Section 10.01(b)(ii) shall not be available to any party whose material breach of any provision of this Agreement has
been the proximate cause of or has resulted in such an injunction, order or decree being issued;
(iii)
(A) the Company Meeting (including any adjournment or postponement thereof) shall have been held and completed and the Company’s
stockholders shall have taken a final vote on a proposal to adopt this Agreement and (B) this Agreement shall not have been adopted at
the Company Meeting (and shall not have been adopted at any adjournment or postponement thereof) by the Requisite Company Vote; or
(c)
by Parent, if, prior to the Effective Time:
(i)
an Adverse Recommendation Change shall have occurred;
(ii)
a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement on the part of the Company set forth
in this Agreement, in each case, shall have occurred that would cause the conditions set forth in Section
9.02(a) or Section 9.02(b) not to be satisfied and such breach or failure is incapable of being cured or, if curable, is not cured by
the Company prior to 30 calendar days after receipt by the Company of written notice from Parent of such breach or failure, provided
that, at the time of delivery of such notice or thereafter, Parent or Merger Sub shall not be in breach of its or their representations,
warranties or obligations under this Agreement so as to cause any of the conditions set forth in Section 9.01, Section 9.03(a) or Section
9.03(b) not to be capable of being satisfied; or
(d)
by the Company:
(i)
prior to receipt of the Requisite Company Vote, in order to accept a Superior Proposal and concurrently therewith or immediately
thereafter enter into a binding written definitive acquisition agreement providing for the consummation of a transaction for such Superior
Proposal, provided that (A) the Company shall have complied in all material respects with
Section 6.03 with respect to such Superior Proposal and contemplated termination and (B) the Company shall have paid the
Termination Fee immediately before or concurrently with and as a condition to such termination; or
(ii)
if, prior to the Effective Time, a breach of any representation or warranty or failure to perform any covenant or agreement on
the part of Parent or Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement, in each case, shall have occurred that would cause the conditions set forth
in Section 9.03(a) and Section 9.03(b) not to be satisfied and such breach or failure is incapable of being cured or, if curable, is
not cured by Parent or Merger Sub prior to 30 calendar days after receipt by Parent or Merger Sub of written notice from the Company
of such breach or failure, provided that, at the time of delivery of such notice or thereafter, the Company shall not be in breach
of its or their representations, warranties or obligations under this Agreement so as to cause any of the conditions set forth in Section
9.01, Section 9.02(a) or Section 9.02(b) not to
be capable of being satisfied.
The party desiring to terminate this
Agreement pursuant to this Section 10.01 (other than pursuant
to Section 10.01(a)) shall give written notice of such termination
to the other party.
Section 10.02.
Effect of Termination. If this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to
Section 10.01, this Agreement shall become void and of no effect without liability of any party (or any stockholder, director,
officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to the other parties hereto; provided, however, that, no
termination of this Agreement shall relieve any party hereto of any liability for damages (which the parties acknowledge and agree shall
not be limited to reimbursement of costs or expenses, and
may include the benefit of the bargain
and/or premium lost by a party’s stockholders or equity holders, as applicable (taking into consideration all relevant matters,
including other combination opportunities and the time value of money)) for fraud or any Willful Breach of this Agreement. Notwithstanding
anything in this Section 10.02 to the contrary, (a) the
Confidentiality Agreement, (b) the provisions of this
Section 10.02 and Article 11, (c) the provisions of the
last sentence of Section 8.01(b) (subject to the parenthetical at the end of this Section 10.02) and (d) the obligations of Parent to
reimburse costs and expenses of the Company as provided in Section 8.11 and to indemnify and hold harmless the Persons specified in Section
8.11 in accordance with such Section (the rights of the Company and the obligations of Parent described in (c) and (d) are referred to
as the “Surviving Economic Provisions,” subject to the parenthetical at the end of this Section 10.02), shall, in
each case of (a) through (d), survive any termination hereof pursuant to
Section 10.01 (it being understood, for the sake of clarity, that the provisions of the last sentence of Section 8.01(b) shall
not survive any termination of this Agreement in connection with which the Reverse Termination Fee is actually paid to the Company).
Article
11
Miscellaneous
Section 11.01.
Notices. All notices, requests and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed
properly delivered, given and received: (a) if delivered by hand, when delivered; (b) if sent by registered, certified or first class
mail, the third Business Day after being sent; (c) if sent by overnight delivery via a national courier service, two Business Days after
being delivered to such courier; and (d) if sent by email, when sent, provided that (i) the subject line of such email states
that it is a notice delivered pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) the sender of such email does not receive a written notification of
delivery failure. All notices, requests and other communications hereunder shall be delivered to the address or email address set forth
beneath the name of such party below (or to such other such other address or email address as such party may hereafter specify for the
purpose by notice in accordance with this Section to the other parties hereto):
if to Parent, Merger
Sub or, after the Effective Time, the Company or the Surviving Corporation, to:
Campbell Soup Company
1 Campbell Place
Camden, New Jersey 08103-1799
Attention: General Counsel
with a copy (which
shall not constitute notice) to:
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Attention:
John D. Amorosi
Daniel Brass
Email:
john.amorosi@davispolk.com
daniel.brass@davispolk.com
if to the Company,
prior to the Effective Time, to:
Sovos Brands, Inc.
1901 Fourth Street, Suite 200
Berkeley, CA 94710
Attention: Chief Legal Officer
with a copy (which
shall not constitute notice) to:
Hogan Lovells US LLP
855 Main Street
Suite 200
Redwood City, CA 94063
Attention:
Richard E. Climan
Keith A. Flaum
Email:
richard.climan@hoganlovells.com
keith.flaum@hoganlovells.com
Section 11.02.
Survival of Representations, Warranties, Covenants and Agreements. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements
contained in this Agreement and in any certificate or other writing delivered pursuant hereto shall not survive the Effective Time, except
for (a) those covenants and agreements contained herein that by their terms apply or are to be performed in whole or in part after the
Effective Time and (b) those covenants and agreements set forth in this
Article 11 (but, in the case of Section 11.13, only to the extent relating to obligations that are required to be performed
after, or survive following, the termination of this Agreement).
Section 11.03.
Amendments and Waivers. (a) Any provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived prior to the Effective Time if, but
only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is signed, in the case of an amendment, by each party to this Agreement or, in the
case of a waiver, by each party against whom the waiver is to be effective; provided, however, that after the Requisite Company
Vote has been obtained there shall be no amendment that would require the further approval of the stockholders of the Company under the
DGCL without such approval having first been obtained.
(b)
No failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall
any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.
The rights and remedies herein provided shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by Applicable Law.
Section
11.04. Expenses. (a) General.
Except as otherwise provided herein, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement shall be paid by the party incurring
such cost or expense.
(b)
Termination Fee. (i) If this Agreement is terminated by Parent pursuant to Section 10.01(c)(i) or by the Company pursuant
to Section 10.01(d)(i), then the Company shall pay to
Parent in immediately available funds $71,337,435 (the “Termination Fee”), in the case of a termination by Parent,
within one Business Day after such termination and, in the case of a termination by the Company, immediately before or concurrently with
and as a condition to such termination.
(ii)
If (A) this Agreement is terminated by Parent or the Company pursuant to
Section 10.01(b)(i) or Section 10.01(b)(iii) or by Parent pursuant to Section 10.01(c)(ii), (B) after the date of this
Agreement and prior to such termination, an Acquisition Proposal shall have been publicly announced or otherwise been communicated to
the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders and not publicly withdrawn, (C) within 12 months following the date of such
termination, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall have consummated an Acquisition Proposal or shall have entered into a definitive
agreement with respect to an Acquisition Proposal, which subsequently shall have been consummated (provided that for purposes
of this clause (C), each reference to “15%” in the definition of Acquisition Proposal shall be deemed to be a reference to
“50%”), then the Company shall pay to Parent in immediately available funds to an account designated by Parent, prior to
or concurrently with the occurrence of the applicable event described in clause (C), the Termination Fee.
(iii)
For the avoidance of doubt, the Termination Fee shall only be payable by the Company once hereunder. Notwithstanding anything
to the contrary contained in this Agreement, except in the case of fraud or Willful Breach of this Agreement by the Company, Parent’s
receipt of payment of the Termination Fee from the Company shall be the sole and exclusive remedy of Parent and Merger Sub against the
Company and its Affiliates and their respective Representatives (each such Person, a “Company Related Party”) for
the loss suffered as a result of the failure of the Merger to be consummated or any loss suffered as a result of any breach of any covenant
or agreement in this Agreement, and upon payment of such amount, none of the Company or any other Company Related Party shall have any
further liability or obligation relating to or arising out of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 11.04(b)(iii) shall limit the rights
of Parent or Merger Sub under Section 11.13 (or otherwise with respect to injunctive or similar relief), in each case prior to the termination
of this Agreement.
(c)
Reverse Termination Fee. If this Agreement is terminated by Parent or the Company pursuant to (i) Section 10.01(b)(i) and,
at the time of such termination, the conditions set forth in Section 9.01(a) or Section 9.01(c) shall not have been satisfied (in each
case, solely as a result of failure to obtain the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period relating to the Merger under
the HSR Act or the issuance of an injunction or order or application of Applicable Law or other legal prohibition, in each case relating
to antitrust laws in the United States) or (ii) Section 10.01(b)(ii) (solely as a result of failure to obtain the expiration or termination
of the applicable waiting period
relating to the Merger under the HSR
Act or the issuance of an injunction, order or decree relating to antitrust laws in the United States), and at the time of such termination
referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, the conditions set forth in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b) shall have been satisfied (assuming
for the purpose of determining whether the conditions set forth in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b) have been satisfied in this clause,
that all references to “Effective Time” in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b) shall be deemed to refer instead to the time
of termination of this Agreement under this Section) or waived in accordance with this Agreement, then Parent shall promptly, but in
no event later than two Business Days after the date of such termination, pay to the Company an amount equal to (i) $145,000,000 (the
“Reverse Termination Fee”) in immediately available funds to an account designated by the Company minus (ii)
the aggregate amount actually paid by Parent (or any of its Affiliates) pursuant to Section 8.01(b). For the avoidance of doubt, (i)
the Reverse Termination Fee shall only be payable by Parent once hereunder and (ii) upon payment of the Reverse Termination Fee (minus
the aggregate amount actually paid by Parent (or any of its Affiliates) pursuant to Section 8.01(b)), no amount shall be payable
pursuant to Section 8.01(b). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, except in the case of fraud or Willful
Breach of this Agreement by Parent or Merger Sub, the Company’s receipt of the Reverse Termination Fee from Parent shall be the
sole and exclusive remedy of the Company against Parent, Merger Sub and their Affiliates and their respective Representatives (each such
Person, a “Parent Related Party”) for the loss suffered as a result of the failure of the Merger to be consummated
or any loss suffered as a result of any breach of any covenant or agreement in this Agreement, and upon payment of such amount, none
of Parent or any other Parent Related Party shall have any further liability or obligation relating to or arising out of this Agreement;
provided, however, that the foregoing shall not limit the rights of the Company or any of its Affiliates, or any of its or their
respective Representatives, or the obligations of Parent to pay or reimburse, any amounts payable or reimbursable by Parent under the
Surviving Economic Provisions. Nothing in this Section 11.04(c) shall limit the rights of the Company under Section 11.13 (or otherwise
with respect to injunctive or similar relief), in each case prior to the termination of this Agreement.
(d)
Other Costs and Expenses. The parties acknowledge and agree that the agreements contained in this Section 11.04 are an
integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and that, without these agreements, the parties would not enter into
this Agreement. Accordingly, if a party fails promptly to pay any amount due to another party pursuant to this Section 11.04, it shall
also pay any costs and expenses incurred by the party owed such payment in connection with a legal action (including any settlement thereof)
to enforce this Agreement that results in a judgment against the party failing to make such payment for such amount, together with interest
on the amount of any unpaid fee, cost or expense at the prime rate as published in The Wall Street Journal from the date such fee, cost
or expense was required to be paid to (but excluding) the payment date.
Section 11.05.
Disclosure Schedule and SEC Document References. The parties hereto agree that any reference in a particular Section of
the Company Disclosure Schedule shall only be deemed to be an exception to (or, as
applicable, a disclosure for purposes
of) (a) the representations and warranties (or covenants, as applicable) of the relevant party that are contained in the corresponding
Section of this Agreement and (b) any other representations and warranties of such party that is contained in this Agreement, but only
if the relevance of that reference as an exception to (or a disclosure for purposes of) such representations and warranties would be
readily apparent to a reasonable person who has read that reference and such representations and warranties.
Section 11.06.
Binding Effect; Benefit; Assignment. (a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to
the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Except (i) as provided in Section 7.02 and Section 8.11(c)
and (ii) for the provisions of Article 2 (which, from and after the Effective Time, shall be for the benefit of Persons who are holders
of Shares and other Company Securities immediately prior to the Effective Time), no provision of this Agreement is intended to confer
any rights, benefits, remedies, obligations or liabilities hereunder upon any Person other than the parties hereto and their respective
successors and assigns; provided, however, that the Company shall be entitled and shall have the right to pursue and recover
damages (including damages based on the consideration that would have otherwise been payable to holders of Shares or Company Securities
or based on the loss of market value or decline in stock price of the Company) in the name of and on behalf of such holders in the event
of any breach by Parent or Merger Sub of this Agreement, which right is hereby acknowledged and agreed to by Parent and Merger Sub.
(b)
No party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written
consent of each other party hereto, except that Parent (but not Merger Sub) may, without the consent of any other party hereto, transfer
or assign its respective rights and obligations under this Agreement, in whole or from time to time in part, to one or more of its Subsidiaries
at any time; provided, however, that such transfer or assignment shall not relieve Parent of its obligations hereunder.
Section 11.07.
Governing Law. This Agreement, including any claims or causes of action (whether in contract, tort or statute) that
may be based upon, arise out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance thereof or the transactions
contemplated hereby, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflicts
of law rules of such state.
Section 11.08.
Jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any action, suit or legal proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of,
or based on any matter arising out of or in connection with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (whether brought
by any party or any of its Affiliates or against any party or any of its Affiliates) shall be brought in the Delaware Chancery Court
or, if such court shall not have jurisdiction, any federal court located in the State of Delaware or other Delaware state court, and
each of the parties hereby irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts (and of the appropriate appellate courts
therefrom) in any such action, suit or legal proceeding and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any
objection that it may now or hereafter
have to the laying of the venue of any such action, suit or legal proceeding in any such court or that any such action suit or legal
proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Process in any such action, suit or legal proceeding
may be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the jurisdiction of any such court. Without limiting the
foregoing, each party agrees that service of process on such party as provided in
Section 11.01 shall be deemed effective service of process on such party.
Section 11.09.
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY
LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 11.10.
Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an
original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument, it being understood that the parties
need not sign the same counterpart. Any such counterpart, to the extent delivered by fax or .pdf, .tif, .gif, .jpg or similar attachment
to electronic mail (any such delivery, an “Electronic Delivery”), will be treated in all manner and respects as an
original executed counterpart and will be considered to have the same binding legal effect as if it were the original signed version
thereof delivered in person. This Agreement shall become effective when each party hereto shall have received a counterpart hereof signed
(including by electronic signature) by all of the other parties hereto. Until and unless each party has received a counterpart hereof
signed (including by electronic signature) by the other party hereto, this Agreement shall have no effect and no party shall have any
right or obligation hereunder (whether by virtue of any other oral or written agreement or other communication). No party may raise the
use of an Electronic Delivery to deliver a signature, or the fact that any signature or agreement or instrument was transmitted or communicated
through the use of an Electronic Delivery, as a defense to the formation of a contract, and each party forever waives any such defense,
except to the extent such defense relates to lack of authenticity.
Section 11.11.
Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the Company Disclosure Schedule) and
the Confidentiality Agreement constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement
and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both oral and written, between the parties with respect to the subject matter
of this Agreement.
Section 11.12.
Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction
or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions
of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated so long as the economic
or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby, taken as a whole, is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any
party. Upon such a determination, the parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent
of the parties as
closely as possible in an acceptable
manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
Section 11.13.
Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur if any provision of this Agreement
were not performed in accordance with the terms hereof, and that money damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, and
that the parties shall be entitled (without proof of actual damages and without being required to prove that money damages are an inadequate
remedy) to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the performance of the terms
and provisions hereof in the courts referred to in Section
11.08, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law or in equity. The parties further agree to (a) waive any
requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with such remedy, and that such remedy shall be in addition to any
other remedy to which a party is entitled at law or in equity and (b) not assert that a remedy of specific performance or an injunction
is unenforceable, invalid, contrary to law or inequitable for any reason. If, prior to the End Date, any party brings any action, suit
or proceeding in accordance with this Section 11.13 to enforce specifically the performance of the terms and provisions of this Agreement
by any other party, the End Date shall automatically be extended by (i) the amount of time during which such action, suit or proceeding
is pending, plus 20 Business Days or (ii) such other time period established by the court presiding over such action, suit or proceeding,
as the case may be.
Section 11.14.
Financing Matters. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company, each on behalf of itself,
its Subsidiaries and each of its controlled Affiliates hereby: (a) agrees that any action or proceeding, whether in law or in equity,
whether in contract or in tort or otherwise, involving the Debt Financing Sources, arising out of or relating to, this Agreement, the
New Debt Financing or any of the agreements entered into in connection with the New Debt Financing or any of the transactions contemplated
hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District
Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction,
the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan), and any appellate court from any thereof and each party
hereto irrevocably submits itself and its property with respect to any such action or proceeding to the exclusive jurisdiction of such
court, (b) agrees that any such action or proceeding shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York (without giving effect to
any conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another state), except as otherwise provided in any
agreement relating to the New Debt Financing, (c) agrees not to bring or support or permit any of its controlled Affiliates to bring
or support any action or proceeding of any kind or description, whether in law or in equity, whether in contract or in tort or otherwise,
against any Debt Financing Source in any way arising out of or relating to, this Agreement, the New Debt Financing or any agreement entered
into in connection with the New Debt Financing or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any services
thereunder in any forum other than any federal (to the extent permitted by law) or state court in the Borough of Manhattan, New York,
New York, (d) agrees that service of process upon the Company, and each of their
respective Subsidiaries or their respective
controlled Affiliates in any such action or proceeding shall be effective if notice is given in accordance with Section 11.01, (e) irrevocably
waives, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or
proceeding in any such court, (f) knowingly, intentionally and voluntarily waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law trial
by jury in any action or proceeding brought against the Debt Financing Sources in any way arising out of or relating to, this Agreement,
the New Debt Financing or any agreement entered into in connection with the New Debt Financing or any of the transactions contemplated
hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder, (g) agrees that none of the Debt Financing Sources will have any liability
to the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries or any of their respective controlled Affiliates or Representatives relating to
or arising out of this Agreement, the New Debt Financing or any agreement entered into in connection with the New Debt Financing or any
of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder, whether in law or in equity, whether
in contract or in tort or otherwise, (h) hereby waives any and all claims and causes of action against the Debt Financing Sources relating
to or arising out of this Agreement, the New Debt Financing or any agreement entered into in connection with the New Debt Financing or
any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any services thereunder, whether in law or in equity, whether
in contract or in tort or otherwise, (i) agrees not to commence (and if commenced agrees to dismiss or otherwise terminate, and not to
assist) any action or proceeding against any Debt Financing Source under this Agreement, the New Debt Financing or any agreement entered
into in connection with the New Debt Financing or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, (j) agrees that the Debt Financing
Sources are express third party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, any of the provisions of this Section 11.14, and (k) agrees that the
provisions of this Section 11.14 and the definition of “Debt Financing Sources” (and any other provisions of this Agreement
to the extent a modification thereof would affect the substance of any of the foregoing) shall not be amended in any manner adverse to
the Debt Financing Sources without the prior written consent of the Debt Financing Sources parties to the debt commitment letter. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, nothing herein (including, without limitation, clauses (g), (h) and (i) of the immediately preceding sentence) shall limit
the liability or obligations of the Debt Financing Sources to Parent under any agreement entered into in connection with the New Debt
Financing.
[The remainder
of this page has been intentionally left blank; the next page is the signature page.]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officers as of the date set forth on
the cover page of this Agreement.
|
Sovos
Brands, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Todd Lachman |
|
|
Name: |
Todd Lachman |
|
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
Campbell
Soup Company |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Mark A. Clouse |
|
|
Name: |
Mark A. Clouse |
|
|
Title: |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
Premium
Products Merger Sub, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Mick Beekhuizen |
|
|
Name: |
Mick Beekhuizen |
|
|
Title: |
President |
EXHIBIT
A
VOTING
AGREEMENT PARTIES
Directors:
Advent:
| 1. | Advent International GPE VIII Limited
Partnership |
| 2. | Advent International GPE VIII-B-1 Limited
Partnership |
| 3. | Advent International GPE VIII-B-2 Limited
Partnership |
| 4. | Advent International GPE VIII-B-3 Limited
Partnership |
| 5. | Advent International GPE VIII-B Limited
Partnership |
| 6. | Advent International GPE VIII-C Limited
Partnership |
| 7. | Advent International GPE VIII-D Limited
Partnership |
| 8. | Advent International GPE VIII-F Limited
Partnership |
| 9. | Advent International GPE VIII-H Limited
Partnership |
| 10. | Advent International GPE VIII-I Limited
Partnership |
| 11. | Advent International GPE VIII-J Limited
Partnership |
| 12. | Advent International GPE VIII-A Limited
Partnership |
| 13. | Advent International GPE VIII-E Limited
Partnership |
| 14. | Advent International GPE VIII-G Limited
Partnership |
| 15. | Advent International GPE VIII-K Limited
Partnership |
| 16. | Advent International GPE VIII-L Limited
Partnership |
| 17. | Advent Partners GPE VIII Limited Partnership |
| 18. | Advent Partners GPE VIII Cayman Limited
Partnership |
| 19. | Advent Partners GPE VIII-A Limited
Partnership |
| 20. | Advent Partners GPE VIII-A Cayman
Limited Partnership |
| 21. | Advent Partners GPE VIII-B Cayman
Limited Partnership |
Exhibit 10.1
VOTING AND
SUPPORT AGREEMENT
This VOTING AND
SUPPORT AGREEMENT (as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with its terms, this “Agreement”), dated
as of August 7, 2023, by and among the Persons listed on Schedule A hereto (each a “Stockholder” and collectively,
the “Stockholders”), in each such Person’s capacity as a stockholder of Sovos Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), and Campbell Soup Company, a New Jersey corporation (“Parent”). Capitalized terms
used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, in order
to induce Parent and Premium Products Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, to enter into
an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of the date hereof (the “Merger Agreement”) with the Company, Parent has
requested each Stockholder, and each Stockholder has agreed, to enter into this Agreement with respect to a specified number of shares
of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Shares”) that such Stockholder beneficially owns
as of the date hereof and are set forth next to such Stockholder’s name on Schedule A hereto (such Stockholder’s “Subject
Shares”); it being understood and agreed that each Stockholder also beneficially owns an additional amount of Shares as set
forth next to such Stockholder’s name on Schedule A hereto (such shares, the “Additional Advent Shares”)
as of the date hereof that are not Subject Shares under this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the foregoing and the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally
bound, hereby agree as follows:
Article
1
Grant of Proxy; Voting Agreement
Section 1.01.
Voting Agreement.
(a)
Beginning on the date hereof until the Expiration Date, each Stockholder hereby agrees to vote or exercise its right to consent
with respect to all Subject Shares that such Stockholder is entitled to vote at the time of any vote or action by written consent to
adopt the Merger Agreement and all agreements related to the Merger and any actions related thereto at any meeting of the stockholders
of the Company, and at any adjournment thereof, at which such Merger Agreement and other related agreements (or any amended version thereof),
or such other actions, are submitted for the consideration and vote of the stockholders of the Company. Beginning on the date hereof
until the Expiration Date, each Stockholder hereby agrees that it will not vote any Subject Shares in favor of, or consent to, and will
vote its Subject Shares against and not consent to, the approval of any (i) Acquisition Proposal, (ii) reorganization, recapitalization,
liquidation or winding-up of the Company or any other extraordinary transaction involving the Company, (iii) corporate action the consummation
of which would reasonably be
expected to interfere
with, prevent or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and (iv) any action or Contract that
would reasonably be expected to result in a material breach or violation of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation
of such Stockholder contained in this Agreement. Any such Stockholder shall provide the Company and Parent with at least three Business
Days’ written notice prior to signing any action proposed to be taken by written consent with respect to any Subject Shares.
(b)
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, (i) each Stockholder shall not be required to vote (or cause to be
voted) any of its Subject Shares to amend the Merger Agreement (including any schedule or exhibit thereto), or take any action that would
reasonably be expected to result in the amendment or modification, that: (A) (1) delays or imposes any additional restrictions or conditions
on the payment of the Merger Consideration, or (2) imposes any additional conditions on the consummation of the Merger; (B) alters or
changes the amount or kind of consideration to be paid to the holders of Shares in connection with the Merger (including Terminating
Company Restricted Stock Consideration); (C) impedes or delays the consummation of the Merger or (D) from and after the adoption of the
Merger Agreement by the holders of Shares, requires further approval of the Company’s stockholders under the DGCL (as defined below)
(each of the foregoing, an “Adverse Amendment”) and (ii) each Stockholder shall remain free to vote (or execute proxies
with respect to) its Subject Shares with respect to any matter not covered by Section 1.01(a) in any manner such Stockholder deems appropriate.
(c)
Proxies. Other than (i) for the purposes of voting its Subject Shares consistent with this Agreement, (ii) the granting
of proxies to vote Subject Shares to an Affiliate of such Stockholder as a Permitted Transfer and (iii) the granting of proxies to vote
Subject Shares with respect to the election of directors, ratification of the appointment of the Company’s auditors at the Company’s
annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders, and other routine matters at the Company’s annual meeting or any special meeting,
in either case, to the extent such matters are not (x) inconsistent with the obligations contemplated by the Merger Agreement or this
Agreement or (y) related to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement or this Agreement, each Stockholder shall not, directly
or indirectly, grant any Person any proxy (revocable or irrevocable), power of attorney or other authorization with respect to the voting
of any of such Stockholder’s Subject Shares.
Article
2
Representations and Warranties of Stockholders
Each Stockholder
represents and warrants to Parent that:
Section 2.01.
Corporate Authorization; Binding Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance by such Stockholder of this Agreement
and the consummation by such Stockholder of the transactions contemplated hereby are within the organizational powers of such Stockholder
and have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of such Stockholder. This Agreement constitutes a legal,
valid and binding
Agreement of such Stockholder, enforceable against such Stockholder in accordance with its terms,
subject, in the case of enforceability, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other
laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity. The Person signing this Agreement on behalf
of such Stockholder has full power and authority to enter into and perform this Agreement. Other
than as provided in the Merger Agreement and except for any filings by such Stockholder with the SEC, the execution, delivery and performance
by such Stockholder of this Agreement does not require any action by or in respect of, or any notice, report or other filing by such
Stockholder with or to, or any consent, registration, approval, permit or authorization from, any Governmental Authority, other than
any actions or filings the absence of which would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, materially prevent,
delay or impair or otherwise adversely impact such Stockholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.
Section 2.02.
Non-Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by such Stockholder
of this Agreement and the performance of its obligations contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) if such
Stockholder is an entity, violate the certificate of incorporation or bylaws (or other comparable organizational documents) of
such Stockholder, (ii) violate any Applicable Law applicable to such
Stockholder, (iii) require any consent, payment, notice to, or other action by any Person under, constitute a default under, or
give rise to any right of termination, cancellation or acceleration or to a loss of any benefit to which such
Stockholder is entitled under any provision of any agreement or other instrument binding on such
Stockholder or (iv) result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of such
Stockholder; except, with respect to clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), as would not reasonably
be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, materially prevent, delay or impair or otherwise adversely impact such Stockholder’s
ability to perform its obligations hereunder.
Section 2.03.
