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Blockbuster Offers
Circuit City More than $1B
April 14, 2008
Blockbuster
has offered to acquire Circuit City Stores for at least $6.00 per share
in cash, subject to due diligence. That translates into $1 billion to
$1.3 billion.
The offer was made in a letter sent to Circuit City Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer Philip Schoonover on February 17th on behalf of the
Blockbuster Board of Directors, which fully supports the offer.
Unfortunately, to date, Circuit City has failed to provide due diligence
necessary to allow Blockbuster to make a definitive proposal.
Blockbuster is making its proposal public because it believes the
shareholders of Circuit City should have the opportunity to participate
in determining the destiny of the company. In addition, as Blockbuster
has other strategic opportunities, its offer is conditioned upon timely
commencement of the due diligence process.
Blockbuster noted the combination of the two companies would result in
an $18 billion global retail enterprise uniquely positioned to
capitalize on the growing convergence of media content and electronic
devices. The transaction would allow both companies to benefit from the
revenue growth generated by their complementary products, while the
resulting synergies would substantially improve consolidated financial
performance, thereby increasing shareholder value.
Blockbuster Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Keyes said, "Our
proposal offers Circuit City a significant premium to its existing stock
price and creates a game-changing retail concept with a sustainable
competitive advantage. We believe the combination will result in a
compelling consumer proposition that will drive significant revenue and
margin enhancements as well as cost synergies."
Mr. Keyes continued, "At Blockbuster, we have successfully deployed a
series of strategic initiatives designed to provide our customers with
convenient access to media content. These strategic initiatives have
already improved our financial results. Driven by strong performance in
our domestic same-store revenues, we expect first quarter 2008 adjusted
EBITDA to be approximately $110 million versus $23 million for the same
period last year. Additionally, net income for the first quarter of this
year should be $30 million compared to a net loss of $49 million for the
first quarter of 2007. These results are a clear demonstration that our
strategy is working. We look forward to engaging in further
conversations with Circuit City and reaching an agreement as soon as
possible."
The full text of Blockbuster's February 17 letter to Circuit City
follows.
February 17, 2008
Mr. Philip J. Schoonover
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Circuit City Stores, Inc.
9950 Mayland Drive
Richmond, VA 23233
Dear Phil:
Since early December, we have had a number of conversations regarding
the potential combination of our businesses. As a follow-up to those
discussions, I would like to formally reiterate our interest in pursuing
an acquisition of Circuit City. The purpose of this letter is to ensure
that there is no ambiguity and to outline our proposal.
Our vision for the "new" Blockbuster is to be the most convenient source
for media entertainment. We have undertaken a series of strategic
initiatives including enhancement of our core rental business; a
transition from solely rental to a concentration on consumer retail; and
development of the fast- growing digital download market. We are pleased
that these strategic initiatives have begun to improve our financial
results and anticipate further improvement going forward.
The combination of Blockbuster and Circuit City will result in an $18
billion retail enterprise uniquely positioned for the convergence of
media content and electronic devices. We would seek to differentiate
products in both Blockbuster and Circuit City stores by offering
exclusive content and content-enabled devices. Both companies would
benefit from complementary products, marketing, management strengths,
technology and distribution and the resulting synergies would
significantly improve consolidated financial performance. Overall, I
strongly believe that a combination of Blockbuster and Circuit City
would deliver significant value to our respective shareholders, enhance
the overall customer experience, and energize our employees.
Based on our review of publicly available information, we are confident
that we can provide a substantial premium to your shareholders with an
all cash offer in the range of $6.00 to $8.00 per share, subject to due
diligence. We are also willing to pursue alternative structures which
would enable Circuit City shareholders to receive stock and participate
in what we believe would be an exciting future for the combined
enterprise. Given current debt market conditions, we believe most of the
cash necessary would be generated through the issuance of additional
Blockbuster equity, most probably in a rights offering to our existing
shareholders. We believe they, and the market, will recognize the merits
of this transaction and we are confident that we can raise the required
equity. The
borrowing capacity of the combined business would provide the remaining
cash proceeds.
Time is of the essence and we are focused on minimizing the risk of
business disruption. We are prepared to commence a very short due
diligence process immediately, on the basis of exclusivity, with the
intention of entering into a definitive agreement shortly thereafter.
Attached, as an appendix to this letter, you will find a concise list of
the most critical due diligence items which we would need to review in
order to confirm our final offer. We have reviewed this potential
transaction with our board of directors, and it is with their full
support that we make this request to move forward. Given the importance
of this opportunity to Blockbuster and the strong desire to complete it
as soon as possible, we would be grateful for your response no later
than 5:00 PM CST on February 21, 2008.
Again, I thank you for the time you have spent discussing this
opportunity with me. I am prepared to discuss the details of this
proposal at your earliest convenience and believe that we will be able
to quickly come to a mutually beneficial agreement. I look forward to
working together on this exciting opportunity.
Very truly yours,
Jim Keyes
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Blockbuster Inc. |