The information in this document is not complete and may change. A registration statement relating to the securities described in the accompanying prospectus/offer to exchange has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The registrant may not complete the offer and issue these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This document is not an offer to sell these securities, and the registrant is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE, DATED OCTOBER 10, 2023
Offer by
SSF HOLDINGS, INC.
a direct wholly owned subsidiary of
The J. M. Smucker Company
to Exchange Each Outstanding Share of Class A Common Stock of
HOSTESS BRANDS, INC.
for
$30.00 in cash
and
0.03002 common shares of The J. M. Smucker Company
THE OFFER AND THE WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT ONE MINUTE AFTER 11:59 P.M., EASTERN TIME, AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 6, 2023, UNLESS EXTENDED OR TERMINATED.
The J. M. Smucker Company (which we refer to as “Smucker”), an Ohio corporation, through its direct wholly owned subsidiary SSF Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (which we refer to as the “Offeror”), is offering, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this document and in the accompanying letter of transmittal, to exchange for each outstanding share of Class A common stock of Hostess Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (which we refer to as “Hostess Brands”), par value $0.0001 per share (which we refer to as “Hostess Brands common stock,” and such shares of Hostess Brands common stock, “Hostess Brands shares”), validly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the offer:
| • | | 0.03002 common shares of Smucker, no par value (which we refer to as “Smucker common shares”), together with cash in lieu of any fractional Smucker common shares; |
in each case, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. We refer to the above as the “transaction consideration.”
The Offeror’s obligation to accept for exchange Hostess Brands shares validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) pursuant to the offer is subject to certain conditions, including the condition that, prior to the expiration of the offer, there have been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn a number of Hostess Brands shares that, together with Hostess Brands shares then owned by Smucker and the Offeror (if any), would represent at least a majority of the Hostess Brands shares issued and outstanding immediately after the consummation of the offer, as more fully described under “The Offer—Conditions to the Offer.”
The offer is being made pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (which we refer to as the “merger agreement”), dated as of September 10, 2023, by and among Smucker, the Offeror and Hostess Brands. A copy of the merger agreement is attached to this document as Annex A.
The purpose of the offer is for Smucker to acquire control of, and ultimately the entire equity interest in, Hostess Brands. The offer is the first step in Smucker’s plan to acquire all of the outstanding Hostess Brands shares. If the offer is completed and as a second step in such plan, Smucker intends to promptly consummate a merger of the Offeror with and into Hostess Brands, with Hostess Brands surviving the merger (which we refer to as the “merger”) as a wholly owned subsidiary of Smucker. The purpose of the merger is for Smucker to acquire all Hostess Brands shares that it did not acquire in the offer. In the merger, each outstanding Hostess Brands share that was not acquired by Smucker or the Offeror (other than certain dissenting, converted or cancelled shares, as described further in this document) will be converted into the right to receive the transaction consideration. Upon the consummation of the merger, Hostess Brands will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Smucker, and the former Hostess Brands stockholders will no longer have any direct ownership interest in the surviving corporation. If the offer is completed (such that Smucker owns at least a majority of the Hostess Brands shares then issued and outstanding), the merger will be governed by Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (which we refer to as the “DGCL”), and, accordingly, no vote of the Hostess Brands stockholders will be required to complete the merger. The board of directors of Hostess Brands (which we refer to as the “Hostess Brands board”) has unanimously declared that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the offer and the merger, are advisable, determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the offer and the merger, are fair to and in the best interests of, the stockholders of Hostess Brands, approved the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the offer and the merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the merger agreement, taken all actions necessary so that the restrictions on business combinations and stockholder vote requirements contained in the charter of Hostess Brands will not with respect to or as a result of the merger, the offer, the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, and resolved, upon and subject to the terms and conditions in the merger agreement, to recommend that its stockholders accept the offer and tender their Hostess Brands shares pursuant to the offer. The board of directors of Smucker (which we refer to as the “Smucker board”) also determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the offer and the merger and the issuance of Smucker common shares in the offer and merger, are advisable for, fair to and in the best interests of, Smucker and its shareholders, and approved the execution and delivery by Smucker of the merger agreement. Smucker common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (which we refer to as the “NYSE”) under the symbol “SJM,” and Hostess Brands common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (which we refer to as “Nasdaq”) under the symbol “TWNK.”
The exchange of Hostess Brands shares for the transaction consideration in the offer or the merger will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Holders of Hostess Brands shares should read the section entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” for a more detailed discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the offer and the merger to holders of Hostess Brands shares.
The merger will entitle Hostess Brands stockholders to appraisal rights under the DGCL. To exercise appraisal rights, a Hostess Brands stockholder must strictly comply with all of the procedures under the DGCL. These procedures are described more fully in the section entitled “The Offer—Appraisal Rights.”
For a discussion of certain factors that Hostess Brands stockholders should consider in connection with the offer, please read the section of this document entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 22.
You are encouraged to read this entire document and the related letter of transmittal carefully, including the annexes and information referred to or incorporated by reference in this document.
Neither Smucker nor the Offeror has authorized any person to provide any information or to make any representation in connection with the offer other than the information contained or incorporated by reference in this document, and if any person provides any information or makes any representation of this kind, that information or representation must not be relied upon as having been authorized by Smucker or the Offeror.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (which we refer to as the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this preliminary prospectus/offer to exchange is October 10, 2023.