Ownership of Shares. Such Stockholder is beneficial owner of, and has voting
control over, its Subject Shares, free and clear of any Liens or any restriction on the right to vote or otherwise dispose of its Subject
Shares. Such Stockholder has, and will have at all times during the term of this Agreement, the
right to vote and direct the vote of, and to dispose of and direct the disposition of, such Stockholder’s Subject Shares, and there
are no Contracts of any kind, contingent or otherwise, obligating such Stockholder to Transfer, or cause to be Transferred, any of its
Subject Shares, and no Person has any contractual or other right or obligation to purchase or otherwise
acquire any of such Stockholder’s Subject Shares. Except for this Agreement, none of such Stockholder’s Subject Shares are
subject to any voting agreement, voting trust or other agreement or arrangement, including any proxy, consent or power of attorney that
are inconsistent with such Stockholder’s obligations pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 2.04.
Total Shares. As of the date hereof, except for its Subject Shares set forth on Schedule A hereto and its Additional
Advent Shares, such Stockholder does not beneficially own any Company Securities.
Section 2.05.
No Other Representations. Such Stockholder acknowledges and agrees that other than the representations expressly set forth
in this Agreement, Parent has not made, and is not making, any representations or warranties to such Stockholder with respect to Parent,
the Merger Agreement or any other matter. Such Stockholder hereby specifically disclaims reliance upon any representations or warranties
(other than the representations expressly set forth in this Agreement).
Section 2.06.
Absence of Litigation. Such Stockholder represents that there is no Action pending or, to the knowledge of such Stockholder,
threatened against or affecting (i) such Stockholder or any of its properties or assets (including such Stockholder’s Subject Shares)
or (ii) any of its controlled Affiliates or any of their respective properties or assets, in each case before (or, in the case of threatened
Actions, that would be before) or by any Governmental Authority or arbitrator that would reasonably be expected to, individually or in
the aggregate, materially prevent, delay or impair or otherwise materially and adversely impact such Stockholder’s ability to perform
its obligations hereunder or on a timely basis; provided that such Stockholder makes no representations or warranties regarding
any Action involving the Company or relating to the Merger Agreement.
Section 2.07.
Finder’s Fees. No investment banker, broker, finder or other intermediary is entitled to a fee or commission from
Parent or the Company in respect of this Agreement based upon any arrangement or agreement made by or on behalf of such Stockholder in
such Stockholder’s capacity as such.
Article
3
Representations and Warranties of Parent
Parent represents
and warrants to each Stockholder as follows:
Section 3.01.
Corporation Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance by Parent of this Agreement and the consummation by
Parent of the transactions contemplated hereby are within the corporate powers of Parent and have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding agreement of Parent, enforceable
against Parent in accordance with its terms, subject, in the case of enforceability, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent
transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity.
Section 3.02.
No Other Representations. Parent acknowledges and agrees that other than the representations expressly set forth in this
Agreement, each Stockholder has not made, and is not making, any representations or warranties to Parent with respect to such Stockholder,
the Merger Agreement or any other matter. Parent hereby specifically disclaims reliance upon any representations or warranties (other
than the representations expressly set forth in this Agreement).
Article
4
Covenants of Stockholders
Each Stockholder
hereby covenants and agrees that:
Section 4.01.
No Proxies for or Encumbrances on Subject Shares.
(a)
Except pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, such Stockholder shall not, without
the prior written consent of Parent, directly or indirectly, (i) grant any proxies, powers of attorney,
or any other authorizations or consents, or enter into any voting trust or other agreement or arrangement with respect to the
voting of any Subject Shares, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, encumber or otherwise dispose of, or enter into any contract, option or other
arrangement or understanding with respect to the direct or indirect sale, assignment, transfer, encumbrance or other disposition of (including
by gift, and whether by merger, by tendering into any tender or exchange offer, by testamentary disposition, by operation of law or otherwise,
and including pursuant to any derivative transaction), any Subject Shares (or any beneficial ownership therein or portion thereof) during
the term of this Agreement or consent to any of the foregoing (each, a “Transfer” (which defined term includes derivations
of such defined term)), (iii) otherwise permit any Liens to be created on any of such Stockholder’s
Subject Shares or (iv) enter into any Contract with respect to the direct or indirect Transfer of any of such Stockholder’s
Subject Shares; provided that nothing herein shall prohibit a Transfer of Subject Shares to an Affiliate of such Stockholder
(a “Permitted Transfer”); provided further, that, any Permitted Transfer shall be permitted only if, as a precondition
to such Transfer, the transferee agrees in writing, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Parent and the Company, to assume
all of the obligations of such Stockholder under, and be bound by the terms of, this Agreement,
by executing and delivering a joinder agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent and the Company.
Any Transfer in violation of this Section 4.01(a) shall be null and void ab initio. Such Stockholder hereby agrees that this Agreement
and the obligations hereunder shall attach to such Stockholder’s Subject Shares and
shall be binding upon any Person to which legal or beneficial ownership shall pass, whether by operation of law or otherwise including
its successors or permitted assigns and if any involuntary Transfer of any of such Stockholder’s
Subject Shares shall occur (including a sale by such Stockholder’s trustee in any
bankruptcy, or a sale to a purchaser at any creditor’s or court sale), the transferee (which term, as used herein, shall include
any and all transferees and subsequent transferees of the initial transferee) shall take and hold such Stockholder’s
Subject Shares subject to all of the restrictions, liabilities and rights under this Agreement as such Stockholder
for all purposes hereunder. Each Stockholder authorizes the Company to impose stop orders to prevent the Transfer of any of such Stockholder’s
Subject Shares in violation of this Agreement.
(b)
In the event that any Stockholder intends to undertake a Permitted Transfer during the term
of this Agreement of any Subject Shares, such Stockholder shall provide prior notice thereof
to the Company and Parent, and Parent shall authorize the Company to, or authorize the Company to instruct its transfer agent
to, (a) lift any stop order in respect of its Subject Shares to be so Transferred in order to effect such Permitted
Transfer only upon
receipt of written certification by Parent and the Company that the written joinder agreement entered into by the transferee agreeing
to be bound by this Agreement pursuant to Section 4.01(a) hereof is satisfactory to Parent and the Company and (b) re-enter any stop
order in respect of its Subject Shares to be so Transferred upon completion of the Permitted Transfer.
Section 4.02.
Other Offers.
(a)
Such Stockholder shall not, and shall not authorize, allow or permit any of its Representatives (other than non-officer employees)
to (and shall use reasonable best efforts to cause its non-officer employees to not), directly or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate or
knowingly take any action to facilitate or encourage the submission of any Acquisition Proposal, (ii) enter into, engage in or participate
in any discussions or negotiations with, furnish any non-public information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or afford
access to the business, properties, assets, books, records work papers and other documents related to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to, otherwise knowingly cooperate in any way with, or knowingly assist, participate in, facilitate or encourage any effort by any Third
Party that is seeking to make, or has made, an Acquisition Proposal, (iii) enter into any agreement in principle, letter of intent, indication
of interest, term sheet, merger agreement, acquisition agreement, option agreement or other similar instrument relating to an Acquisition
Proposal or (iv) agree to do any of the foregoing. Such Stockholder shall, and shall instruct its Representatives to, cease immediately
and cause to be terminated any and all existing activities, discussions or negotiations, if any, with any Third Party (or any Representatives
of any Third Party) conducted prior to the date hereof with respect to any Acquisition Proposal made by such Third Party. If such Stockholder
receives an Acquisition Proposal that is not also addressed to the Company or one of its other Representatives (or if the Company or
one of its other Representatives is not copied on any such Acquisition Proposal), then such Stockholder shall provide such Acquisition
Proposal (if in written form (including, for the sake of clarity, in any e-mails or other electronic communications) or all material
details of such Acquisition Proposal, if not in written form) to the Company promptly after receipt thereof and direct the Person submitting
any such Acquisition Proposal to such Stockholder to comply with the requirements of Section 6.03 of the Merger Agreement in respect
thereof.
(b)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, such Stockholder and its Affiliates and Representatives shall be entitled
to engage in discussions and negotiations with respect to entering into a voting and support agreement (or other similar agreement) with
any Person that would be entered into at any time after the termination of this Agreement, or any preparations therefor, in each case,
in connection with an Acquisition Proposal or a Superior Proposal to the extent that the Company is permitted to engage in discussions
and negotiations (and otherwise cooperate with) or assist and participate in and facilitate any effort by any such Person or any preparations
therefor in accordance with Section 6.03 of the Merger Agreement. Furthermore, this Agreement shall not restrict the ability of such
Stockholder to review any Acquisition Proposal or Superior Proposal received by the Company and shared with such Stockholder and, solely
to the extent that the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) has made the determinations set forth in Section
6.03 of
the Merger Agreement
to the extent permitted by the Merger Agreement, to discuss and confirm to the Company the willingness of such Stockholder to support
and sign a voting and support agreement (or other similar agreement) with respect to such Acquisition Proposal or Superior Proposal in
the event this Agreement is terminated in accordance with Section 5.04.
Section 4.03.
Directors and Officers. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Agreement shall
limit or restrict such Stockholder (or a designee of such Stockholder) who is a director or officer of the Company from acting in such
capacity or fulfilling the obligations of such office (including, for the avoidance of doubt, exercising his or her fiduciary duties),
including by voting, in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company, in such Stockholder’s (or its designee’s)
sole discretion on any matter (it being understood that this Agreement shall apply to such Stockholder solely in such Stockholder’s
capacity as a stockholder of the Company), including with respect to Section 6.03 of the Merger Agreement. In this regard, such Stockholder
shall not be deemed to make any agreement or understanding in this Agreement in such Stockholder’s capacity as a director or officer
of the Company. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements made herein by such Stockholder are made solely with respect
to such Stockholder and its Subject Shares. This Agreement shall not limit, affect or prohibit, or be construed to limit, affect or prohibit,
any actions taken, or required or permitted to be taken, by any Affiliate or Representative of such Stockholder or any of its Affiliates
in any other capacity (other than as a stockholder of the Company), including, if applicable, as an officer or director of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries, and any actions taken whatsoever, or failure to take any actions whatsoever, by any of the foregoing persons
in such capacity as director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall not be deemed to constitute a breach of this
Agreement.
Section 4.04.
Appraisal Rights. Such Stockholder hereby irrevocable waives and agrees not to exercise any rights (including under Section
262 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware) it may have to demand appraisal, dissent or any similar or related matter
with respect to any Subject Shares that may arise with respect to the Merger. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) nothing in this Section
4.04 shall constitute, or be deemed to constitute, a waiver or release by such Stockholder of any claim or cause of action against Parent
to the extent arising out of a breach of this Agreement by Parent and (b) the waiver contained in this Section 4.04 shall be of no force
or effect in the event this Agreement is terminated.
Section 4.05.
Actions. Such Stockholder hereby agrees not to commence or pursue any Action or claim, whether derivative or otherwise,
against Parent, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates, or their respective boards of directors or members thereof or officers,
relating to the negotiation, execution or delivery of this Agreement or the Merger Agreement, or the consummation of the transactions
contemplated thereby, including any such claim (A) challenging the validity of, or seeking to enjoin the operation of, any provision
of this Agreement or (B) alleging a breach of any fiduciary duty of the Board of Directors in connection with the Merger Agreement
or the transactions contemplated thereby, and such Stockholder hereby agrees
to take all actions
necessary to opt out of any class in any class action relating to the foregoing; provided that the foregoing shall not limit any
actions taken by such Stockholder in response to any claims commenced against such Stockholder, its Affiliates or its Representatives;
provided further that this Section 4.05 shall not be deemed a waiver of any rights of such Stockholder or its Affiliates for any
breach of this Agreement by Parent, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates.
Section 4.06.
Adverse Actions. Such Stockholder hereby covenants and agrees that such Stockholder shall not, at any time prior to the
Expiration Date enter into any agreement or undertaking that is otherwise inconsistent with, or would interfere with, or prohibit or
prevent it from satisfying, its obligations pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 4.07.
Adjustments. In the event of any stock split, stock dividend or distribution, reorganization, recapitalization, readjustment,
reclassification, combination, exchange of shares or the like of the capital stock of the Company on, of or affecting the Subject Shares,
then the terms of this Agreement shall apply to the Company Securities received in respect of the Subject Shares by such Stockholder
immediately following the effectiveness of the events described in this Section 4.07, as though they were Subject Shares hereunder.
Section 4.08.
Disclosure. Parent will not make any disclosures regarding any Stockholder in any press release or otherwise without the
prior written consent of such Stockholder (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), unless Parent (i)
determines in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that any such disclosure is required by Applicable Law or any
listing agreement with or rule of any national securities exchange or association or by any filing required to be made with the SEC and
(ii) notifies such Stockholder three Business Days in advance of any such disclosure.
Article
5
Miscellaneous
Section 5.01.
Other Definitional and Interpretative Provisions. Unless specified otherwise, in this Agreement the obligations of any
party consisting of more than one person are joint and several. The words “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder”
and words of like import used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this
Agreement. The captions herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation
hereof. References to Schedules are to Schedules of this Agreement unless otherwise specified. All Schedules annexed hereto or referred
to herein are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full herein. Any capitalized terms used in
any Schedule but not otherwise defined therein, shall have the meaning as defined in this Agreement. Any singular term in this Agreement
shall be deemed to include the plural, and any plural term the singular. Whenever the words “include”, “includes”
or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”,
whether or not they are in fact followed by those words or words of like import. “Writing”, “written” and comparable
terms refer to printing, typing and
other means of reproducing
words (including electronic media) in a visible form. References to any statute shall be deemed to refer to such statute as amended from
time to time and, if applicable, to any rules, regulations or interpretations promulgated thereunder. References to any agreement or
contract are to that agreement or contract as amended, modified, supplemented, extended or renewed from time to time in accordance with
the terms hereof and thereof. References to any Person include the successors and permitted assigns of that Person. References to a “party”
or the “parties” means a party or the parties to this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires. References from or
through any date mean, unless otherwise specified, from and including or through and including, respectively. The parties hereto have
participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement and each has been represented by counsel of its choosing and,
in the event of an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by
such parties and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party due to the authorship of any provision
of this Agreement. Further, prior drafts of this Agreement or the Merger Agreement or the fact that any clauses have been added, deleted
or otherwise modified from any prior drafts of this Agreement or the Merger Agreement will not be used as an aide of construction or
otherwise constitute evidence of the intent of the parties, and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring
any party by virtue of any such prior drafts.
Section 5.02.
