1 EXHIBIT 99.4 TO TENDER AND TO CONSENT TO CERTAIN INDENTURE AMENDMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THE 15.25% SENIOR DISCOUNT NOTES DUE 2004 OF FOOD 4 LESS HOLDINGS, INC. PURSUANT TO THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND SOLICITATION STATEMENT DATED MAY 2, 1995 THE OFFER AND THE SOLICITATION WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON MAY 30, 1995, UNLESS EXTENDED (THE "EXPIRATION DATE"). TENDERS OF 15.25% SENIOR DISCOUNT NOTES DUE 2004, MAY ONLY BE WITHDRAWN AND THE CORRESPONDING CONSENTS MAY ONLY BE REVOKED UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND SOLICITATION STATEMENT AND THE CONSENT AND LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. TO OUR CLIENTS: Enclosed for your consideration is the Offer to Purchase and Solicitation Statement dated May 2, 1995 (as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase") and a related form of Consent and Letter of Transmittal and instructions thereto (the "Letter of Transmittal") relating to (i) the offer (the "Offer") by Food 4 Less Holdings, Inc. ("Holdings"), to holders of its 15.25% Senior Discount Notes Due 2004 (the "Discount Notes") to purchase for $785.00 in cash plus accrued cash interest thereon at a rate of 15.25% per annum from and after March 15, 1995 until the Closing Date (the "Cash Consideration") for each $1,000 principal amount (at maturity) of Discount Notes accepted for purchase and (ii) the solicitation (the "Solicitation") of consents (the "Consents") from holders of the Discount Notes ("Noteholders") to certain proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture under which the Discount Notes were issued (the "Discount Note Indenture") (as described in the Offer to Purchase under the captions "The Proposed Amendments" and "Appendix A -- Description of the Discount Notes"). Consummation of the Offer and the Solicitation are subject to certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase under the caption "The Offer to Purchase and Solicitation -- Conditions." Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Offer to Purchase. WE ARE THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THE DISCOUNT NOTES HELD BY US FOR YOUR ACCOUNT. A TENDER OF ANY SUCH DISCOUNT NOTES AND DELIVERY OF CONSENTS WITH RESPECT THERETO CAN BE MADE ONLY BY US AS THE REGISTERED HOLDER AND PURSUANT TO YOUR INSTRUCTIONS. THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS FURNISHED TO YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY AND CANNOT BE USED BY YOU TO TENDER DISCOUNT NOTES, OR DELIVER A CONSENT WITH RESPECT TO SUCH DISCOUNT NOTES, HELD BY US FOR YOUR ACCOUNT. Accordingly, we request instructions as to whether you wish us to tender such Discount Notes held by us for your account, and deliver Consents with respect to all of such Discount Notes so tendered, pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal. We urge you to read the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal carefully before instructing us to tender your Discount Notes and to deliver Consents with respect to Discount Notes. Unless otherwise indicated, references herein to the Offer shall be deemed to include the Solicitation. Your instructions to us should be forwarded as promptly as possible in order to permit us to tender Discount Notes and deliver Consents with respect to Discount Notes on your behalf in accordance with the provisions of the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal. The Offer and the Solicitation will expire at 12:00 Midnight, New York City time, on May 30, 1995. Discount Notes tendered pursuant to the Offer may only be withdrawn and the corresponding Consents delivered pursuant to the Solicitation may only be revoked, under the circumstances and subject to the procedures described in the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal. After receipt by the Trustee of, among other 2 things, certification by Holdings that the Requisite Consents with respect to the Discount Notes have been received, Holdings and the Trustee will execute a supplemental indenture to evidence the adoption of the Proposed Amendments relating to the Discount Notes (the "Supplemental Indenture"). Upon the acceptance by Holdings of the Requisite Consents from holders of Discount Notes and the execution of the Supplemental Indenture, such Supplemental Indenture will immediately become effective. Although the Proposed Amendments relating to the Discount Notes will become effective upon certification that the Requisite Consents from holders of the Discount Notes have been received, such Proposed Amendments will not be operative until Holdings has accepted for purchase all Discount Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn. Your attention is directed to the following: 1. The Offer is for the entire aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Discount Notes. 2. The Offer and the Solicitation are not being made to (nor will the surrender of Discount Notes for purchase be accepted from or on behalf of) Noteholders in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of the Offer or the Solicitation would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. 3. A holder of Discount Notes who desires to tender into the Offer with respect to any Discount Notes must tender all the Discount Notes beneficially owned by such holder. The tender of Discount Notes pursuant to the Offer will constitute the Consent of such tendering holder to the Proposed Amendments with respect to such Discount Notes. Noteholders who desire to accept the Offer must consent to the Proposed Amendments. Noteholders do not have the option to consent to the Proposed Amendments without tendering into the Offer. 