Container Store (TCSGQ) 10-K 2020 FY Annual report

Exhibit 4.3

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

        The following description of the capital stock of The Container Store Group, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. This description is summarized from, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which has been publicly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

        Our authorized capital stock consists of:

• 250,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value; and

• 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value.

Common Stock

        Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. An election of directors by our stockholders shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast. All other elections and questions presented to the stockholders shall be decided by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of stock of the Company which are present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon.

        In the event of our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately our net assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Classified Board

 Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors (other than those directors elected by the holders of any series of preferred stock provided for or fixed pursuant to the provisions thereof (the “Preferred Stock Directors”)) is divided into three classes, with staggered, three-year terms. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the successor to each director whose term then expires will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting of shareholders following election or such director's death, resignation or removal, whichever is earliest to occur In case of any increase or decrease, from time to time, in the number of directors (other than Preferred Stock Directors), the number of directors in each class will be apportioned as nearly equal as possible.

Dividends

        Holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately any dividendsas may be declared by our board of directors, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors is authorized to direct us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our board of directors has the discretion to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.

        The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock and determine its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred

stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions, future financings and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from seeking to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.

Authorized but Unissued Shares

        The authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval, subject to any limitations imposed by the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate finance transactions, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could make more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Forum Selection

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or the by-laws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine will have to be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware.

In addition, our bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for any complaint raising a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to these choice of forum provisions.

Although we believe our forum selection clauses will benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law or the Securities Act, as applicable, for these specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law

        We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL. Under Section 203, we would generally be prohibited from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the time that this stockholder became an interested stockholder unless:

• prior to this time, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

• upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

• at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

        Under Section 203, a "business combination" includes:

• any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

• any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;

• any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder, subject to limited exceptions;

• any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or

• the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

        In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as an entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person.