No Ownership Interest. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to vest in Parent any direct or indirect ownership
or incidence of ownership of or with respect to the Subject Shares. All rights, ownership and economic benefits of and relating to the
Subject Shares shall remain vested in and belong to the relevant Stockholder, and Parent shall have no authority to exercise any power
or authority to direct such Stockholder in the voting or disposition of any of the Subject Shares, except as otherwise provided herein.
Section 5.03.
Notices. All notices, requests and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed
properly delivered, given and received: (a) if delivered by hand, when delivered; (b) if sent by registered, certified or first class
mail, the third Business Day after being sent; (c) if sent by overnight delivery via a national courier service, two Business Days after
being delivered to such courier; and (d) if sent by email, when sent, provided that the sender of such email does not receive
a written notification of delivery failure. All notices, requests and other communications hereunder shall be delivered to the address
or email address set forth beneath the name of such party below (or to such other such other address or email address as such party may
hereafter specify for the purpose by notice in accordance with this Section to the other parties hereto):
if to Parent, to:
Campbell Soup Company
1 Campbell Place
Camden, New Jersey 08103-1799
Attention: General Counsel
with a copy (which
shall not constitute notice) to:
Davis Polk & Wardwell
LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Attention:
John D. Amorosi
Daniel Brass
Email:
john.amorosi@davispolk.com
daniel.brass@davispolk.com
if to a Stockholder,
to the address set forth on Schedule A opposite the name of such Stockholder, with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice)
to:
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
LLP
200 Crescent Court, Suite
300
Dallas, TX 75201-6950
Attention: James R. Griffin
Email: james.griffin@weil.com
and
Hogan Lovells US
LLP
855 Main Street
Suite 200
Attention:
Richard E. Climan
Keith A. Flaum
Email:
richard.climan@hoganlovells.com
keith.flaum@hoganlovells.com
Section 5.04.
Amendments; Termination. Any provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver
is in writing and is signed, in the case of an amendment, by each party to this Agreement or in the case of a waiver, by the party against
whom the waiver is to be effective. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the Effective Time, (ii) the termination of
the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, (iii) the mutual written agreement of each party to this Agreement, (iv) the effectiveness
of any Adverse Amendment and (v) the occurrence of any Adverse Recommendation Change with respect to an Intervening Event (any such date
under clauses (i) through (v) being referred to herein as the “Expiration Date”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions set forth in this Article 5 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Section 5.05.
Expenses. All costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement shall be paid by the party incurring such cost
or expense.
Section 5.06.
Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided that no party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its
rights or obligations
under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other parties hereto.
Section 5.07.
Governing Law. This Agreement, including any claims or causes of action (whether in contract, tort or statute) that may
be based upon, arise out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance thereof or the transactions contemplated
hereby, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflicts of law
rules of such state.
Section 5.08.
Jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any action, suit or legal proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of,
or based on any matter arising out of or in connection with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (whether brought
by any party or any of its Affiliates or against any party or any of its Affiliates) shall be brought in the Delaware Chancery Court
or, if such court shall not have jurisdiction, any federal court located in the State of Delaware or other Delaware state court, and
each of the parties hereby irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts (and of the appropriate appellate courts
therefrom) in any such action, suit or legal proceeding and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection
that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such action, suit or legal proceeding in any such court or that any
such action suit or legal proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Process in any such action,
suit or legal proceeding may be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the jurisdiction of any such court.
Without limiting the foregoing, each party agrees that service of process on such party as provided in Section 5.03 shall be deemed effective
service of process on such party.
Section 5.09.
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL
PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 5.10.
Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original,
with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument, it being understood that the parties need
not sign the same counterpart. Any such counterpart, to the extent delivered by fax or .pdf, .tif, .gif, .jpg or similar attachment to
electronic mail (any such delivery, an “Electronic Delivery”), will be treated in all manner and respects as an original
executed counterpart and will be considered to have the same binding legal effect as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered
in person. This Agreement shall become effective when each party hereto shall have received a counterpart hereof signed (including by
electronic signature) by all of the other parties hereto. Until and unless each party has received a counterpart hereof signed (including
by electronic signature) by the other party hereto, this Agreement shall have no effect and no party shall have any right or obligation
hereunder (whether by virtue of any other oral or written agreement or other communication). No party may raise the use of an Electronic
Delivery to deliver a signature, or the fact that any signature or agreement or instrument was transmitted or
communicated through
the use of an Electronic Delivery, as a defense to the formation of a contract, and each party forever waives any such defense, except
to the extent such defense relates to lack of authenticity.
Section 5.11.
Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction
or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions
of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated so long as the economic
or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby, taken as a whole, is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any
party. Upon such a determination, the parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent
of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as originally
contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
Section 5.12.
Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur if any provision of this Agreement were
not performed in accordance with the terms hereof, and that money damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, and that
the parties shall be entitled (without proof of actual damages and without being required to prove that money damages are an inadequate
remedy) to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the performance of the terms
and provisions hereof in the courts referred to in Section 5.08, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law
or in equity. The parties further agree to (a) waive any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with such
remedy, and that such remedy shall be in addition to any other remedy to which a party is entitled at law or in equity and (b) not assert
that a remedy of specific performance or an injunction is unenforceable, invalid, contrary to law or inequitable for any reason.
Section 5.13.
Non-Recourse. This Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claims or causes of action that may be based upon, arise
out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement may only be made against the entities
that are expressly identified as parties hereto and no former, current or future equity holders, controlling persons, directors, officers,
employees, agents or Affiliates of any party hereto or any former, current or future stockholder, controlling person, director, officer,
employee, general or limited partner, member, manager, agent or Affiliate or any of the foregoing (each, a “Non-Recourse Party”)
shall have any liability for any obligations or liabilities of the parties to this Agreement or for any claim (whether in tort, contract
or otherwise) based on, in respect of, or by reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby or in respect of any representations made
or alleged to be made in connection herewith. Without limiting the rights of any party against the other parties hereto, in no event
shall any party or any of its Affiliates seek to enforce this Agreement against, make any claims for breach of this Agreement against,
or seek to recover monetary damages for breach of this Agreement from, any Non-Recourse Party.
Section 5.14.
Defined Terms.
(a)
Any capitalized term that is used, but not defined, in this Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
(b)
“beneficial ownership” and “beneficially own” and similar terms have the meaning set forth
in Rule 13d-3 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Mark A. Clouse |
|
|
Name: Mark A. Clouse |
|
|
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
[Signature Page to Voting and Support Agreement]
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-B LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-B-1
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-B-2
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-B-3
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-C LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-D LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-F LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-H LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-I LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-J LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
By: GPE VIII GP S.à r.l., its
general partner
By: Advent International GPE VIII, LLC, its manager |
|
/s/ Jarlyth Gibson |
|
|
Jarlyth Gibson, manager |
By: Advent International, L.P., its
manager
By: Advent International GP, LLC, its
general partner
By: |
/s/ Neil Crawford |
|
|
Name: |
Neil Crawford |
|
|
Title: |
Vice President of Finance |
|
[Signature Page to Voting and Support Agreement]
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-E LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-G LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-K LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT INTERNATIONAL GPE VIII-L LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: GPE VIII GP Limited Partnership, General Partner |
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By: Advent International GPE VIII, LLC, General Partner |
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By: Advent International, L.P., Manager |
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By: Advent International GP, LLC, General Partner |
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By: |
/s/ Neil Crawford |
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Name: |
Neil Crawford |
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Title: |
Vice President of Finance |
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[Signature Page to Voting and Support Agreement]
ADVENT PARTNERS GPE VIII LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT PARTNERS GPE VIII-A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT PARTNERS GPE VIII CAYMAN LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT PARTNERS GPE VIII-A CAYMAN LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
ADVENT PARTNERS GPE VIII-B CAYMAN LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: AP GPE VIII GP Limited Partnership, General Partner |
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By: Advent International GPE VIII, LLC, General Partner |
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By: Advent International, L.P., Manager |
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By: Advent International GP, LLC, General Partner |
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By: |
/s/ Neil Crawford |
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Name: |
Neil Crawford |
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Title: |
Vice President of Finance |
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[Signature Page to Voting and Support Agreement]
NOOSA HOLDCO, L.P. |
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By: Noosa GP, Inc., its general partner |
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/s/ Neha Mathur |
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Name: Neha Mathur |
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Title: President |
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[Signature Page to Voting and Support Agreement]
Exhibit 10.2
VOTING AND SUPPORT AGREEMENT
This VOTING AND SUPPORT AGREEMENT (as the same
may be amended from time to time in accordance with its terms, this “Agreement”), dated as of August 7,
2023, by and among [·] (“Stockholder”), in such Person’s capacity
as a stockholder of Sovos Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Campbell Soup Company, a New Jersey
corporation (“Parent”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given to such
terms in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, in order to induce Parent and Premium
Products Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”) to enter into
an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of the date hereof (the “Merger Agreement”) with the Company, Parent has requested
Stockholder, and Stockholder has agreed, to enter into this Agreement with respect to all of the shares of common stock, par value $0.001
per share, of the Company (the “Shares”) that Stockholder beneficially owns as of the date hereof, as set forth next
to Stockholder’s name on Schedule A hereto (Stockholder’s “Subject Shares”);
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing
and the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein and for other good and valuable consideration,
the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
Article
1
Grant of Proxy; Voting Agreement
Section 1.01.
Voting Agreement.
(a)
Beginning on the date hereof until the Expiration Date, Stockholder hereby agrees to vote or exercise its right to consent with
respect to all Subject Shares that Stockholder is entitled to vote at the time of any vote or action by written consent to adopt the Merger
Agreement and all agreements related to the Merger and any actions related thereto at any meeting of the stockholders of the Company,
and at any adjournment thereof, at which such Merger Agreement and other related agreements (or any amended version thereof), or such
other actions, are submitted for the consideration and vote of the stockholders of the Company. Beginning on the date hereof until the
Expiration Date, Stockholder hereby agrees that it will not vote any Subject Shares in favor of, or consent to, and will vote the Subject
Shares against and not consent to, the approval of any (i) Acquisition Proposal, (ii) reorganization, recapitalization, liquidation or
winding-up of the Company or any other extraordinary transaction involving the Company, (iii) corporate action the consummation of which
would reasonably be expected to interfere with, prevent or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement
and (iv) any action or Contract that would reasonably be expected to result in a material breach or violation of any covenant, representation
or warranty or any other obligation of Stockholder contained in this Agreement. Stockholder shall provide the Company and Parent with
at least three
Business Days’ written notice prior to signing any action proposed
to be taken by written consent with respect to any Subject Shares.
(b)
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, (i) Stockholder shall not be required to vote (or cause to be voted)
any of the Subject Shares to amend the Merger Agreement (including any schedule or exhibit thereto), or take any action that would reasonably
be expected to result in the amendment or modification, that: (A) (1) delays or imposes any additional restrictions or conditions on the
payment of the Merger Consideration, or (2) imposes any additional conditions on the consummation of the Merger; (B) alters or changes
the amount or kind of consideration to be paid to the holders of Shares in connection with the Merger (including Terminating Company Restricted
Stock Consideration); (C) impedes or delays the consummation of the Merger or (D) from and after the adoption of the Merger Agreement
by the holders of Shares, requires further approval of the Company’s stockholder under the DGCL (as defined below) (each of the
foregoing, an “Adverse Amendment”) and (ii) Stockholder shall remain free to vote (or execute proxies with respect
to) the Subject Shares with respect to any matter not covered by Section 1.01(a) in any manner Stockholder deems appropriate.
(c)
Proxies. Other than (i) for the purposes of voting the Subject Shares consistent with this Agreement, (ii) the granting
of proxies to vote Subject Shares to an Affiliate of Stockholder as a Permitted Transfer and (iii) the granting of proxies to vote Subject
Shares with respect to the election of directors, ratification of the appointment of the Company’s auditors at the Company’s
annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders, and other routine matters at the Company’s annual meeting or any special meeting,
in either case, to the extent such matters are not (x) inconsistent with the obligations contemplated by the Merger Agreement or this
Agreement or (y) related to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement or this Agreement, Stockholder shall not, directly or
indirectly, grant any Person any proxy (revocable or irrevocable), power of attorney or other authorization with respect to the voting
of any of Stockholder’s Subject Shares.
Article
2
Representations and Warranties of Stockholders
Stockholder represents and warrants to Parent that:
Section 2.01.
Corporate Authorization; Binding Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance by Stockholder of this Agreement and
the consummation by Stockholder of the transactions contemplated hereby are within the organizational or individual powers of Stockholder
and have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of Stockholder. This Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding
Agreement of Stockholder, enforceable against Stockholder in accordance with its terms, subject,
in the case of enforceability, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting
creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity. If Stockholder is married and the Subject Shares set forth
on Schedule A hereto opposite Stockholder’s name constitute community property under Applicable Laws, this Agreement has
been duly authorized, executed and delivered
by, and constitutes the valid and binding agreement of, Stockholder’s
spouse. If this Agreement is being executed in a representative or fiduciary capacity, the Person signing this Agreement on behalf of
Stockholder has full power and authority to enter into and perform this Agreement. Other than as
provided in the Merger Agreement and except for any filings by Stockholder with the SEC, the execution, delivery and performance by Stockholder
of this Agreement does not require any action by or in respect of, or any notice, report or other filing by Stockholder with or to, or
any consent, registration, approval, permit or authorization from, any Governmental Authority, other than any actions or filings the absence
of which would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, materially prevent, delay or impair or otherwise adversely
impact Stockholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.
Section 2.02.
Non-Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by Stockholder of this Agreement and the performance of its obligations
contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) if Stockholder is an entity, violate the certificate of incorporation or bylaws (or other
comparable organizational documents) of Stockholder, (ii) violate any Applicable Law applicable to Stockholder, (iii) require any consent,
payment, notice to, or other action by any Person under, constitute a default under, or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation
or acceleration or to a loss of any benefit to which Stockholder is entitled under any provision of any agreement or other instrument
binding on Stockholder or (iv) result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of Stockholder; except, with respect to clauses
(ii), (iii) and (iv), as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate,
materially prevent, delay or impair or otherwise adversely impact Stockholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.
Section 2.03.
