This Amendment No. 7 (this “Amendment”) to Schedule 14D-9 amends and supplements the Schedule 14D-9 previously filed by Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 16, 2020 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Schedule 14D-9”), with respect to the tender offer made by Vale Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Purchaser”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inspire Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), to purchase all of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, par value $.001 per share (the “Shares”), pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 30, 2020, among Parent, Purchaser, and the Company (as it may be amended from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), at a purchase price of $106.50 per Share, net to the holder in cash, without interest, subject to any withholding taxes required by applicable law (such consideration as it may be amended from time to time pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the “Offer Price”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 16, 2020 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Offer to Purchase”), and in the related Letter of Transmittal (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Letter of Transmittal,” which, together with the Offer to Purchase and other related materials, constitutes the “Offer”). The Offer is described in a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Schedule TO”) filed by Parent and Purchaser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 16, 2020. The Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal have been filed as Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B) to the Schedule 14D-9, respectively, as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
Capitalized terms used in this Amendment but not defined herein shall have the respective meaning given to such terms in the Schedule 14D-9. The information set forth in the Schedule 14D-9 remains unchanged and is incorporated herein by reference, except that such information is hereby amended or supplemented to the extent specifically provided herein.
Explanatory Note:
This supplemental information should be read in conjunction with the Schedule 14D-9 in its entirety. The Company believes that no supplemental disclosure is required under applicable laws and that the Schedule 14D-9 disclosed all material information required to be disclosed therein. However, to avoid the risk that lawsuits may delay or otherwise adversely affect the Transactions and to minimize the expense of defending such actions, the Company wishes to make voluntarily certain supplemental disclosures related to the proposed Transactions, all of which are set forth below and should be read in conjunction with the Schedule 14D-9. Nothing in these supplemental disclosures shall be deemed an admission of the legal necessity or materiality under applicable laws of any of the disclosures set forth herein.
Item 3. | Past Contacts, Transactions, Negotiations and Agreements. |
Item 3 of the Schedule 14D-9 is hereby amended and supplemented as follows:
The following disclosure replaces the second paragraph under the heading “Arrangements with Purchaser and Parent – Confidentiality Agreement” on page 14 of the Schedule 14D-9:
Under the Confidentiality Agreement, Parent and Roark Capital Management, LLC (“Roark Capital” or “Roark”) also agreed, among other things, to certain “standstill” provisions for the benefit of the Company that expire two (2) years from the date of the Confidentiality Agreement, including restrictions that prohibit Parent and its representatives (acting on Parent’s behalf or at Parent’s direction) and Roark Capital and any of its affiliated investment funds, portfolio companies or brands from, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of the Company Board, (i) acquiring, agreeing to acquire, proposing, seeking or offering to acquire, or facilitating the acquisition or ownership of, any securities or assets of the Company, any warrant or option to purchase such securities or assets, any security convertible into any such securities, or any other right to acquire such securities or assets (other than purchases of products or services in the ordinary course of business), (ii) entering, agreeing to enter, proposing, seeking or offering to enter into or facilitating any merger, business combination, recapitalization, restructuring or other extraordinary transaction involving the Company, (iii) making, or in any way participating or engaging in, any solicitation of proxies to vote, or seeking to advise or influence any person or entity with respect to the voting of, any voting securities of the Company, (iv) forming, joining or in any way participating in a “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) with respect to any voting securities of the Company, (v) calling, requesting the calling of, or otherwise seeking or assisting in the calling of a special meeting of the Company Board or the Company stockholders, (vi) otherwise acting, alone or in concert with others, to seek to control or influence the management or the policies of the Company, (vii) disclosing any intention, plan or arrangement prohibited by, or inconsistent with, any of the foregoing, or (viii) advising, assisting or encouraging or entering into any discussions, negotiations, agreements or arrangements with any other person or entity in connection with any of the foregoing.
Item 4. | The Solicitation or Recommendation. |
Item 4 of the Schedule 14D-9 is hereby amended and supplemented as follows:
The following disclosure replaces the last sentence of the twenty-fifth paragraph under the heading “Background and Reasons for the Company Board’s Recommendation – Background of the Offer” on page 21 of the Schedule 14D-9:
The decision of the Dunkin’ Brands Board to pursue an engagement with BofA Securities was based on, among other things, BofA Securities’ familiarity with, and experience in, the quick service restaurant industry and transactions similar to the transaction being considered by the Dunkin’ Brands Board. The Dunkin’ Brands Board also considered the recommendation of certain members of the Dunkin’ Brands Board who recommended that the Dunkin’ Brands Board consider BofA Securities based on his or her positive prior professional interactions with or knowledge of BofA Securities acting as financial advisor in comparable transactions, including favorable recommendations regarding BofA Securities’ representation of (i) a special board committee at Papa John’s and (ii) various portfolio companies of financial sponsors with whom members of the Dunkin’ Brands Board have business relationships.
The following disclosure replaces the twenty-ninth paragraph under the heading “Background and Reasons for the Company Board’s Recommendation – Background of the Offer” on page 22 of the Schedule 14D-9:
On October 8, 2020, the Dunkin’ Brands Board met, with members of Dunkin’ Brands management and representatives of Ropes & Gray present, to discuss, among other things, Dunkin’ Brands’ existing projections for fiscal years 2020 through 2023, which projections are referred to in this Schedule 14D-9 as the Company Forecasts and set forth in the Section “Certain Company Management Forecasts. – Certain Unaudited Prospective Financial Information”) of Item 8(f) of this Schedule 14D-9, which Company Forecasts would, subject to the approval by the Dunkin’ Brands Board, be shared with BofA Securities for purposes of their valuation analyses of Dunkin’ Brands. Members of Dunkin’ Brands management presented the key business performance assumptions underlying the Company Forecasts, the basis for such assumptions and the principal factors that could result in actual performance differing from these assumptions, including the continuing uncertainty in the United States and international economies relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and related market effects. The Dunkin’ Brands Board authorized Dunkin’ Brands management to provide the Company Forecasts to BofA Securities for the purpose of BofA Securities preparing its valuation report for the Dunkin’ Brands Board. Also at this meeting, representatives of Ropes & Gray reviewed with the Dunkin’ Brands Board its fiduciary duties under Delaware law, including its fiduciary duties with respect to a potential business combination.