4. The acceptance for purchase of Discount Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn and the payment of the Cash Consideration will be made as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date. Subject to rules promulgated pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Holdings, however, expressly reserves the right to delay acceptance of any of the Discount Notes or to terminate the Offer or the Solicitation and not accept for purchase any Discount Notes not theretofore accepted if any of the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the caption "The Offer to Purchase and Solicitation -- Conditions" shall not have been satisfied or waived by Holdings. Holdings will pay the Cash Consideration for Discount Notes pursuant to the Offer promptly following acceptance of the Discount Notes. 5. Consummation of the Offer and the Solicitation are subject to, among other things, satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, including (i) the receipt of the Requisite Consents (i.e., Consents from Noteholders representing at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Discount Notes held by persons other than Holdings and its affiliates) on or prior to the Expiration Date, (ii) satisfaction or waiver in Holdings' sole discretion, of all conditions precedent to the Merger, (iii) the prior or contemporaneous successful completion of the Other Debt Financing Transactions (including the Public Offering), (iv) the prior or contemporaneous consummation of the Bank Financing and the New Equity Investment and (v) certain other conditions. See "The Offer to Purchase and Solicitation -- Conditions" in the Offer to Purchase. There can be no assurance that such conditions will be satisfied or waived. Holdings reserves the right to waive certain limitations, to extend, terminate, cancel or otherwise modify or amend the Offer in any respect. 6. Holdings expressly reserves the right, subject to applicable law and the terms of the Offer and to the extent not inconsistent with the terms of the Merger, the Other Debt Financing Transactions, the Bank Financing or the New Equity Investment, (i) to delay acceptance for purchase of any Discount Notes or, regardless of whether such Discount Notes were theretofore accepted for purchase, to delay the purchase of any Discount Notes pursuant to the Offer and to terminate the Offer and not accept for purchase any Discount Notes not theretofore accepted for purchase, upon the failure of any of the conditions to the Offer specified herein to be satisfied, by giving oral or written notice of such delay or termination to the Depositary and (ii) at any time, or from time to time, to amend the Offer in any respect. Except as otherwise provided in the Offer to Purchase, withdrawal rights with respect to Discount Notes tendered pursuant to the Offer will not be extended or reinstated as a result of an extension or amendment of the Offer. The reservation by Holdings of the right to delay acceptance for purchase of Discount Notes is subject to the provisions of Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act, which requires that Holdings pay the consideration offered or return the Discount Notes deposited by or on behalf of holders thereof promptly after the termination or withdrawal of the Offer. 7. Consummation of the Offer and the effectiveness of the Proposed Amendments may have adverse consequences to non-tendering Noteholders, including that non-tendering Noteholders will no longer be entitled to the benefit of certain of the restrictive covenants currently contained in the Discount Indenture and that the reduced amount of outstanding Discount Notes as a result of the Offer may adversely affect the trading market, liquidity and market price of the Discount Notes. If the Requisite Consents are received and accepted, the Proposed Amendments will be binding on all non-tendering Noteholders. 2 3 8. Any transfer taxes incident to the transfer of Discount Notes from the tendering holder to Holdings will be paid by Holdings, except as provided in the Offer to Purchase and the instructions to the Letter of Transmittal. If you wish to have us tender any Discount Notes held by us for your account, and deliver your Consent to the Proposed Amendments with respect to all of such Discount Notes, please so instruct us by completing, executing and returning to us the instruction form that follows. Any inquiries you may have with respect to the Offer and the Solicitation or requests for additional copies of the Offer to Purchase or any other document should be addressed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the Information Agent, at one of the addresses or telephone numbers set forth on the back cover of the enclosed Offer to Purchase, or call toll free at 1-800-669-5550. 3 4 INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE OFFER AND THE SOLICITATION WITH RESPECT TO THE 15.25% SENIOR DISCOUNT NOTES DUE 2004 AND OF FOOD 4 LESS HOLDINGS, INC. The undersigned acknowledge(s) receipt of your letter and the enclosed material referred to therein relating to the Offer and the Solicitation by Holdings. This will instruct you whether to tender the principal amount of Discount Notes indicated below held by you for the account of the undersigned, and to deliver my Consent to the Proposed Amendments with respect to such Discount Notes, pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal. PRINCIPAL AMOUNT TO BE TENDERED* ---------------------- Discount Notes........................................... ---------------------- (please fill in blank) * Must be in principal amounts equal to $1,000 or integral multiples thereof. Date: , 1995 --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Signature(s) --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Please print name(s) here --------------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Please type or print address --------------------------------- Area Code and Telephone Number --------------------------------- Taxpayer Identification or Social Security Number --------------------------------- My Account Number with You 4