Ownership of Shares. Stockholder is beneficial owner of, and has voting control over, the Subject Shares, free and clear
of any Liens or any restriction on the right to vote or otherwise dispose of the Subject Shares. Stockholder has,
and will have at all times during the term of this Agreement, the right to vote and direct the vote of, and to dispose of and direct the
disposition of, Stockholder’s Subject Shares, and there are no Contracts of any kind, contingent or otherwise, obligating Stockholder
to Transfer, or cause to be Transferred, any of the Subject Shares, and no Person has any contractual or other right or obligation to
purchase or otherwise acquire any of Stockholder’s Subject Shares. Except for this Agreement, none of Stockholder’s Subject
Shares are subject to any voting agreement, voting trust or other agreement or arrangement, including any proxy, consent or power of attorney
that are inconsistent with Stockholder’s obligations pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 2.04.
Total Shares. As of the date hereof, except for the Equity Interests set forth on Schedule A hereto, Stockholder
does not beneficially own any Company Securities.
Section 2.05.
No Other Representations. Stockholder acknowledges and agrees that other than the representations expressly set forth in
this Agreement, Parent has not made, and is not making, any representations or warranties to Stockholder with respect to Parent, the Merger
Agreement or any other matter. Stockholder hereby specifically
disclaims reliance upon any representations or warranties (other than
the representations expressly set forth in this Agreement).
Section 2.06.
Absence of Litigation. Stockholder represents that there is no Action pending or, to the knowledge of Stockholder, threatened
against or affecting (i) Stockholder or any of its properties or assets (including Stockholder’s Subject Shares) or (ii) any of
its controlled Affiliates or any of their respective properties or assets, in each case before (or, in the case of threatened Actions,
that would be before) or by any Governmental Authority or arbitrator that would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate,
materially prevent, delay or impair or otherwise materially and adversely impact Stockholder’s ability to perform its obligations
hereunder or on a timely basis; provided that Stockholder makes no representations or warranties regarding any Action involving
the Company or relating to the Merger Agreement.
Section 2.07.
Finder’s Fees. No investment banker, broker, finder or other intermediary is entitled to a fee or commission from
Parent or the Company in respect of this Agreement based upon any arrangement or agreement made by or on behalf of Stockholder in Stockholder’s
capacity as such.
Article
3
Representations and Warranties of Parent
Parent represents and warrants to Stockholder as
follows:
Section 3.01.
Corporation Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance by Parent of this Agreement and the consummation by Parent
of the transactions contemplated hereby are within the corporate powers of Parent and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding agreement of Parent, enforceable against
Parent in accordance with its terms, subject, in the case of enforceability, to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer,
reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity.
Section 3.02.
No Other Representations. Parent acknowledges and agrees that other than the representations expressly set forth in this
Agreement, Stockholder has not made, and is not making, any representations or warranties to Parent with respect to Stockholder, the Merger
Agreement or any other matter. Parent hereby specifically disclaims reliance upon any representations or warranties (other than the representations
expressly set forth in this Agreement).
Article
4
Covenants of Stockholders
Stockholder hereby covenants and agrees that:
Section 4.01.
No Proxies for or Encumbrances on Subject Shares.
(a)
Except pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Stockholder shall not, without the
prior written consent of Parent, directly or indirectly, (i) grant any proxies, powers of attorney,
or any other authorizations or consents, or enter into any voting trust or other agreement or arrangement with respect to the voting
of any Subject Shares, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, encumber or otherwise dispose of, or enter into any contract, option or other arrangement
or understanding with respect to the direct or indirect sale, assignment, transfer, encumbrance or other disposition of (including by
gift, and whether by merger, by tendering into any tender or exchange offer, by testamentary disposition, by operation of law or otherwise,
and including pursuant to any derivative transaction), any Subject Shares (or any beneficial ownership therein or portion thereof) during
the term of this Agreement or consent to any of the foregoing (each, a “Transfer” (which defined term includes derivations
of such defined term)), (iii) otherwise permit any Liens to be created on any of Stockholder’s
Subject Shares or (iv) enter into any Contract with respect to the direct or indirect Transfer of any of Stockholder’s Subject Shares;
provided that nothing herein shall prohibit a Transfer of Subject Shares (A) to an Affiliate of Stockholder (a “Permitted
Transfer”), (B) pursuant to a written trading plan of the Company in effect on the date hereof that is intended to satisfy the
requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or (C) for sales of Subject Shares solely to the extent
strictly necessary for the proceeds to be sufficient for payment of taxes upon vesting of Company Equity Awards;
provided further, that, any Permitted Transfer shall be permitted only if, as a precondition to such Transfer, the transferee agrees
in writing, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Parent and the Company, to assume all of the obligations of Stockholder under,
and be bound by the terms of, this Agreement, by executing and delivering a joinder agreement in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to Parent and the Company. Any Transfer in violation of this Section 4.01(a) shall
be null and void ab initio. Stockholder hereby agrees that this Agreement and the obligations hereunder shall attach to Stockholder’s
Subject Shares and shall be binding upon any Person to which legal or beneficial ownership shall pass, whether by operation of law or
otherwise including its successors or permitted assigns and if any involuntary Transfer of any of Stockholder’s Subject Shares shall
occur (including a sale by Stockholder’s trustee in any bankruptcy, or a sale to a purchaser at any creditor’s or court sale),
the transferee (which term, as used herein, shall include any and all transferees and subsequent transferees of the initial transferee)
shall take and hold Stockholder’s Subject Shares subject to all of the restrictions, liabilities and rights under this Agreement
as Stockholder for all purposes hereunder. Stockholder authorizes the Company to impose stop orders to prevent the Transfer of any of
the Stockholder’s Subject Shares in violation of this Agreement.
(b)
In the event that Stockholder intends to undertake a Permitted Transfer during the term of
this Agreement of any Subject Shares, Stockholder shall provide prior notice thereof to the Company and Parent, and Parent shall
authorize the Company to, or authorize the Company to instruct its transfer agent to, (a) lift any stop order in respect of the Subject
Shares to be so Transferred in order to effect such Permitted Transfer only upon receipt of written certification by Parent and the Company
that the written joinder agreement entered into by the transferee agreeing to be bound by this Agreement pursuant to Section 4.01(a) hereof
is satisfactory to Parent and the Company and (b) re-
enter any stop order in respect of the Subject Shares to be so Transferred
upon completion of the Permitted Transfer.
Section 4.02.
Directors and Officers. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Agreement shall
limit or restrict Stockholder (or a designee of Stockholder) who is a director or officer of the Company from acting in such capacity
or fulfilling the obligations of such office (including, for the avoidance of doubt, exercising his or her fiduciary duties), including
by voting, in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company, in Stockholder’s (or its designee’s) sole discretion
on any matter (it being understood that this Agreement shall apply to Stockholder solely in Stockholder’s capacity as a stockholder
of the Company), including with respect to Section 6.03 of the Merger Agreement. In this regard, Stockholder shall not be deemed to make
any agreement or understanding in this Agreement in Stockholder’s capacity as a director or officer of the Company. The representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements made herein by Stockholder are made solely with respect to Stockholder and the Subject Shares. This
Agreement shall not limit, affect or prohibit, or be construed to limit, affect or prohibit, any actions taken, or required or permitted
to be taken, by any Affiliate or Representative of Stockholder or any of its Affiliates in any other capacity (other than as a stockholder
of the Company), including, if applicable, as an officer or director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and any actions taken
whatsoever, or failure to take any actions whatsoever, by any of the foregoing persons in such capacity as director or officer of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall not be deemed to constitute a breach of this Agreement.
Section 4.03.
Appraisal Rights. Stockholder hereby irrevocable waives and agrees not to exercise any rights (including under Section 262
of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware) it may have to demand appraisal, dissent or any similar or related matter with
respect to any Subject Shares that may arise with respect to the Merger. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) nothing in this Section 4.03
shall constitute, or be deemed to constitute, a waiver or release by Stockholder of any claim or cause of action against Parent to the
extent arising out of a breach of this Agreement by Parent and (b) the waiver contained in this Section 4.03 shall be of no force or effect
in the event this Agreement is terminated.
Section 4.04.
Actions. Stockholder hereby agrees not to commence or pursue any Action or claim, whether derivative or otherwise, against
Parent, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates, or their respective boards of directors or members thereof or officers, relating
to the negotiation, execution or delivery of this Agreement or the Merger Agreement, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated
thereby, including any such claim (A) challenging the validity of, or seeking to enjoin the operation of, any provision of this Agreement
or (B) alleging a breach of any fiduciary duty of the Board of Directors in connection with the Merger Agreement or the transactions
contemplated thereby, and Stockholder hereby agrees to take all actions necessary to opt out of any class in any class action relating
to the foregoing; provided that the foregoing shall not limit any actions taken by Stockholder in response to any claims commenced
against Stockholder, its Affiliates or its Representatives; provided further that this Section 4.04 shall not be deemed a waiver
of any rights of Stockholder or
its Affiliates for any breach of this Agreement by Parent, the Company
or any of their respective Affiliates.
Section 4.05.
Adverse Actions. The Stockholder hereby covenants and agrees that the Stockholder shall not, at any time prior to the Expiration
Date enter into any agreement or undertaking that is otherwise inconsistent with, or would interfere with, or prohibit or prevent it from
satisfying, its obligations pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 4.06.
Adjustments. In the event of any stock split, stock dividend or distribution, reorganization, recapitalization, readjustment,
reclassification, combination, exchange of shares or the like of the capital stock of the Company on, of or affecting the Subject Shares,
then the terms of this Agreement shall apply to the Company Securities received in respect of the Subject Shares by Stockholder immediately
following the effectiveness of the events described in this Section 4.06, as though they were Subject Shares hereunder.
Section 4.07.
Disclosure. Parent will not make any disclosures regarding Stockholder in any press release or otherwise without the prior
written consent of Stockholder (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), unless Parent (i) determines in
good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that any such disclosure is required by Applicable Law or any listing agreement
with or rule of any national securities exchange or association or by any filing required to be made with the SEC and (ii) notifies Stockholder
three Business Days in advance of any such disclosure.
Article
5
Miscellaneous
Section 5.01.
Other Definitional and Interpretative Provisions. Unless specified otherwise, in this Agreement the obligations of any party
consisting of more than one person are joint and several. The words “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder”
and words of like import used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement.
The captions herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation hereof.
References to Schedules are to Schedules of this Agreement unless otherwise specified. All Schedules annexed hereto or referred to herein
are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full herein. Any capitalized terms used in any Schedule
but not otherwise defined therein, shall have the meaning as defined in this Agreement. Any singular term in this Agreement shall be deemed
to include the plural, and any plural term the singular. Whenever the words “include”, “includes” or “including”
are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”, whether or not they are
in fact followed by those words or words of like import. “Writing”, “written” and comparable terms refer to printing,
typing and other means of reproducing words (including electronic media) in a visible form. References to any statute shall be deemed
to refer to such statute as amended from time to time and, if applicable, to any rules, regulations or interpretations promulgated thereunder.
References to any agreement or contract are to that agreement or contract as
amended, modified, supplemented, extended or renewed from time to time
in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. References to any Person include the successors and permitted assigns of that Person.
References to a “party” or the “parties” means a party or the parties to this Agreement unless the context otherwise
requires. References from or through any date mean, unless otherwise specified, from and including or through and including, respectively.
The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement and each has been represented by counsel
of its choosing and, in the event of an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as
if drafted jointly by such parties and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party due to the authorship
of any provision of this Agreement. Further, prior drafts of this Agreement or any Transaction Documents or the fact that any clauses
have been added, deleted or otherwise modified from any prior drafts of this Agreement or any Transaction Documents will not be used as
an aide of construction or otherwise constitute evidence of the intent of the Parties, and no presumption or burden of proof will arise
favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of any such prior drafts.
Section 5.02.
No Ownership Interest. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to vest in Parent any direct or indirect ownership
or incidence of ownership of or with respect to the Subject Shares. All rights, ownership and economic benefits of and relating to the
Subject Shares shall remain vested in and belong to the relevant Stockholder, and Parent shall have no authority to exercise any power
or authority to direct Stockholder in the voting or disposition of any of the Subject Shares, except as otherwise provided herein.
Section 5.03.
Notices. All notices, requests and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed properly
delivered, given and received: (a) if delivered by hand, when delivered; (b) if sent by registered, certified or first class mail, the
third Business Day after being sent; (c) if sent by overnight delivery via a national courier service, two Business Days after being delivered
to such courier; and (d) if sent by email, when sent, provided that the sender of such email does not receive a written notification
of delivery failure. All notices, requests and other communications hereunder shall be delivered to the address or email address set forth
beneath the name of such party below (or to such other such other address or email address as such party may hereafter specify for the
purpose by notice in accordance with this Section to the other parties hereto):
if to Parent, to:
Campbell Soup Company
1 Campbell Place
Camden, New Jersey 08103-1799
Attention: General Counsel
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice)
to:
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017 |
Attention: |
John D. Amorosi
Daniel Brass |
Email: |
john.amorosi@davispolk.com
daniel.brass@davispolk.com |
if to Stockholder, to the address set forth on
Schedule A opposite the name of Stockholder, with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Hogan Lovells US LLP
855 Main Street
Suite 200 |
Attention: |
Richard E. Climan
Keith A. Flaum |
Email: |
richard.climan@hoganlovells.com
keith.flaum@hoganlovells.com |
Section 5.04.
Amendments; Termination. Any provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver
is in writing and is signed, in the case of an amendment, by each party to this Agreement or in the case of a waiver, by the party against
whom the waiver is to be effective. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the Effective Time, (ii) the termination of
the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, (iii) the mutual written agreement of each party to this Agreement, (iv) the effectiveness
of any Adverse Amendment and (v) the occurrence of any Adverse Recommendation Change with respect to an Intervening Event (any such date
under clauses (i) through (v) being referred to herein as the “Expiration Date”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions set forth in this Article 5 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Section 5.05.
Expenses. All costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement shall be paid by the party incurring such cost
or expense.
Section 5.06.
Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto
and their respective successors and assigns; provided that no party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights
or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other parties hereto.
Section 5.07.
Governing Law. This Agreement, including any claims or causes of action (whether in contract, tort or statute) that may
be based upon, arise out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance thereof or the transactions contemplated
hereby, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflicts of law
rules of such state.
Section 5.08.
Jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any action, suit or legal
proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in connection with, this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby (whether brought by any party or any of its Affiliates or against any party or any of its Affiliates) shall be brought
in the Delaware Chancery Court or, if such court shall not have jurisdiction, any federal court located in the State of Delaware or other
Delaware state court, and each of the parties hereby irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts (and of the appropriate
appellate courts therefrom) in any such action, suit or legal proceeding and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law,
any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such action, suit or legal proceeding in any such court
or that any such action suit or legal proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Process in any such
action, suit or legal proceeding may be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the jurisdiction of any such
court. Without limiting the foregoing, each party agrees that service of process on such party as provided in Section 5.03 shall be deemed
effective service of process on such party.
Section 5.09.
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL
PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 5.10.
Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original,
with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument, it being understood that the parties need
not sign the same counterpart. Any such counterpart, to the extent delivered by fax or .pdf, .tif, .gif, .jpg or similar attachment to
electronic mail (any such delivery, an “Electronic Delivery”), will be treated in all manner and respects as an original
executed counterpart and will be considered to have the same binding legal effect as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered
in person. This Agreement shall become effective when each party hereto shall have received a counterpart hereof signed (including by
electronic signature) by all of the other parties hereto. Until and unless each party has received a counterpart hereof signed (including
by electronic signature) by the other party hereto, this Agreement shall have no effect and no party shall have any right or obligation
hereunder (whether by virtue of any other oral or written agreement or other communication). No party may raise the use of an Electronic
Delivery to deliver a signature, or the fact that any signature or agreement or instrument was transmitted or communicated through the
use of an Electronic Delivery, as a defense to the formation of a contract, and each party forever waives any such defense, except to
the extent such defense relates to lack of authenticity.
Section 5.11.
Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction
or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions
of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated so long as the economic
or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby, taken as a whole, is not affected in any manner
materially adverse to any party. Upon such a determination, the parties
shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an
acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
Section 5.12.
Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur if any provision of this Agreement were
not performed in accordance with the terms hereof, and that money damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, and that
the parties shall be entitled (without proof of actual damages and without being required to prove that money damages are an inadequate
remedy) to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the performance of the terms
and provisions hereof in the courts referred to in Section 5.08, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law
or in equity. The parties further agree to (a) waive any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with such remedy,
and that such remedy shall be in addition to any other remedy to which a party is entitled at law or in equity and (b) not assert that
a remedy of specific performance or an injunction is unenforceable, invalid, contrary to law or inequitable for any reason.
Section 5.13.
Non-Recourse. This Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claims or causes of action that may be based upon, arise
out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement may only be made against the entities
that are expressly identified as parties hereto and no former, current or future equity holders, controlling persons, directors, officers,
employees, agents or Affiliates of any party hereto or any former, current or future stockholder, controlling person, director, officer,
employee, general or limited partner, member, manager, agent or Affiliate or any of the foregoing (each, a “Non-Recourse Party”)
shall have any liability for any obligations or liabilities of the parties to this Agreement or for any claim (whether in tort, contract
or otherwise) based on, in respect of, or by reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby or in respect of any representations made
or alleged to be made in connection herewith. Without limiting the rights of any party against the other parties hereto, in no event shall
any party or any of its Affiliates seek to enforce this Agreement against, make any claims for breach of this Agreement against, or seek
to recover monetary damages for breach of this Agreement from, any Non-Recourse Party.
Section 5.14.
Defined Terms.
(a)
Any capitalized term that is used, but not defined, in this Agreement has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
(b)
“beneficial ownership” and “beneficially own” and similar terms have the meaning set forth
in Rule 13d-3 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused
this Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
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Schedule A
Name of Stockholder |
Total Shares Owned |
Address for Notices
(including email) |
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Exhibit 99.1
1 Campbell to Acquire Sovos Brands August 7, 2023
2 Forward - Looking Statements This presentation contains "forward - looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 . These forward - looking statements reflect Campbell Soup Company’s (“Campbell” or “our”) current expectations regarding our future results of operations, economic performance, financial condition and achievements . These forward - looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "pursue," "strategy," "target," "will" and similar expressions . One can also identify forward - looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, and may reflect anticipated cost savings or implementation of our strategic plan . These statements reflect our current plans and expectations and are based on information currently available to us . They rely on several assumptions regarding future events and estimates which could be inaccurate and which are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties . We wish to caution the reader that the following important factors and those important factors described in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings, or in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10 - K, could affect our actual results and could cause such results to vary materially from those expressed in any forward - looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us : the conditions to the completion of the Sovos Brands transaction, including obtaining Sovos Brands stockholder approval, may not be satisfied, or the regulatory approvals required for the transaction may not be obtained on the terms expected, on the anticipated schedule, or at all ; long - term financing for the Sovos Brands transaction may not be obtained on the terms expected, on the anticipated schedule, or at all ; long - term financing for the Sovos Brands transaction may not be obtained on favorable terms, or at all ; closing of the Sovos Brands transaction may not occur or be delayed, either as a result of litigation related to the transaction or otherwise or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability ; the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the Sovos Brands transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer or cost more to be realized than expected, including that the Sovos Brands transaction may not be accretive within the expected timeframe or the extent anticipated ; completing the Sovos Brands transaction may distract our management from other important matters ; the risks related to the availability of, and cost inflation in, supply chain inputs, including labor, raw materials, commodities, packaging and transportation ; the company’s ability to execute on and realize the expected benefits from its strategy, including growing sales in snacks and growing/maintaining its market share position in soup ; the impact of strong competitive responses to the company’s efforts to leverage its brand power with product innovation, promotional programs and new advertising ; the risks associated with trade and consumer acceptance of product improvements, shelving initiatives, new products and pricing and promotional strategies ; the ability to realize projected cost savings and benefits from cost savings initiatives and the integration of recent acquisitions ; disruptions in or inefficiencies to the company’s or Sovos Brands’ supply chain and/or operations, including reliance on key supplier relationships ; the impacts of, and associated responses to, the COVID - 19 pandemic on our business, suppliers, customers, consumers and employees ; the risks related to the effectiveness of the company's hedging activities and the company's ability to respond to volatility in commodity prices ; the company’s ability to manage changes to its organizational structure and/or business processes, including selling, distribution, manufacturing and information management systems or processes ; changes in consumer demand for the company’s products and favorable perception of the company’s brands ; changing inventory management practices by certain of the company’s or Sovos Brands’ key customers ; a changing customer landscape, with value and e - commerce retailers expanding their market presence, while certain of the company’s key customers maintain significance to the company’s business ; product quality and safety issues, including recalls and product liabilities ; the possible disruption to the independent contractor distribution models used by certain of the company’s businesses, including as a result of litigation or regulatory actions affecting their independent contractor classification ; the uncertainties of litigation and regulatory actions against the company or Sovos Brands ; the costs, disruption and diversion of management’s attention associated with activist investors ; a disruption, failure or security breach of the company’s or the company's vendors' information technology systems, including ransomware attacks ; impairment to goodwill or other intangible assets ; the company’s and Sovos Brands’ ability to protect its intellectual property rights ; increased liabilities and costs related to the company’s defined benefit This presentation contains "forward - looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 . These forward - looking statements reflect Campbell Soup pension plans ; the company’s and Sovos Brands’ ability to attract and retain key talent ; goals and initiatives related to, and the impacts of, climate change, including weather - related events ; negative changes and volatility in financial and credit markets, deteriorating economic conditions and other external factors, including changes in laws and regulations ; unforeseen business disruptions or other impacts due to political instability, civil disobedience, terrorism, armed hostilities (including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine), extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, other pandemics or other calamities ; and other factors described in the company’s most recent Form 10 - K and subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings . The discussion of uncertainties is by no means exhaustive but is designed to highlight important factor that may impact our outlook . We disclaim any obligation or intent to update the forward - looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation .
3 Today’s Presenters Carrie Anderson EVP & Chief Financial Officer Mark Clouse President & Chief Executive Officer Todd Lachman Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer Sovos Brands
4 Sovos Brands Joining the Campbell's Family Strategic, Powerful, Growth Accretive Combination • Strengthens and diversifies Meals & Beverages • Adds fast - growing brands • Substantial runway for adjacent categories • Strong complement to our Snack’s growth platform Transaction • Campbell to acquire Sovos Brands for $23.00 per share in cash; Total enterprise value of $2.7B • 14.6x adjusted EBITDA multiple including ~$50M in planned synergies 1 • Expected to be accretive in Year 2 • Projected leverage at closing ~4x 2 ; capital allocation priorities remain unchanged 1 Total enterprise value divided by Sovos Brands adjusted EBITDA last twelve months ended July 1, 2023, including run rate syne rgi es. Refer to non - GAAP reconciliation for LTM adjusted EBITDA.; 2 Estimated projected net debt divided by projected adjusted EBITDA exc luding run rate synergies; 3 Excludes $41 million of net sales from divested business and includes 53 rd week. Refer to non - GAAP reconciliation; 4 Excludes $41 million of net sales from divested business and 53rd week. Refer to non - GAAP reconciliation ; 5 Refer to Non - GAAP reconciliation; 6 Source: Sovos Brands Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2023 earnings release published on 08/07/23 $837M Adj. Net Sales CY22 3 +28% Organic Net Sales CY2019 - 22 CAGR 4 +16% Organic Net Sales Q2 FY23 vs. PY 5 +9% Volume Q2 FY23 vs. PY 6
5 $1,641 $938 $657 $1,480 $787 $181 Mainstream Distinctive Ultra Distinctive 2017 2022 Adds Fast Growing Rao’s Brand to Our Portfolio Rao’s is the leader in Ultra Distinctive Italian Sauce Italian Sauce Category Retail Sales and 2017 - 2022 CAGR 1 ($ millions) +33% +7% +4% 1 Circana ( MULO + C) calendar year data 2017 – 2022; 2 Circana MULO calendar year data 2019 – 2022; Ultra - Distinctive = Ultra Premium pasta sauce; Note: “Pasta Sauce” is defined in Circana as “Spaghetti / Italian Sauce”; Sub - categories are based on price per ounce Premium Tiers +39% Retail Net Sales CY2019 - 22 CAGR 2 #1 S hare in Ultra Distinctive 2 >10pt Share Gain vs. 2019 2
6 Significant Runway for Growth in Rao’s Italian Sauces 1 Rao’s , Classico and Bertolli pasta sauce data shown, Source: HHP Circana Total US - all outlets L52 weeks ending 7/23/23; 2 Circana Total US – All Outlets L52 Panel Data as of 7/23/23 and as compared to the comparable year - ago period, where applicable; 3 Classico reference point shown based on Circana MULO L52 as of 7/23/2023; 4 Based on Rao’s ( MULO ) SKU ranking by highest $ sales during L52 weeks ending 7/2/23; 5 Circana Mulo + C L52 weeks ending 7/23/23 Avg wkly items per store selling. Key category players include Prego and Ragu Significant additional HHP opportunity <14% HHP vs ~20% HHP for Premium peers 1 Strongest growth with younger consumers 2 +41% Gen Z and Millennial Retail Sales With strong growth >15% across all consumer cohorts Leading velocity for pasta sauce category >60% Brand velocity vs premium peer 3 ($/TPD) White space distribution opportunity ~20pt Difference in top 5 Rao's SKUs ACV vs next 5 Rao’s SKUs 4 ~10 Avg items per store gap vs key category players 5
7 Product Category Size 1 Rao’s $Consumption 2 Growth vs. PY Frozen 3 meals Meals $12.6B Pizza $6.2B +51% Dry Pasta $2.6B +52% Ready to Serve Soup $2.0B +26% Substantial Opportunity for Expansion to Adjacent Categories 1 Reflects L52 Circana ( MULO ) $ consumption (category dollars) as of 5/21/23, Rao’s share of each frozen meals, frozen pizza, dry pasta, and RTS soup <2% of respective categories; 2 Source: Circana MULO L52 weeks ending 7/23/23; 3 Frozen includes frozen single and multi - serve entrees and frozen pizza Low penetration 1 across additional substantial categories with strong growth opportunities given recent momentum
8 Michael Angelo’s Adds Authentic Italian Frozen Meals and Additional Supply Chain Scale • Established frozen business with the #1 most preferred Italian frozen entree brand among families 1 • +3% $ Consumption CY 2019 - 22 CAGR 2 • High quality Italian aligned with at home eating trends focused on convenience • Potential for further cost synergy opportunities as the business scales within our Supply Chain 1 Third - party A&U Study from January 2021 ; 2 Circana MULO CY2022 and comparable CY2019 $ consumption as of reporting w/e 7/23/23
9 Great Tasting Products and a Track Record of Strong Performance Provides Optionality • 5% $ Consumption CY 2019 - 22 CAGR 1 with strong, sustainable profitability • Strong leadership in place to operate as an attractive, easily separatable business while Campbell’s evaluates strategic options • High - quality ingredients sourced from local Colorado farms • One of the highest Net Promoter Scores in the yogurt category 2 • <10% HHP demonstrates significant whitespace 3 • Expanding into new categories through innovation . 1 Circana MULO CY2022 and comparable CY2019 $ consumption as of reporting w/e 7/23/23; 2 Source: Third party A&U Study from November 2022; 3 Circana Panel data, MULO L52W as of 7/2/2023
10 Compelling Strategic Rationale for Acquisition Attractive Sustainable Profitable Growth Accelerates Campbell’s Focused Strategic Plan Multi - dimensional Value Creation & 1 2 3
11 Multi - dimensional Value Creation 1 • U nlocks significant value through strong and sustainable growth opportunities • Expect fast, effective and efficient integration and synergy unlock given familiarity with categories and Campbell’s strong capabilities, processes and proven integration playbook • Provides substantial earnings growth contribution to the division while unlocking additional value through meaningful cost synergies • Drives operating synergies while improving scale efficiency of our core operations by leveraging Campbell’s supply chain excellence and scale
12 Expected ~$50 million Annualized Savings 2/3 rd from targeted selling, general & administrative expenses through harmonizing the combined corporate organizations 1/3 rd from greater scale in sourcing and procurement and efficiency gains and cost savings in our supply chain network Multi - dimensional Value Creation 1
13 Attractive Sustainable, Profitable Growth 2 • Significant whitespace opportunity for Rao’s and Michael Angelo’s to reach best - in - class distribution, growing items per store and increasing household penetration • Campbell's expertise in retail execution will enhance shelf productivity, geographic footprint, and sub - category penetration • Enhances and strengthens Campbell’s capabilities with Sovos ’ expertise in innovation, category expansion and the marketing of premium, high - growth brands
14 Accelerates Campbell’s focused Strategic Plan 3 • Further advances the company’s focused roadmap • Adds 1 full point of net sales growth to Meals & Beverages; Solidifies its role as steady contributor and complements the existing stable , core business • Delivers $1 billion sauces strategic objective by entering ultra - distinctive sauces market • Extends Campbell’s presence into the fast growing, on - trend, premium frozen meals segment, while adding meaningful scale to existing Pepperidge Farm’s frozen portfolio
15 Mainstream Premium Soup Leading Mainstream Soup, +3.1% 4 - yr CAGR Sauces Leading Mainstream Pasta Sauce, +7.4% 4 - yr CAGR Leading Ultra - Distinctive Italian Sauce, +37% 4 - yr CAGR Salsa / Picante Strong Mainstream Salsa / Picante, +4.5% 4 - yr CAGR New FY24 Launch Source: Retail sales growth and share Circana ( MULO ) L52 weeks ending 7/23/23 and 4YA Strengthens M&B with highly relevant and fast - growing Premium segments in core categories 3 Organic Leadership Fast Growing Jarred Super - Premium
16 High Confidence in Integration Capabilities and Proven Playbook • +10% $ Consumption 4 - yr CAGR 1 • Developed brand into a premium growth engine, driving incremental consumers to our portfolio • Balanced integration; preserved consumer and customer dedicated resources • Increased household penetration with younger consumers • Successful launch of Ready - to - Serve canned soup • +9% $ Consumption 4 - yr CAGR 1 • Successfully integrated and combined SAP system across the company • Utilized existing sales, cross - selling capabilities to grow Snacks franchise including several premium brands • Deliver on focused portfolio by executing strategic alternatives for non - core brands (e.g., Emerald ) 1 Total Circana US MULO $ Consumption Q3FY23: 13 weeks ending 04/30/23, Q3FY19: 13 weeks ending 04/28/19
17 Todd Lachman Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
18 Transaction Financial Summary Transaction Metrics • All cash purchase price of $23.00 per share • Total enterprise value of $2.7B • Represents adjusted EBITDA multiple of 14.6x including run - rate synergies 1 • Represents adjusted EBITDA multiple of 19.8x excluding run - rate synergies 1 Cost Synergies and One - Time Costs • Expected annualized cost synergies reaching ~$50M over the next two years • Approximately $90M in one - time integration costs and costs to achieve synergies over two years 2 • Accretive to adjusted diluted EPS by Year 2, excluding one - time expenses Capital Structure • Financing expected through issuance of new debt • Projected leverage ~4x 3 at close, reducing to target leverage of ~3x by end of Year 3 • Near - term capital allocation focus on investment in the business, maintaining a competitive dividend, reducing debt to targeted leverage ratio, and continuing anti - dilutive share repurchases • Expect to maintain investment grade Timing • Expected close by end of December 2023 • Subject to Sovos Brands’ stockholder approval and customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals Approvals • Transaction has been approved by both Boards of Directors and has the support of key Sovos Brands stockholder, Advent International Corp. and Sovos Brands director stockholders 1 Total enterprise value divided by Sovos Brands adjusted EBITDA last twelve months ended July 1, 2023, including and excluding ru n rate synergies. Refer to non - GAAP reconciliation for LTM adjusted EBITDA; 2 Mix of operating expense and capital ; 3 Estimated projected net debt divided by projected adjusted EBITDA excluding run rate synergies
19 Multi - dimensional Value Creation • Strong sustainable growth opportunities • Faster integration & synergy unlock given familiar categories and proven playbook Attractive, Sustainable Profitable Growth • Significant whitespace opportunity for existing Sovos Brands • Ample runway for adjacent segment expansion Accelerates Campbell’s Strategic Plan • Further advances the company’s focused 1 geography, 2 division roadmap • Solidifies role Meals & Beverages as a sustainable, dependable contributor to enterprise • Delivers $1B sauces strategic objective by entering ultra - distinctive sauces market • Extends presence into fast growing, on - trend, premium frozen meals segment, while adding meaningful scale to existing Pepperidge Farms frozen portfolio Campbell & Sovos Brands Combine to Create Long - term Value 2 1 3
20 Questions & Answers Carrie Anderson EVP & Chief Financial Officer Mark Clouse President & Chief Executive Officer Mick Beekhuizen EVP & President, Meals & Beverages Division
21 Appendix
22 Non - GAAP Financial Measures This presentation includes measures that are not prepared in accordance with U . S . generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) . Campbell uses Sovos Brands Adjusted EBITDA and organic net sales, which are non - GAAP measures, in this presentation . For each of these non - GAAP financial measures, we have included below a reconciliation of the differences between the non - GAAP measure and the most comparable GAAP measure . These non - GAAP measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the comparable GAAP measure . Campbell discusses projected leverage in this presentation only in relation to management’s expectations of the future effect of the Sovos Brands transaction and has not provided a reconciliation of these forward - looking projected leverage expectations to the mostly directly comparable GAAP measure due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation, including adjustments that could be made for actuarial gains or losses on pension and postretirement plans because these impacts are dependent on future changes in market conditions, transaction and integration costs and other charges reflected in Campbell’s reconciliations of historical numbers, the amounts of which, based on historical experience, could be significant .
23 Reconciliation of GAAP and Non - GAAP Financial Measures* (1) Consists of non - cash equity - based compensation expense associated with the grant of equity - based compensation provided to non - em ployee officers, directors and employees. (2) Consists of costs for professional fees related to organizational optimization and capital markets activities (3) Consists of unrealized gain on foreign currency contracts. (4) Consist of write - downs associated with packaging optimization and a strategic initiative to move co - packaging production from an international supplier to a domestic supplier. (5) Consists of costs associated with the divestiture of the Birch Benders brand and certain related assets and costs associated with potential transactions, including the pending Merger. * Based on Sovos Brands’ July 1, 2023 financial information. ($ thousands) Trailing Twelve Months Ended July 1, 2023 Net loss $ (13,988) Interest expense 33,495 Income tax expense 1,381 Depreciation and amortization 36,521 EBITDA $ 57,409 Non - cash equity - based compensation (1) 21,731 Non - recurring costs (2) 3,684 Gain on foreign currency contracts (3) (266) Supply chain optimization (4) 1,238 Transaction and integration costs (5) 53,840 Adjusted EBITDA $ 137,636 Sovos Brands – Trailing Twelve Months Ended July 1, 2023
24 Reconciliation of GAAP and Non - GAAP Financial Measures* (1) Reflects Net Sales for the Birch Benders brand generated in the 53 weeks ended December 31, 2022. (2) Reflects Net Sales generated in the 53 rd week by the Rao’s , Michael Angelo’s and noosa brands. (3) Sovos Brands Organic Net Sales and Organic Net Sales growth are defined as Reported Net Sales or Reported Net Sales growth excludin g, when they occur, the impact of a 53 rd week of shipments, acquisitions and divestitures. * Based on Sovos Brands’ July 1, 2023 financial information. ($ millions) Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022 December 28, 2019 Reported Net Sales $ 878.4 $ 388.0 Divestiture (1) (41.2) - Adjusted Net Sales $ 837.2 $ 388.0 53 rd Week (2) (18.3) - Organic Net Sales (3) $ 818.9 $ 388.0 3 - Year Compounded Annual Organic Net Sales Growth Rate (3) 28% Sovos Brands - Reconciliation of Reported Net Sales to Adjusted Net Sales and Organic Net Sales: 2019 & 2022
25 Reconciliation of GAAP and Non - GAAP Financial Measures* ($ thousands) 13 weeks ended July 1, 2023 June 25, 2022 Reported Net Sales $ 217,635 $ 197,433 Divestiture (1) — (10,347) Organic Net Sales (2) $ 217,635 $ 187,086 Organic Net Sales Growth (2) 16% Sovos Brands - Reconciliation of Reported Net Sales to Organic Net Sales: Q2 2022 & Q2 2023 (1) Reflects Net Sale s for the Birch Benders brand generated in the 13 weeks ended June 25, 2022. (2) Sovos Brands Organic Net sales and Organic Net Sales growth are defined as Reported Net Sales or Reported Net Sales growth excludin g, when they occur, the impact of a 53 rd week of shipments, acquisitions and divestitures. For discussions of fiscal 2023 results, Organic Net Sales growth excludes the impact of the Birch Benders divestiture and the 53 rd week in the prior year. * Based on Sovos Brands’ July 1, 2023 financial information.
Exhibit 99.2
CAMPBELL TO
ACQUIRE SOVOS BRANDS,
LEADER IN HIGH-GROWTH
PREMIUM ITALIAN SAUCES
Powerful combination
expected to fuel earnings growth; Aligns with and advances Campbell’s focused strategic plan
| · | Strengthens
and diversifies Campbell’s portfolio by enhancing Meals & Beverages division with
additional growth-oriented brands, including premium market-leading Rao’s to
complement core, mainstream portfolio and provide runway for adjacent category expansion |
| · | Overdelivers
stated strategic goal of building a $1 billion sauces business by entering the ultra-distinctive
pasta sauce market |
| · | Creates
significant shareholder value through meaningful sales growth, EBIT acceleration, and cost
synergies |
| · | Expected
to be accretive to adjusted diluted earnings per share by the second year |
| · | Transaction
conference call today at 8:00 a.m. EST |
CAMDEN,
N.J., and LOUISVILLE, Colo., AUG. 7, 2023 - Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) and Sovos Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOVO)
today announced that the companies have entered into an agreement for Campbell to acquire Sovos Brands, Inc. for $23 per share in cash,
representing a total enterprise value of approximately $2.7 billion. This represents a 14.6x adjusted EBITDA multiple1
including expected annual run rate synergies of approximately $50 million.
The strategic transaction adds a high-growth, market-leading premium portfolio of brands to diversify and enhance Campbell’s Meals
& Beverages division, providing a substantial runway for sustained profitable growth.
Sovos
Brands had annual adjusted net sales of $8372 million
in calendar year 2022 and is a compelling growth story as a North America focused food company with compounded annual organic net sales
growth rate of 28%3 from fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2022 offering
a variety of premium products including pasta sauces, dry pasta, soups, frozen entrées, frozen pizza and yogurts under the brand
names Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s and noosa. The flagship Rao’s brand,
1 Total
enterprise value divided by Sovos Brands adjusted EBITDA last twelve months ended July 1, 2023, including run rate synergies. Refer to
non-GAAP reconciliation for LTM adjusted EBITDA
2 Excludes
$41 million of net sales from divested business and includes 53rd week. Refer to non-GAAP reconciliation
3 Excludes
$41 million of net sales from divested business and 53rd week. Refer to non-GAAP reconciliation
which
represented approximately 69%4 of
Sovos Brands adjusted net sales in fiscal 2022, grew organic net sales by 34.9%5 compared
to the prior year.
“We’re thrilled to add the
most compelling growth story in the food industry and welcome the talented employees who have built a nearly $1 billion portfolio,”
said Campbell’s President and CEO Mark Clouse. “This acquisition fits perfectly with and accelerates our strategy of focusing
on one geography, two divisions and select key categories that we know well. Our focused strategy has enabled us to deliver strong results
over the last five years, enhance our brands and capabilities, and generate strong cash flow to lower debt. With all this progress, I
am confident in our readiness to execute and integrate this important acquisition. The Sovos Brands portfolio strengthens and diversifies
our Meals & Beverages division and paired with our faster-growing and differentiated Snacks division, makes Campbell one of the most
dependable, growth-oriented names in food.”
“Today marks a momentous occasion
for Sovos Brands as we announce our plans to join the Campbell’s family,” commented Todd Lachman, Founder, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Sovos Brands, Inc. “We have built a one-of-a-kind, high growth food company focused on taste-led products
across a portfolio of premium brands, anchored by the Rao’s brand. Our success would not have been possible without the
incredibly talented and passionate team at Sovos Brands, which has been instrumental in building one of the fastest growing food companies
of scale in the industry today. This transaction is expected to create substantial value for our shareholders, resulting in a 92% increase
from our 2021 IPO price. As one of the most trusted and respected food companies in North America, I’m confident in Campbell’s
ability to continue bringing our products to more households and further building on our track record of growth and success for years
to come.”
Compelling Strategic Rationale
| · | Multi-dimensional
Value Creation |
| o | Acquisition unlocks significant value
through strong and sustainable growth opportunities |
4 Rao’s
reported net sales fiscal year 2022 divided by total Sovos Brands adjusted net sales fiscal year 2022
5 Represents
Rao’s net sales adjusted for the 53rd week as presented in Sovos Brands fiscal year 2022 earnings press release.
Refer to non-GAAP reconciliation
| o | Expect a fast, effective and efficient
integration and synergy unlock given familiarity with categories and Campbell’s strong
capabilities, processes and proven integration playbook |
| o | The acquisition is expected to provide
considerable earnings growth contribution to the division while unlocking additional value
through meaningful cost synergies |
| o | Campbell’s supply chain excellence
and scale are expected to drive operating synergies for Sovos Brands, while improving scale
efficiency of Campbell’s core operations |
| · | Attractive
Sustainable Profitable Growth |
| o | Significant whitespace opportunity for
Rao’s and Michael Angelo’s through increased distribution, growing
items per store and household penetration to category peer levels |
| o | Campbell’s expertise in retail
execution is expected to enhance shelf productivity, geographic footprint, and sub-category
penetration |
| o | Sovos Brands’ expertise in innovation,
category expansion and the marketing of high-growth brands is expected to enhance and strengthen
Campbell’s capabilities as the portfolio continues to transform |
| · | Accelerates
Campbell’s Focused, Strategic Plan |
| o | Further advances the company’s
focused one geography, two division roadmap – Meals & Beverages and Snacks |
| o | Solidifies role of Meals & Beverages
as a sustainable and dependable contributor to the enterprise, by complementing a stable,
core portfolio in mainstream product categories with a fast-growing differentiated, premium
segment |
| o | Delivers Campbell’s $1 billion
sauces strategic objective by filling in critical white space in the growing ultra-distinctive
Italian sauce category, a segment where Campbell’s does not currently compete |
| o | Extends Campbell’s presence into
the fast growing, on-trend, premium frozen meals segment with Rao’s and Michael
Angelo’s, while adding meaningful scale to the existing Pepperidge Farm’s
frozen portfolio |
Financial Highlights
The
all-cash offer for Sovos Brands of $23 per share for a total enterprise value of approximately $2.7 billion represents an adjusted EBITDA
multiple of 14.6x including run rate synergies and 19.8x excluding synergies6.
The acquisition is expected to support Campbell’s long-term financial growth algorithm with expected annualized cost synergies
reaching approximately $50 million over the next two years, applying the learnings from the successful integrations of Snyder’s-Lance
and Pacific Foods. The transaction is expected to be accretive to adjusted diluted earnings per share by the second year, excluding one-time
integration expenses and costs to achieve synergies.
Following the completion of the transaction,
Sovos Brands’ results will be managed within Campbell’s Meals & Beverage division.
Transaction Structure and Timing
Campbell
plans to finance the acquisition price through the issuance of new debt. Projected leverage is expected to be approximately 4x7
at closing. Given Campbell’s expectation of continued strong cash
flow from operations, the company remains committed to maintaining its capital allocation priorities that include continued investment
in key growth and productivity initiatives in the business, maintaining a competitive dividend, a focus on reaching our target leverage
ratio of approximately 3x by the end of the third year, and continuing anti-dilutive share repurchases.
The closing of the transaction is subject
to Sovos Brands stockholder approval and customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Closing is expected by the end
of December 2023. The transaction has been approved by both Boards of Directors. In addition, each member of the Board of Directors of
Sovos Brands that is a stockholder of Sovos Brands and certain funds affiliated with Advent International that are stockholders of Sovos
Brands have entered into voting agreements with Campbell, pursuant to which each has agreed, among other things, to support the transaction.
6 Total
enterprise value divided by Sovos Brands adjusted EBITDA last twelve months ended July 1, 2023, including and excluding run rate synergies.
Refer to non-GAAP reconciliation for LTM adjusted EBITDA
7 Estimated
projected net debt divided by projected adjusted EBITDA excluding run rate synergies
Evercore acted as Campbell’s lead
financial advisor in this transaction. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as Campbell’s legal counsel. Goldman Sachs & Co.
LLC and Centerview Partners LLC acted as financial advisors to Sovos Brands, and Hogan Lovells US LLP and Richards, Layton & Finger,
P.A. acted as legal counsel. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as Advent International’s legal counsel.
Transaction Conference Call and Webcast
Campbell’s management team will
host a conference call to discuss the acquisition announcement today at 8:00 a.m. EST. Participants calling from the U.S. may dial in
using the toll-free phone number (888) 210-3346. Participants calling from outside the U.S. may dial in using phone number (646) 960-0253.
The conference access code is 2518868. Additionally, access to a live listen-only audio webcast is available at the following link: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/701780401.
The accompanying slide presentation, as well as a replay of the webcast, will be available at investor.campbellsoupcompany.com/events-and-presentations.
About Campbell
For more than 150 years, Campbell (NYSE:
CPB) has been connecting people through food they love. Generations of consumers have trusted Campbell to provide delicious and affordable
food and beverages. Headquartered in Camden, N.J. since 1869, Campbell generated fiscal 2022 net sales of $8.6 billion. Our portfolio
includes iconic brands such as Campbell’s, Cape Cod, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late July, Milano, Pace, Pacific
Foods, Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Snyder’s of Hanover, Swanson and V8. Campbell has a heritage of giving back and acting
as a good steward of the environment. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 as well as the FTSE4Good and Bloomberg
Gender-Equality Indices. For more information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com or follow company news on Twitter via @CampbellSoupCo.
About Sovos Brands, Inc.
Sovos Brands, Inc. is a consumer-packaged
food company focused on acquiring and building disruptive growth brands that bring today’s consumers great tasting food that fits
the way they live. The company’s product offerings include a variety of pasta sauces, dry pasta, soups, frozen entrées,
frozen pizza and yogurts, all of which are sold in North America under the brand names Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s and
noosa. All Sovos Brands’ products are built with
authenticity at their core, providing
consumers with one-of-a-kind food experiences that are genuine, delicious, and unforgettable. The company is headquartered in Louisville,
Colorado. For more information on Sovos Brands and its products, please visit www.sovosbrands.com.
Contacts
Campbell Soup Company,
Inc.
Investors |
Media |
Rebecca_gardy@campbells.com |
James_Regan@campbells.com |
Sovos Brands, Inc.
Investors |
Media |
Joshua Levine |
Lauren Armstrong |
IR@sovosbrands.com |
media@sovosbrands.com |
Additional Information For Sovos Brands,
Inc. Shareholders and Where to Find It
This press release does not constitute
an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This
press release relates to a proposed acquisition of Sovos Brands, Inc. (”Sovos Brands”) by Campbell Soup Company (“Campbell”).
In connection with this transaction, Sovos Brands will file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF SOVOS BRANDS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC
CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Any definitive proxy
statement(s) (when available) will be mailed to stockholders of Sovos Brands. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free
copies of these documents (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Sovos Brands through the website maintained by the
SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Sovos Brands will be available free of charge on the Sovos Brands’
website at https://sovosbrands.com or by contacting Sovos Brands by email at IR@sovosbrands.com or
by mail at 168 Centennial Parkway, Suite 200, Louisville, CO 80027.
Participants in the Solicitation
Sovos Brands, its directors and certain
of its executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Sovos Brands’ stockholders in
connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Sovos Brands is set forth in its
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on March 8, 2023, its Proxy Statement for
its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 27, 2023, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended April 1, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on May 10, 2023, and in other documents filed with the SEC by Sovos Brands and its
officers and directors.
These documents can be obtained free
of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description
of their direct
and indirect interests, by security holdings
or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction to be filed with
the SEC when they become available.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release
regarding the proposed transaction, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the proposed transaction,
benefits of the proposed transaction, future opportunities, future financial performance and any other statements regarding future expectations,
beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts are “forward-looking”
statements made within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,”
“ensure,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecasts,” “if,” “intend,”
“likely” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,”
“predict,” “probable,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,”
“will,” “would,” and similar expressions, and the negative thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking
statements.
All forward-looking information is subject
to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Sovos Brands or Campbell, that could cause actual results
to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to:
| · | the
conditions to the completion of the Sovos Brands transaction, including obtaining Sovos Brands
stockholder approval, may not be satisfied, or the regulatory approvals required for the
transaction may not be obtained on the terms expected, on the anticipated schedule, or at
all; |
| · | long-term
financing for the Sovos Brands transaction may not be obtained by Campbell on favorable terms,
or at all; |
| · | closing
of the Sovos Brands transaction may not occur or be delayed, either as a result of litigation
related to the transaction or otherwise or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification
and liability; |
| · | the
risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the Sovos Brands transaction may
not be fully realized by Campbell or may take longer or cost more to be realized than expected,
including that the Sovos Brands transaction may not be accretive to Campbell within the expected
timeframe or the extent anticipated; |
| · | completing
the Sovos Brands transaction may distract Campbell’s management from other important
matters; |
| · | the
risks related to the availability of, and cost inflation in, supply chain inputs, including
labor, raw materials, commodities, packaging and transportation; |
| · | Campbell’s
ability to execute on and realize the expected benefits from its strategy, including growing
sales in snacks and growing/maintaining its market share position in soup; |
| · | the
impact of strong competitive responses to Campbell’s efforts to leverage its brand
power with product innovation, promotional programs and new advertising; the risks associated
with trade and consumer acceptance of product improvements, shelving initiatives, new products
and pricing and promotional strategies; |
| · | the
ability to realize projected cost savings and benefits from cost savings initiatives and
the integration of recent acquisitions; |
| · | disruptions
in or inefficiencies to Campbell’s or Sovos Brands’ supply chain and/or operations,
including reliance on key supplier relationships; |
| · | the
impacts of, and associated responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic on Campbell’s and/or
Sovos Brands’ business, suppliers, customers, consumers and employees; |
| · | the
risks related to the effectiveness of Campbell’s hedging activities and Campbell’s
ability to respond to volatility in commodity prices; |
| · | Campbell’s
ability to manage changes to its organizational structure and/or business processes, including
selling, distribution, manufacturing and information management systems or processes; changes
in consumer demand for Campbell’s and Sovos Brands’ products and favorable perception
of such brands; |
| · | changing
inventory management practices by certain of Campbell’s and Sovos Brands’ key
customers; |
| · | a
changing customer landscape, with value and e-commerce retailers expanding their market presence,
while certain of the Campbell’s key customers maintain significance to Campbell’s
business; product quality and safety issues, including recalls and product liabilities; |
| · | the
possible disruption to the independent contractor distribution models used by certain of
Campbell’s businesses, including as a result of litigation or regulatory actions affecting
their independent contractor classification; |
| · | the
uncertainties of litigation and regulatory actions against Campbell’s or Sovos Brands;
|
| · | the
costs, disruption and diversion of management’s attention associated with activist
investors; |
| · | a
disruption, failure or security breach of Campbell’s, Campbell’s vendors', Sovos
Brands’ or Sovos Brands’ vendors information technology systems, including ransomware
attacks; |
| · | impairment
to goodwill or other intangible assets; |
| · | Campbell’s
and Sovos Brands’ ability to protect their respective intellectual property rights;
|
| · | increased
liabilities and costs related to Campbell’s defined benefit pension plans; |
| · | Campbell’s
and Sovos Brands’ ability to attract and retain key talent; |
| · | goals
and initiatives related to, and the impacts of, climate change, including weather-related
events; |
| · | negative
changes and volatility in financial and credit markets, |
| · | deteriorating
economic conditions and other external factors, including changes in laws and regulations;
and |
| · | unforeseen
business disruptions or other impacts due to political instability, civil disobedience, terrorism,
armed hostilities (including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine), extreme weather
conditions, natural disasters, other pandemics or other calamities |
Additional information concerning these
and other risk factors can be found in Campbell’s and Sovos Brands filings with the SEC and available through the SEC’s Electronic
Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval system at http://www.sec.gov, including Campbell’s and Sovos Brands' most recent Annual Reports
on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.
The discussion
of uncertainties is by no means exhaustive but is designed to highlight important factors that
may impact the outlook of Campbell and Sovos Brands. Campbell and Sovos
Brands each disclaim any
obligation or intent to update the forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release
except as required by law.
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
This press release
includes measures that are not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Campbell
uses Sovos Brands Adjusted EBITDA and organic net sales, which are non-GAAP measures, in this press release. For each of these non-GAAP
financial measures, we have included below a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP measure and the most comparable GAAP
measure. These non-GAAP measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the comparable GAAP measure.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
Sovos Brands – Trailing
Twelve Months Ended July 1, 2023 |
($ thousands) | |
Trailing
Twelve Months Ended
July 1, 2023 |
Net loss | |
$ | (13,988 | ) |
Interest expense, net | |
| 33,495 | |
Income tax expense | |
| 1,381 | |
Depreciation and amortization | |
| 36,521 | |
EBITDA | |
$ | 57,409 | |
Non-cash equity-based compensation (1) | |
| 21,731 | |
Non-recurring costs (2) | |
| 3,684 | |
Gain on foreign currency contracts (3) | |
| (266 | ) |
Supply chain optimization (4) | |
| 1,238 | |
Transaction and integration costs (5) | |
| 53,840 | |
Adjusted EBITDA | |
$ | 137,636 | |
| (1) | Consists
of non-cash equity-based compensation expense associated with the grant of equity-based compensation
provided to non-employee officers, directors and employees. |
| (2) | Consists
of costs for professional fees related to organizational optimization and capital markets
activities |
| (3) | Consists
of unrealized gain on foreign currency contracts. |
| (4) | Consist
of write-downs associated with packaging optimization and a strategic initiative to move
co-packaging production from an international supplier to a domestic supplier. |
| (5) | Consists
of costs associated with the divestiture of the Birch Benders brand and certain related
assets and costs associated with potential transactions, including the pending Merger. |
Reconciliation of Sovos Brands Reported
Net Sales to Adjusted Net Sales and Organic Net Sales: 2019 & 2022
| |
Fiscal Year Ended |
($ millions) | |
December 31, 2022 | |
December 28, 2019 |
Reported Net Sales | |
$ | 878.4 | | |
$ | 388.0 | |
Divestiture(1) | |
| (41.2 | ) | |
| — | |
Adjusted Net Sales | |
$ | 837.2 | | |
$ | 388.0 | |
53rd Week(2) | |
| (18.3 | ) | |
| — | |
Organic Net Sales(3) | |
$ | 818.9 | | |
$ | 388.0 | |
3-Year Compounded Annual Organic Net Sales Growth Rate(3) | |
| 28 | % | |
| | |
| (1) | Reflects
Net Sales for the Birch Benders brand generated in the 53 weeks ended December 31,
2022. |
| (2) | Reflects
Net Sales generated in the 53rd week by the Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s
and noosa brands. |
| (3) | Sovos
Brands Organic Net Sales and Organic Net Sales growth are defined as Reported Net Sales or
Reported Net Sales growth excluding, when they occur, the impact of a 53rd week
of shipments, acquisitions, and divestitures. |
Reconciliation of Rao’s
Reported Net Sales to Organic Net Sales: 2021 & 2022
Rao’s brand
– Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022 |
|
|
| |
Fiscal Year Ended |
($ thousands) | |
December 31, 2022 | |
December 25, 2021 |
Reported Net Sales | |
$ | 580,088 | | |
$ | 419,966 | |
53rd Week (1) | |
| (13,743 | ) | |
| — | |
Organic Net Sales | |
$ | 566,345 | | |
$ | 419,966 | |
Organic Net Sales Growth | |
| 34.9 | % | |
| | |
| (1) | Reflects
Net Sales generated in the 53rd week of Fiscal Year 2022 by Rao’s |
Campbell
discusses projected leverage in this press release only in relation to management’s expectations of the future effect of the Sovos
Brands transaction and has not provided a reconciliation of these forward-looking projected leverage expectations to the mostly directly
comparable GAAP measure due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation,
including adjustments that could be made for actuarial gains or losses on pension and postretirement plans because these impacts are
dependent on future changes in market conditions, transaction and integration costs and other charges reflected in Campbell’s reconciliations
of historical numbers, the amounts of which, based on historical experience, could be significant.
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